Why does the crowd at a tennis match need to be quiet? Golf is the same, why? It can’t be concentration as the noise and movement of the crowd does not appear to adversely affect the performance of the world’s best in any other sport. Lawn bowls may be the exception.
Crowds are always quiet during lawn bowls but considering the average age of the spectators it might just be as a result of their medication or a little nanna nap.
Tennis and golf though there is to be no noise, no movement. Golf the ball is not even moving towards the golfer. It is just sitting there at there feet. As long as the crowd is not trying to squeeze their head in between the knees of the golfer as s/he lines up to putt then it should not really matter. Stop looking at the crowd at the top of your backswing, look at your feet. This would have prevented a lot of Tigers current problems.
In tennis the advertising boards are much higher than the players ensuring the crowd is not directly behind the players, just like a sightscreen in cricket. The sightscreen is only there for the batsman. The fieldsmen generally do not have any problems seeing the ball in the field (with exception of the current Pakistan team) as it comes either straight at them or plummeting from the sky. The ball passes the backdrop on thousands of people in multiple coloured clothing watermelons on their head, doing the Mexican wave and yet the fieldsmen can still see the ball to pull of some of the most spectacular catches, sometimes using nothing more than their bare hands.
A tennis player with the assistance of a racquet can’t do it.
At the same time the tennis players cry poor wanting ever higher prize money. Prize money requires sponsorship. Sponsorship requires spectators. Players want the cash hence want the crowds and do not want any evidence of the crowd’s presence.
That might just explain Venus choice of flesh toned underwear for her quarter finals match. With the crowd out of sight out of mind obviously she forgot that people would actually be watching. The flesh undies appeared almost invisible as her designer had done the perfect job in colour matching. Unfortunately as the game continued the sweat line created an unsightly “crack”. Surely a code violation?
Talking of women’s tennis if they want equal pay they should have to produce equal play. This is not a question of quality but quantity. Men play best of five, the women only best of three. This means women must win two sets in each match to progress to the next round whilst men must win three sets. Women should therefore only receive two thirds of the pay. This may well explain the screaming in the women’s game. It is all a ruse to convince the administrators that they are putting in the effort. I say if so much energy was not wasted in screaming (and it is clear that they are just faking it) then they would still have the stamina to play to five sets. Another reason to allow the crowd to clap and cheer or like international football/soccer burst forth in song – to drown out the orgasmic orations of the players.
In the IPL 20Twenty cricket there are prizes for the fastest bowl, highest score, biggest six etc, in cycling it is for sprints, king of the mountain, line honours. In tennis I would like to see prizes for the fastest match, fastest serve, longest rally and loudest scream. If the organisers are not going to control it they should embrace it.
The presentation of the awards would fit in perfectly. Sponsors take the microphone, inanely declaring their love of the sport, the fair competition and outstanding display of talent (not you Venus) before announcing the winner. The crowd never listens to the speeches at these presentations, which are always received with deathly silence. Just what tennis players need. They need all the concentration they can muster to hold up the novelty cheque.
(c) Darren Freak 2010
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