Tennis and Twitter

A couple years ago my friend Ian said, “Rachel! People want to hear your sports stories.” I didn’t know what he was talking about. In fact, I was pretty happy he hadn’t fallen asleep on me while I’d regaled him with yet another one. But he was serious. “You should start a blog. You should call it…The Sport Bird dot com! Put everything on it that you’ve told me. People will love it!” Hesitant I did what Ian suggested. I also built a Twitter account with the name. And boy, was Ian (@shobogenzo) on to something.

It ended up not being about the website but all about the Twitter account. I’ve been a serious Roger Federer fan since 2006. When you love a global sport you get up at all hours of the night to watch matches. Sometimes your Internet feed dies. Sometimes the network you trusted stops airing your beloved to show someone you have no interest in. Sometimes your beloved loses early in a tournament you thought he’d win and you are inconsolable.

For years I watched Roger Federer gracefully travel around the planet all by myself. It was lonely but worth it. There were times when I wondered if I was the only Fed Head in America.

When I started @TheSportBird I slowly met other Fed Fanatics. Tweeting while I watched tournaments meant I finally had company. It became fun on a whole new level. These beautiful people spanned the globe–USA (finally found them!), Australia, Italy, France, England, South Africa, Tunisia, Peru, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore–and they were so kind. They also were devoted to Roger Federer for his being a hero on and off the court, a real class act. And because they could appreciate that in him it meant they appreciated it in everyone. This group of people around the world was full of love. IS full of love.

I used to feel this for that day I’d go to Indian Wells Tennis Garden every year. The relaxed atmosphere can be attributed to more than good weather and beautiful surroundings. Tennis fans these days strike me as a global family. I can show up at any practice court and ask the person standing next to me who I’m watching. They’ll happily tell me, probably tell me what brought them there, how their day is going and find something to giggle about. I remember walking past a group talking about how good looking Tommy Haas is. Without thinking I high-fived a guy as he said, “Even I wouldn’t turn him down” and kept walking.

Now my Twitter tennis community is a wealth of high-fives. It’s amazing, inspiring and keeps a smile pasted on my face all day long. Even if Roger loses we’ve still all won.