Tennis and All That

I want to dedicate this post to the fantastic Czech Fed Cup team who are the champions by beating USA in the finals 3-0 in Prague. I’m so proud of your achievement and your amazing Fed Cup record of six titles in eight years! Brilliant team work! I’m still smiling about it. What a lovely way to end the year! It’s also a great year to win it as we are celebrating 100 years of independence from Austro-Hungarian oppression and, co-incidentally, today also marks 100 years to the day when TG Masaryk became the first president of independent Czechoslovakia.

The US Open Women’s Final cast an uncomfortable shadow across not only the last Grand Slam of the year but also the rest of the year. It was great that Serena Williams received Comeback Player of the Year Award which she richly deserved for her incredible rise up the rankings and on reaching the finals in two Grand Slams back to back. This still does not compensate for the dreadful treatment she received at the hands of Ramos who was not the only out of control umpire during the US Open. Umpires are there to ensure that the match goes smoothly for the players and that all their needs are met. It’s their responsibility to make sure the players know what’s going on and what the score is. The spectators also expect to be told the score and if anything out of the ordinary is happening eg a trainer is being called on court and for whom. A match is stressful for the players so the umpire should create a pleasant environment for both players and spectators. They are not some authoritarian fi...