Sides

It's evening. The TV is switched on. The ladies are playing. One of them has a sharp face, cropped hair, popping veins and bulging muscles threading through her arms. Her grunts are loud, she celebrates with leaps and does not fit a typical feminine stereotype. The other one is pretty in a more conventional way, dressed in pink, wears pearl ear rings (Ah, all the things I notice!), grunts mildly and isn't strikingly different as her opponent is. When she is about to close the match, she fails to hold her nerve and makes errors. Some in the crowd laugh incredulously while others celebrate her opponent's fightback. Add the loud grunts and leaps to some powerful tennis from the opposite end of the court, and the lady in pink is almost demoralized. If a sportsperson has one option taken away, it's the option to give up. Especially with a game designed as tennis is - one that is not over until the last point is won - giving up is a shame. So when there's a break for adverts, the channel is changed.

Elsewhere, explorers listen to the humpback whale's song, and watch dolphins leaping ahead, leading their ship. It is moving even from this end of the television. But when the program is over, the match is still in progress. Each player failing to capitalize after playing well enough to get themselves into a winning position. It is a keen, unpredictable contest with sudden highs and lows. When it's over, it's Federer's turn.