It was so close!  According to all the media hype, it was practically a sure thing.  All Serena had to do was win two more matches, and the greatest tennis player of all time would have accomplished that most elusive of challenges:  The calendar slam.  JUST TWO MORE MATCHES!

It was so unexpected!  You’ve probably never heard of the woman that beat her–Roberta Vinci.  She has never before been in a singles semi-final at a major event .  Yet, at 32 years of age with over a decade of so-so results in singles on the professional women’s tour — she beat the best player of all time on the biggest tennis stage in the world.  What a thrill!

It was so strange!  Serena was visibly tense.  Who wouldn’t be?  there were over 22,000 people in Arthur Ashe stadium cheering her on, including luminaries from around the world.  A few times Serena looked as if she was going to cry–and that’s when things were going well.  She has been under an amazing amount of pressure; while her opponent and nothing to lose and everything to gain.

This is a reminder that tennis is a sport–it is a game.  On Thursday evening Serena didn’t have her best stuff and her opponent played great.  We (the royal, global, American ‘we’) have a  tendancy to iconize (I don’t even think that’s a word) our sports heroes.  But, occasionally we are reminded that they are people too–just like us.

It makes me think about the other middle-of-the-pack players that  dedicate their life to a sport, and never get the kind of recognition, fame or wealth that the top players receive.  For every Serena there are dozens of professional players who will never have their moment in the sun at a Grand Slam, and most of them will never have the type of shining moment that Roberta Vinci experienced last Thursday night.

For myself, I admit to wishing that once in awhile someone would  come and cheer me on during a tennis match!  The only time this actually happened was about ten years ago; my mom and dad plopped down their lawn chairs behind the court to watch me play in a court near their home.  (It was very sweet and I regret that I admonished them to stop their ‘chatter’ during the points.)

All of this has me pondering the nature of celebrity (blessing or curse?), as well as how the vast majority of us go about our business without a lot of recognition, fame or fortune.   Do we somehow believe that celebrities are more deserving than the rest of us?  Are they happier than the rest of us?   These are interesting questions, and ones I plan on ‘pondering’ at a later time.