A bag of cement

Is there a rule banning them from entering a tennis court while they carry their bosses’ carry-all bags each looking as heavy as a sack of rice?

I guess I have written about it before but, still, let me do it again. Boxers have water boys and trainers with them when they go fight for a crown or whatever.

Basketball players have ball, water and towel boys with them when they enter a hard court.

And, yes, golfers have caddies with them when they play either in a tournament or a practice round.

The reason is obvious: Each one of them must be fully focused and anything, whether it is a carry-all bag or a pouch, that can cause even a minor irritation or distraction should be rid of their bodies, shoulders.

Just imagine Manny Pacquiao carrying his own pail of water when he climbs the ring for a world title fight. Not only awkward but it’s downright crazy.

Or LeBron James and Steph Curry with a ball-stuffed duffel bag each slung on their shoulders as they make their way to the arena of battle.

Or Tiger Woods, if not Jordan Spieth, lumbering into the first tee with a golf bag in tow, each cramped with 14 clubs. Simply unbelievable. But then this: Why do tennis players not do the same?

Meaning, why not utility guys, if not “caddies” too, hired to also carry the stuff of tennis players on their way from the lockers to the battleground?

I say this again because it pains me always to see the world’s tennis superstars entering/exiting the Rod Laver arena and other courts in the ongoing Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Seemingly, it’s been that way in all tennis wars since time immemorial.

Is tradition getting in the way so that a major change could never make an inroad to a sport that has four great majors annually—from Australia to France, and from England to finally, the US?

These tennis stars, like their counterparts in golf, boxing and basketball, earn millions of dollars a year and yet, they couldn’t hire extra hands that are, definitely, not that expensive as, say, the bodyguards of Hollywood celebrities.

Is there a rule banning them from entering a tennis court while they carry their bosses’ carry-all bags each looking as heavy as a sack of rice?

Of course, a player’s bag would be light as a feather when he/she walks out of the court victorious.

But to a loser? A bag of cement would be an understatement.