Mis-Assumptions

Tennis as Art

When I think of the recent French Open, the first image that comes to mind is the joy on Spike Lee’s face that so perfectly mirrored my own after a miraculous shot by Coco Gauff who went on to win the Women’s Championship. Getting a little teary knowing how hard and long she’s worked, the same joyful teariness when Madison Keys won the 2025 Australia Open is due to my enormous appreciation for the power of hard work and determination that tennis exemplifies so well. One of the most competitive tennis tournaments I’ve seen in my decades of watching tennis, the 2025 French Open culminated in a men’s final that went for a historic five and a half hours. Players at the top of their game pushing each other farther than each had ever gone. I would have been fine with whoever won it was so close. Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner, but it was the two of them together that created the extraordinary match. We, the spectators, maintained attention, joined in our absorption and admiration of what we were seeing and what it takes to be there. I always feel connected with the others watching, what we feel and appreciate is a linkage unlike any other for me, a congregation. Such devotion, skill and creativity raise the sport to art. TNT Sports’ coverage underscored the beauty of tennis with dance sequences loosely based on tennis moves which functioned as refreshing transitions between matches in early rounds. Watching tennis at that level, my bodymind is awash with dopamine and endorphins. Admiration is wonderful brain chemistry, full of the unexpected with virtuosity that takes your breath away. Other athletes appreciate the level of athleticism required to play that long and that well. Announcers pointed out the NBA players and other well-known professional athletes in the audience who know what it’s like to keep changing direction and adapting to other players for long stretches. As a person plagued by self-consciousness, the external focus is relief and appreciation of the courage required to have cameras on you the whole time as you experience the most important match of your life. I feel honored to witness how each player is affected as it shows in face and body I always feel improved after watching an intense tennis match. My mirror neurons have gotten a workout, twitching and shifting with the players movements, invigorated and inspired by the high level of excellence. I face my own work with the understanding that one meaning in life is finding out what you’re capable of, something my husband told me once that I’ve held as a principle ever since.