Tennis

I played against my friend I on Tuesday night, and I beat him 8-6. This might not seem like a big deal but it's really put a spring in my step. Why such a big deal? Two answers really.

For a start, I don't beat I very often. We used to play every week and I could usually get close but not actually beat him. He's very cunning and could usually manage to pull some trick out of his bag. Also (and this is still part of the first reason, not the second one) I had played another guy the weekend before last, someone I'd never played before, and it was very disheartening. When we were hitting up I remember thinking I can beat this guy, I hit the ball much better than him. But in fact he gave me a real pasting. It was very frustrating. While I'm pretty good at hitting the ball, he was much better at actually winning points and games. D'oh!

On a deeper level, I was spectacularly unsporty as a kid, and growing up in Australia without sport wasn't great. I eventually ended up with a bunch of friends who were similarly unsporty, and we used to drink a lot, self-medicate and play in bands. A few years ago I started playing tennis (I think I was bored, it was when I was living in Singapore) and I discovered, almost from the first time I tried to hit the ball, that I loved it. It seems to satisfy some very profound urge that I have. I don't think I've ever enjoying anything as much as I enjoy playing tennis. Which is bizarre, given the sort of person I thought I was.

Anyway, I'm playing that guy again on the weekend... should be interesting. Last time he beat me 6-0 6-0. Yes, I couldn't even get one game off him.