I slept EXTREMELY well compared to the night before. I had managed to make the bed completely beforehand, and I felt so much cooler and more peaceful than the night before. I guess my inner clock just needed time to sync up to London time (which, for those of you that are wondering, is 5 hours ahead of EST).
Anyway, I got up around 9 a.m., got breakfast, and then dressed for the day ahead.
What, you ask, was the plan for this day?
One word: WIMBLEDON!!!
Yes, from the moment I somehow managed to purchase this ticket, I knew that this would simply be a magical day. I had a reservation to sit at Centre Court in Wimbledon, the mecca of all tennis. Who knows who I would get to see play? I could see Andy Murray, Great Britain's proud son who fell just short of being the first Brit to win Wimbledon since the 1930s. I could see Novak Djokovic, a powerful Serbian player who had perhaps the most dominant year of any athlete in any sport in 2011, winning 3 grand slam titles. I could see Roger Federer, my favorite player of all time and perhaps the greatest player of all time, winner of 7 Wimbledon championships. Heck, I could even see some of the world's best female players, including Maria Sharapova from Russia and Serena Williams from the United States. I just could not wait to get there and experience Wimbledon in all of its raw glory.
I got my travel pass and my ticket and made my way back toward the metro station. I asked one of the Olympic volunteers about where to go in order to find this slice of tennis heaven. I boarded the Victoria line to Victoria station, then had to spelunk around the tunnels until I found the District line trains hidden away from me. I boarded one and, with the help of a young NBC intern from Chicago, was able to disembark at the correct stop. She asked me who I was seeing, and I told her that I was not sure. I told her that my ticket was good from noon to 8 p.m. at Centre Court. She then responded by saying that I would probably see Roger Federer play.
OH...MY...GOSH!!!! To see the greatest tennis player to ever live in person would be an unfathomable blessing. I began to wonder who else would be in today's lineup.
Wimbledon was a PARADISE. It was a tiny little town on the outskirts of London, filled with cute little restaurants, AMAZING sporting good shops with top-of-the-line tennis apparel, and even plenty of golf courses. It was almost like a super-sized country club. After walking for about 15 minutes, I began to approach the park. It looked just like it had on television for all the years I have watched Wimbledon. I could hardly wait to get inside and take my seat. I had to wait, though, because the gate I stood in line for was INCREDIBLY slow. Volunteers kept redirecting people passing by to go to gates 9 and 10 because they had multiple lanes and were going at a much quicker pace. I tried to be patient and wait because it looked like I was almost through. After another 15 minutes of waiting, however, I gave in and decided to head over to gate 9. Thankfully, it was the right choice. I was through the line and through security in no time flat.
I explored the interior of the park a little bit, took lots of pictures, and grabbed a bite to eat before heading into Centre Court. All around me, there were tennis matches going on: some singles, some doubles, some male, some female, and with just about every player imaginable. There were even some cool Wimbledon shops filled with Olympic apparel and big tennis balls used to receive players autographs. It was seriously as if I had died and went to tennis heaven. Little did I know how amazing it was about to get.
On my way to Centre Court, I had heard murmurs from all around me that I would also get to see Serena Williams play.
Could this day get any better???
Anyway, I went inside Centre court and took my seat in the world's finest tennis facility. I witnessed the entire second set of a match between a highly ranked Czech player named Tomas Berdych and Steve Darcis from Belgium. Surprisingly, Darcis pulled the upset over Berdych, 6-4 6-4. Berdych, who had qualified for the Wimbledon final in 2010, payed a very uneven, inconsistent match, and was bounced in the first round. Before I even had time to stretch, they brought in the next two competitors. One of them was indeed Serena Williams, and the other was former World #1 Jelena Jankovic from Serbia. I thought to myself, "This match could be a classic!"
Boy, was I wrong.
Serena took it to Jankovic, who must be past her prime as a player. She won 6-3 6-1 thanks to a dominant serve and some powerful shots. I felt so much pride rooting for my fellow American. I also found out later that Michelle Obama attended the match in support of Serena. I wish I had known that! Oh well.
Because the match ended earlier than expected, I decided to walk out, stretch my legs, and check out the Wimbledon shop. Not even ten minutes after I left, however, I could already hear clapping from inside the stadium. I frantically ran back to my seat, where I would see my boy Roger Federer in action. Federer, the 17-time grand slam champion, played Colombia's Alejandro Falla. I had remembered that back in 2010, Federer played Falla in the first round, and Falla took him to five sets. Federer struggled against Falla early, missing a lot of makeable shots and throwing away a lot of break chances. Federer managed to get a huge break to go up 5-3, though, and managed to win the first set 6-3. In the second set, despite being dominated by Falla's serve early, Federer broke Falla again to go up 4-3. Up 5-3, Federer won the first three points on Falla's serve.
3 match points. This one's in the bag, right? In fact, I even took a couple extra pictures of Federer because I did not think the match would last much longer.
Boy, was I wrong...again.
Falla won the next five points and managed to hold serve. Falla then proceeded to win the next three games thanks to some shaky play by Federer. Before you knew it, a 5-3 Federer advantage with 3 match points turned into a 7-5 set win for Falla. In the deciding third set, Federer broke Falla in the first game and won the second to go up 2-0. Falla responded by winning the next three games and breaking Federer's serve for the third time in this match. For the first time in the match, Federer was truly in danger of losing.
I recall a British family talking about the match behind me. The father said to the son, "There's something relentless about Roger Federer, isn't there?"
Champions are relentless. Champions respond in high-pressure situations.
