Sitting at home is great but I wish!

There’s always one part of our heart that wants a little more attention, notices the imperfections and craves for more! That more has always been catching a good, live game of tennis for me.

So, while the introvert in me has been absolutely relishing the privileges of working and earning from home, I am writing this to let my heart out about something that is left unfulfilled.

I started watching tennis on TV on my own, without anyone in my vicinity as seemingly interested (although my mom later admitted she did gape at Sampras in her youth). And from then on, I used to lie down on my sofa and sleep while watching a teenage Nadal give the likes of Lleyton Hewitt a serious run for their money.

It became an obsession and I fondly recall the times I used to cover Grand Slams at NDTV’s online sports desk. Feels good to brag that I was the tennis guy there!

Over the years, when I looked for jobs in sports writing (yes, I had that phase when I kept changing), some people questioned if I knew enough because I hadn’t played professionally or even seriously on an amateur level.

However, I always take pride in the fact that Vijay Amritraj had implored his PR to set up an interview (some would call this a promotional activity, buzz off please). I talked to Vijay and that only reinforced my belief that he was one of the most sophisticated men around in the tennis world, among both Indians and foreigners.

I had penned an article comparing my now favourite tennis player for years, Novak Djokovic, comparing his charitable activities to those of Andre Agassi. It was only a year later that I discovered how that article had amassed so much attention. It had been shared by Jelena, Novak’s wife, on Twitter, with the caption, “so proud of my husband.”

And here I sit, recalling all this, trying to fill my tennis void by playing virtually on PlayStation 4. Today, I received the sad news that the return tournament for the men’s calendar, scheduled for August 22 in US, has also been cancelled.

Everything’s perfect, yes I mean it, I am blessed unlike so many others getting to write this while sitting at home (and not having any apparent worries).

But if you ask me, what’s missing? It’s tennis! My second love, after my wife.