This blog has been quiet for way too long, and for what? A platform like this one functions as a noise maker, so here it goes - are you ready for it?
A friend of mine from growing up told me about an open mic that was happening in our neighborhood the other night, and recommended that I read something from The Tennis Tales. When I was debating what to read, I turned to my most recent blog post, thinking that would be a relevant topic until I came to the realization that it was a bit (ha) offbeat and most likely would connect with some audience members, at best. But when I heard that most poetry readings comprise tales of fiction and in my case, nonsense, I followed the yellow brick road toward creative bliss.
If you’ve ever attended an open mic for poetry and prose, then you know that anything goes. Literally. It’s about as “open” as a tennis tournament back in the golden days of the greatest sport of all time. Hey, someone had to say it - but, I sure ain’t the first! Instead of reading from this blog, I decided to read something in front of an audience that had never been heard in public before: Poetry that I had written ten years ago for a creative writing class at Columbia (our ten-year reunion is coming up this June. It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since my cohort’s college days. Wow - just, wow!).
The response to my poetry was surprisingly positive, and I even got some chuckles and booming laughs. Because of those laughs, the friend I spoke about earlier in this post invited me to perform in a stand-up comedy show - less of an “open” and more of an invite-only type of event. I was so flattered by the invitation, that I started writing some new material right after he “booked” me. Without ruining the surprise and telling you what kinds of jokes you’ll hear when you see me perform on April 1 (details pending), I’ll probably squeeze in some tennis jokes in there. But, I will give you a sneak peek and share that my initial thought of incorporating this blog into my routine just might happen - so stay tuned. And, I promise not to disappoint! Now, speaking of Opens…
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On a global scale, the Australian Open is probably the biggest stage that anyone can play on. I competed in the juniors back in 2005, and still have the shirt from that year in my collection of what are now regarded as vintage t-shirts; there’s a pic of future Aussie Open singles finalist Domi Cibulkova with her father, my mother and I all together while walking the tournament grounds (I should try and find that gem). Speaking of shirts, that year I lost in the first round of the juniors to a girl I had beaten a few weeks prior at the Junior Orange Bowl in Miami. Mom and I literally flew across the world for the tournament, only for me to be an arrogant teenager and insist on wearing a shirt that didn’t fit me properly; it was a spaghetti-strap top, and every time I served, the straps would fall down so far, it felt like my top was going to fall off. But I didn’t have a change of clothes in my tennis bag, so I was stuck with wearing that top for the rest of the match until I got clobbered in the second set. Oh well. At the time, I thought there was always next year. But in reality, that was my one shot - and I kind of blew it, to put it bluntly. A lot of talented players were competing in the juniors the same year, including future Australian Open Champion Angelique Kerber, who, even back then, got so low to the ground when hitting her ground strokes, she was practically sitting on an extremely low chair when loading on her legs for every shot.
In 2005, Sofia Kenin was just starting to kick butt on the tennis court - she was tiny, but mighty, as the story goes. It was two years later that she was interviewed by French Open Doubles Champion Murphy Jensen for the Tennis Channel about who her favorite tennis player was, and why she liked Babolat, which she used in her run to the 2020 Australian Open Championship title. In an interview that recently resurfaced and went viral due to the utter cuteness of mini Kenin, the future Grand Slam champ revealed that she played with Babolat because of Andy Roddick. How about that?! From a sponsorship standpoint, there’s only one other female tennis player in recent history who plays with Babolat and wears Fila clothes: that’s Kim Clijsters, who’s coincidentally staging a comeback to the WTA this year.
With the new decade already arriving, do you think Kenin will continue her winning ways? I certainly hope so, as it’s wonderful for American tennis given she’s the first American - male or female - to claim a Grand Slam singles title since Sloane Stephens’ maiden Slam title at the 2017 US Open. The last American man to win a GS singles title was Andy Roddick in 2003, the year before teenage sensation and Fed Cup debutante Coco Gauff was born.
In tying all of these thoughts together, the one thing that I think an Open mic has in common with an Open tennis tournament is the performative aspect. You can go into a match with a strategy and game plan, but execute said plan better one day than another. At least you came in with a clear mindset of how you want to play, whereas with an Open mic night, memorizing your material is everything as that’s how you own your strategy. Having a game plan in mind prior to something happening gives you a better shot of acing your bit, regardless of who’s on the other side of the net or who’s in the audience.