Roger, Andy and Me

I spent this morning with a couple of guys who gave me the time of my life. Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, the man who ruined the Brit's Wimbledon, played the final of the most famous tournament in the world. Tennis has always been an important part of my life, a sport that, until I got lupus, I played, and played rather well. There is something about the sport of tennis that reveals more about a person than any other sport I've encountered. In tennis, it's you, just you, out there, and you are given challenges to overcome, obstacles to get around, and emotions that you deal with, all by yourself.

In a match such as the Wimbledon final, these two young men got to display who they were in front of the world. Millions of people watched this match, and Roger and Andy laid it all out there. Pressure? Pressure is holding your serve at 10-all in the fifth set, knowing that if you don't, you will lose. Pressure is playing one point at a time, then another, and another, until you have given every thing you have on every point in the match.

I hated to see someone lose this match. I am a big-time Roger Federer fan, and am very happy for him. I wasn't really a big fan of Andy Roddick, but I think I became one today. He laid it all out there, played what was arguably the best match he has ever played, and lost. Yeah, he lost this tennis match, but he gained the respect of many people who didn't really know who Andy Roddick was. Tennis today was unkind to Andy Roddick. He gave every ounce of what he had and turned up short.

Life is a lot like tennis. Sometimes you cruise, sometimes you work very hard and fail, and sometimes it's just you out there, battling by yourself, with everything on the line. I learned a lot from Andy Roddick today. I imagine he learned a whole hell of a lot about himself.

Congratulations, Roger, on your record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title. You are the greatest.




Thank you, Andy, for the match of a lifetime.

Federer d. Roddick, 5-7, 7-6. 7-6, 6-3. 16-14.