Match #50: Fandom Defined

by Kait O'Callahan

My brother looks over at me, his face forlorn, his hands clutching at his hair.  “Why do we watch sport?” Novak Djokovic, a player he has been supporting long before he ever laid his hands on a Grand Slam trophy, has just failed to serve out his semi-final match against Andy Murray at 5-3 in the fifth.  Minutes later, my brother gets his answer.  As Djokovic falls to the ground in victory, we leap into the air to celebrate.  Such is the elation, the screaming and the joy, I move a little quickly and pull a muscle in my bottom.  That feeling, that high, is why we watch sport.

I saw fifty matches this fortnight and that semi-final was the highlight.  It wasn’t always pretty tennis, but clean statistics don’t necessarily equal a great match.  A great match is one that is is unpredictable in its outcome, has moments of intense joy and unbelievable pain.  A great match doesn’t run to a script or a ratio of winners to unforced errors.  A great match is born through heart, guts, sweat, and tears.  A great match happens when there is something huge on the line and the gap between the players is no wider than a pencil stroke.  Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray gave us such a great match tonight, it felt like a final.

There’s going to be enough analysis said and done over the next few days, so I’ll spare you mine.  Anyway, it isn’t always easy to see clearly when you’re that emotionally invested in tennis.  As much as I love being media, as much as I love writing and taking this game seriously, there isn’t a better feeling than celebrating a win as a fan.  No matter where this takes me, I won’t lose that passion.

I’ve got a bit more to write for this site before I say my goodbyes, so this isn’t my last.  Sadly I won’t be attending the finals live, but I hope for excellent matches.  I’ll be watching both of them from my couch, cheering my heart out.

Photo:  Getty Images

Kait O'Callahan also has her own tennis blog Any Given Surface.  To follow her on Twitter, click here.