Opening Day Confessions from a Wimbledon Junkie

The Championships – Wimbledon 2013: Day One

6:30 AM

My hand searches for the snooze button on the alarm clock, and I wake up with a start. Bright sunlight is streaming in through the window, and my mind snaps to a green piece of property in the south of England. Is the sun shining in Wimbledon now? I immediately realize it is the middle of the night at the moment in the UK, and Wimbledon is likely to be cold and deserted. Unless, of course, there are campers queuing up overnight to get courtside passes for access to the Championships.

7:30 AM

I get to the breakfast table in an even better mood than usual. There is a familiar thrill of excitement rising up inside. It’s the Opening Day at a Grand Slam, and not just any Grand Slam at that. It’s the Big Daddy of them all – Wimbledon. The hustle-bustle of simultaneous action on multiple courts, our vain attempts to keep up with them all, the intermittent but inevitable rain delays. I am looking forward to them all, and there are just a few more hours to go.

I compare the printout of my draw sheet with that of my mother. We laugh at each other’s picks, and debate on the logic of our choices. Hewitt over Wawrinka? Didn’t you see the kind of form Stan is in right now?…Yes, I would have liked to pick Robson, but I think Kirilenko is going to be too solid for her…I know you’re a Federer fan, but for him to go all the way again? Come on!

8: 00 AM

I set out for office a couple of hours early. The rationale being, it raises fewer questions later when I need to leave office a couple of hours early. And I know I will be back as soon as possible. I travel in good humour, because I just read in the papers that Star Sports-ESPN has promised 150 hours of live action from Wimbledon this time, across 3 of their TV channels. I am yet to figure out if the local cable guy will provide all 3 channels though. In my daily morning ritual of browsing for all news to do with tennis, I had also read that the Sportskeeda expert pick for the Wimbledon title was in sync with my choice – Andy Murray. Best of all, the weather forecast at Wimbledon for the day is cloudy, but no rain. Things are looking up indeed.

11:00 AM

I work quickly and with dedicated focus at the office. I almost feel like David Ferrer in a tennis match. It’s amazing how much a sporting deadline can improve efficiency levels. My only distraction is a mail exchange with a couple of friends on our Fantasy Tennis League and our individual picks for the draw. The discussion gets heated over timelines for freezing selections. I insist the window closed yesterday, while my friend is adamant that he has time till the first ball is struck at Wimbledon.