Please, even in a wheelchair, keep playing
That was seriously impressive. At an age when many individuals who are professional sportsmen struggle to compete with their younger, fitter adversaries, there you are winning Grand Slam events.
I would like to think it’s the South African genes – your mom being from here – but I know from experience that isn’t the case.
You see, I have a son-in-law who is, like you, 36 years old. When he was in his 20s, he was a seriously good sportsman. He played rugby and squash at a decent level and rode a mountainbike like he was late for a date with Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. Today he battles to tie his own shoelaces.
It could well be that he has led a life of debauchery. Today he is a smoker (one of those who regularly tells us he’s “given up”, but we’ve come to realise he means given up buying his own) and he REALLY likes his beer. He wouldn’t dream of competing with a 20-something-year-old for fear of being thoroughly embarrassed.
You, on the other hand, have become an even better tennis player in your “twilight” years. Do you survive on a diet of nuts and legumes and drink nothing but @GuyHawthorne mineral water?
Also, your passion for tennis is something to behold. My sonin-law’s mountainbike, which at some stage had clocked up more kilometres than my 10-year-old car, now sits in the corner of his garage most of the time, gathering dust. When my daughter and their two girls decide they would like to go to Northern Farms for a “ride”, he does dust it off and takes it on the road. But then it takes him the better part of a month to recover.
You still have that burning desire and the fact that you were so emotional after your victory in the Australian Open adds to your likeableness. Even my missus, who would rather service her own car than watch sport but happened to wander into the lounge shortly after you received the trophy (for a record-equalling SIXTH time, nogal), was genuinely moved by your tearful speech in Melbourne.
I’m sure you no longer need the moola – with 20 Grand Slam titles to your credit the bank balance must be looking just fine, thank you very much – but you play as if the prize money is the difference between feeding your family or being on the street.
I find it difficult to like Australians but I found myself softening towards them due to the fact that the vast majority of those in the stadium were behind you last Sunday. And they were genuinely pleased to see you triumph. Again, I believe it is because you are a bit of an anomaly … an “old man” thriving in a field choc-a-bloc with younger guys.
All I can say is, long may it continue.