Mysteries, Vickie Fee

Dreams of tennis, teen, and Memphis

I had a fever dream the last day of July. I usually have late summer dreams about tennis where I set my sights on young Americans, usually in sync with the U.S. Open. This time, it was the newly minted Memphis Classic and a 16-year-old Russian girl. She was as cute as they come and she kept playing like she just couldn’t lose. And even cuter than Kristina Liukova was an 8-year-old Asian American kid. He had drawn a poster with color markers cheering “Go, Kristina! Today is my eighth birthday!”

Liukova, whose recent tennis exploits were about to break her into the top 100 pro tennis players, WON the tournament. And the cute lad looked so happy, he obviously considered her win a birthday gift for himself as well.

I had been out to Memphis and watched some indoor tennis matches there in the ’90s. Last time that happened I attended the event with my sister-in-law and we watched Michael Chang play and win in Memphis. I read recently that Michael Chang is now coaching an up-and-coming bright tennis phenom. His daughter, Lani Chang, is now playing pro tennis. She has her own coach, but dad admitted he probably can’t resist giving her advice from time to time. In Memphis, now they’ve built a brand-new tennis center and inaugurated a brand-new classy tournament. It was hot as hell. Players were sweating in 90-degree temps. Playing beautifully.

After Liukova’s win someone introduced the Memphis mayor and his wife and I could almost swear I heard Carla Thomas singing in the arena. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Carla, but if I can make it back out to Memphis for this tournament, which is already on calendar for next July, I can definitely imagine Carla singing for it.

If you enjoy watching tennis, at least the majors, which championship would you most like to attend (or have you attended) at some point? (Wimbledon?, Australian?, French Open?, U.S. Open? And we’ll throw in the new Memphis tourney as an option?) And if you’re not a tennis fan, would any of these spark your interest?

19 thoughts on “Dreams of tennis, teen, and Memphis”

  1. You must be a tennis player, right? I used to play, but my biggest accomplishment was trying to jump over the net, getting tangled up it, and giving myself a concussion. I did master a two-handed backhand when that was a new thing. But there are other sports I’d rather watch. Good luck getting back next year!

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    1. I played a bit in my early twenties. But, I took a racquetball class in college and became a pretty good server at racquetball. Never was any good at tennis, but I’ve always loved to watch tennis on TV!

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  3. I played tennis in my twenties and got good enough to be in the intermediate class at our local community college, but haven’t played much since. But I have now taken up pickleball, which is super fun!

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  4. I used to play for fun but haven’t done it much lately. For championships, I’ll watch on TV once in a while, but my brother (who’s a much better player & played in high school) has gone to Wimbledon and the US Open.

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  5. I’ll turn tennis on for company (which is pretty much how I watch sports), but I don’t follow it at all. I’d attend a tennis tournament if it didn’t take much effort or thought from me, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to attend. I’ll let someone who would really enjoy it have my seat.

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  6. I am not a tennis aficionado, but my mother loved the game. When my husband and I went to visit her during Wimbledon, we had to take a taxi from the airport because she did not want to miss Ivan Lendl (her favorite player) playing. We decorated her study in vintage tennis items like wood rackets and advertisements for them, and then we added all kinds of tennis memorabilia and framed autographed photos that she had written to the tennis players for (she was in her 70s at the time). My older cousin knew Martina Navratilova in Fort Worth and obtained a huge colored autographed photo of her getting ready for a dinner party with a waiter in the background setting the table of which there were only three made. It was poster sized and cost a fortune to frame. I still have most of those memorabilia. If I was to go, I think that I would like the Memphis tourney.

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  7. That was a dream? It sounds so real! During the brief time they tried to turn tennis into a team sport like baseball or football, I somehow wound up watching a match at MSG and got to see Billy Jean King play. It was amazing.

    To answer your q, much as I’d love to experience Wimbledon, I’d opt for the US Open so I could combine it with a visit to my hometown and see friends and family.

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  8. I’d love to see the U.S. Open in person. But, my Wimbledon fantasy would allow me to Royal watch as well as swoon over top tennis players! Working on my curtsy for Princess Kate!

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  9. I much prefer watching tennis to playing it. I am…the worst. My tennis counselor at summer camp used to hand me a bucket and send me to look for all the balls I’d lobbed into the woods beyond the fence. I absolutely loved searching for them in the nice, shady woods–kind of like an Easter egg hunt! Hilariously enough, I have attended several US Opens because my spouse at the time had free corporate tix. My favorite part? People watching, celebrity spotting, the cocktails, and free Dove ice cream bars. (I know. I’m really sorry. I didn’t deserve the privilege.)

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