It's been a year and it's worth a post

I have always considered tennis as a combat in an arena between two gladiators who have their racquets and their courage as their weapons.  

- Yannick Noah

It was supposed to be my most wonderful time of the year aside from Christmas. Not only is it summer but it's also Roland Garros season -- two weeks of dirt, red clay, unruly French crowd, and upsets in the world of tennis. 

It was around this time last year, I caught the serious tennis bug. The sport has always been in my peripheral awareness but this time I was hooked big time. Blame Jelena Jankovic and her amazing footwork on clay. I just couldn't take my eyes off her slip-sliding moves and thus, here I am now, spending almost 1/4 or more of my time following tennis. 

Clay is the surface I love the most because footwork and incredible defense is necessary to do well in it. It being a bit dirty is part of the charm - it makes tennis more down to earth as opposed to the notion that it's THE "civilized" sport. 

But this summer or to be specific a week and a half has been torture. Why, you may ask? Heart attack galore with almost all my faves going out in two consecutive days! I'm used to crying over Jelena aka JJ because she's a damn crazy woman and I love her for that. She lost is a three-setter fourth round to the teenager, Sorana Cirstea, with the annoying fist pumps. To top it all off, she got bageled in the second set. In tennis terms, bagel means 0 in your scoreline.

My slip-sliding Serbian soul mate

But the real heartbreak isn't her loss. The following got me crying on the floor and punching pillows while my sisters laugh hysterically over my insane display of loyalty to my bethrothed (in my dreams, okay?) Are you ready?

RAFAEL NADAL LOST. For the first time in Roland Garros, my most loved Spaniard lost in his kingdom of clay. We all knew the day had to come. But I was wishing he would lose in the final or the semifinal perhaps. And the fact that he lost to Soderling only makes it worst as Sod was a total jerk to Rafa a few years back.

To add insult to injury, the French crowd couldn't even support their FOUR-time defending champion and booed and hissed at him. The explanation "they just like an upset" isn't valid because they didn't root for Tommy Haas yesterday when he almost took out Roger Federer in straights.

Now I'm just hoping my Rafael regroups and kicks everyone's ass at Wimbledon. You know he'll want to. 

Number 1 in the world, and in my heart. Rafa saying goodbye to the French Open.

What I love in tennis is not just the amazing strokes, the footwork, the intuition, the drama but the mental aspect of it all. Tennis is a vicious game - you crush your opponent just by how you walk on court. You crush your opponent without laying a finger on him. Ask Roger about his Australian Open breakdown (which made me cry as well, I sympathised with him). When you're out there on the court, you're on your own - so fight. 

That's why I think Rafa will truly bounce back from this loss. He is too much of a perfectionist not to. I can't say the same for Jelena - her's is an entirely different battle of self-belief and confidence. But for her sake and my sanity, I hope she does. 

Wimby is in less than 3 weeks! Excited much. Don't fail me again, me loves. And yes, I still love RG.