Live Tennis vs Tennis on TV

I went to the US Open again on Thursday evening. The night started late and the matches were pretty long, so S and I didn't leave the Billie Jean King tennis center til after 2pm. Quite a marathon--we had to wait for the last afternoon match to finish til about 830 so we went over to the Grey Goose hut and had a very strong drink to relax our nerves.

Now, I am happy that Arthur Ashe stadium is huge and that at least at the US Open tennis is no longer an elite, gentile pasttime. Its entertainment as well as sport. Fine.

And yet, sitting in front of us were a group of drunken straight white guys who drank incredible numbers of beers, talked incessantly during the point, and had the nerve to root for Justine Henin instead of Serena. People started moving away from them as the evening went on. S had to reprimand one especially rude guy at one point.

Also sitting next to me (but luckily one seat away --there was an empty seat between us) was a rather pleasant seeming late middle-aged woman with her younger friend. They brought strawberries and applauded each point regardless of who won it. Polite and demure...or so I thought. Later she lifted her butt off the seat and allowed herself to fart quite loudly. S and I looked at each other, first in shock and then in laughter. One runs into all sorts of behavior in Row X (we moved down for the Radal/Ferrer match) and I did yearn if for but a moment to be surrounded by uptight, sober WASPs who seemingly never burp or fart or never drink beer.

When I watch TV at home, I always root for a player and often get very emotionally involved. Serena and Rafa become sensual liberation fighters, Henin and Federer become fascists who must be defeated. I yell and scream, feel betrayed, identify with the heroics and cheer on the underdog mounting a comeback.

At the match, I become more involved with the match, not the contest. I could never applaud Henin, but I did begin to appreciate her shot-making and her focus. I wasn't happy to see Nadal loose but it was great to see Ferrer play so well and I so enjoyed the tempo and grace of the game itself and the struggle from both players. Television intensifies the conflict, with closeups of players, multiple angles, and the narrating voice of John McEnroe also supplements the importance of the struggle between the player.

On TV, the ball seems to travel much faster than live. At first I was surprised by how slow Serena was hitting, but I realized in seeing the complete arc of her shot (a pov that television doesn't provide) seems to slow the ball down. Even Rafa's forehand seemed slow. Television increases the velocity of the ball. Also TV amplifies the sounds of the court so that one hears the grunts and shrieks (and comments of the players)--as well as the sound of the racquet meeting the ball--much more. Even when S and I moved forward away from Row X, the match was a much more silent event. The audience is louder live and the umpire, who has a microphone, is also quite loud. During changeovers, when music was being played and the audience dancing with a roving camera searching for particularly expressive or attractive or cute dancers, the umpire would end the festivities by barking into the mic "Time!" Our umpire was particularly effective--he had a great Eastern European accent and a booming baritone. As the match between Nadal and Ferrer wore on way past midnight he clearly wanted to make sure that the sets did not drag on and his assertive declarations of "Time" were both humorous and effective.