Federer responded. Federer managed to hold serve his next game and then broke Falla twice en route to a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory. Falla had given it all he had, but came up just short. Still, the lefty Colombian had earned Federer's respect and had essentially cemented himself as a thorn in Federer's side.
I took a couple of last-minute pictures as Federer and Falla embraced in the center of the court and as Federer waved to the crowd. The crowd was fascinating the whole time. They were very quiet for the most part, with lots of "oohs" and "aahs" during points and some big cheers after crucial or tightly contested points. Following this match, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki was supposed to play a match. However, I decided that I had just about had my fill at that point, so I started to leave the park. Along the way, I made a quick dessert stop for some strawberries and cream. Yum yum yum...Berries and Cream, BERRIES AND CREAM, I'm just a little lad that loves BERRIESSSSSS AND CREEEEEEEAAAAMM!!!!!!!
...sorry about that...
Anyway, I made my way out of Wimbledon and back toward the station. I boarded the District Line and rode it all the way back to Victoria station, where I transferred back to the Victoria Line to get to King's Cross. I came to the conclusion along the way that the Victoria trains were much smoother and less flawed than the District trains, which would start and stop every so often and had flickering lights. I returned to the hostel eager to share the news of my terrific day to everyone. I wrote about half a blog and then went out to find some food when I ran into Chris, who was just completing a workout. He told me that Allie and Katie wanted to grab a bite once they got back, so I decided to wait.
Unfortunately, the whole group of us that went got so sidetracked that it wasn't until about 9 or so that we received our meal: vintage fish and chips from Great Britain. After eating, I shared with some of the people about my day's experiences at Wimbledon, still unable to wipe the smile off my face. Chris told me about a men's cycling race that came right down to the very end and sounded very exciting. In the meantime, we watched the 400 individual medley gold medal race in swimming, the first of two races between American powers Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps. Apparently, Phelps had just barely qualified for the final earlier in the day, so we all wondered if he was in trouble in this race.
He was.
Lochte DOMINATED the field, almost breaking Phelps' world record in the process. I could tell Phelps was in trouble after trailing Lochte at the end of the butterfly lap. Phelps struggled through the middle part of the race and ended up finishing in 4th place. That was the first time since Phelps' first Olympic race in Sydney 2000 that he failed to medal.
After watching more swimming and doing more blogging, I decided to sneak a run in late. I had not been eating very healthily to that point, and I did not want to run the next day because Sunday is the sabbath, a day of rest. I took a huge risk in going outside in a big city in the dark, but God was with me every step of the way. He guided me toward the busier parts of the city, away from the shady, unoccupied sections, and I was able to remain safe throughout. After my experience, I promptly decided that I would never do anything like this again. I showered, did some reading, and then went to bed, extremely blessed by experiences that day. I couldn't believe there was still
Anyway, I got up around 9 a.m., got breakfast, and then dressed for the day ahead.
What, you ask, was the plan for this day?
One word: WIMBLEDON!!!
Yes, from the moment I somehow managed to purchase this ticket, I knew that this would simply be a magical day. I had a reservation to sit at Centre Court in Wimbledon, the mecca of all tennis. Who knows who I would get to see play? I could see Andy Murray, Great Britain's proud son who fell just short of being the first Brit to win Wimbledon since the 1930s. I could see Novak Djokovic, a powerful Serbian player who had perhaps the most dominant year of any athlete in any sport in 2011, winning 3 grand slam titles. I could see Roger Federer, my favorite player of all time and perhaps the greatest player of all time, winner of 7 Wimbledon championships. Heck, I could even see some of the world's best female players, including Maria Sharapova from Russia and Serena Williams from the United States. I just could not wait to get there and experience Wimbledon in all of its raw glory.
I got my travel pass and my ticket and made my way back toward the metro station. I asked one of the Olympic volunteers about where to go in order to find this slice of tennis heaven. I boarded the Victoria line to Victoria station, then had to spelunk around the tunnels until I found the District line trains hidden away from me. I boarded one and, with the help of a young NBC intern from Chicago, was able to disembark at the correct stop. She asked me who I was seeing, and I told her that I was not sure. I told her that my ticket was good from noon to 8 p.m. at Centre Court. She then responded by saying that I would probably see Roger Federer play.
OH...MY...GOSH!!!! To see the greatest tennis player to ever live in person would be an unfathomable blessing. I began to wonder who else would be in today's lineup.
Wimbledon was a PARADISE. It was a tiny little town on the outskirts of London, filled with cute little restaurants, AMAZING sporting good shops with top-of-the-line tennis apparel, and even plenty of golf courses. It was almost like a super-sized country club. After walking for about 15 minutes, I began to approach the park. It looked just like it had on television for all the years I have watched Wimbledon. I could hardly wait to get inside and take my seat. I had to wait, though, because the gate I stood in line for was INCREDIBLY slow. Volunteers kept redirecting people passing by to go to gates 9 and 10 because they had multiple lanes and were going at a much quicker pace. I tried to be patient and wait because it looked like I was almost through. After another 15 minutes of waiting, however, I gave in and decided to head over to gate 9. Thankfully, it was the right choice. I was through the line and through security in no time flat.
I explored the interior of the park a little bit, took lots of pictures, and grabbed a bite to eat before heading into Centre Court. All around me, there were tennis matches going on: some singles, some doubles, some male, some female, and with just about every player imaginable. There were even some cool Wimbledon shops filled with Olympic apparel and big tennis balls used to receive players autographs. It was seriously as if I had died and went to tennis heaven. Little did I know how amazing it was about to get.
On my way to Centre Court, I had heard murmurs from all around me that I would also get to see Serena Williams play.
Could this day get any better???
Anyway, I went inside Centre court and took my seat in the world's finest tennis facility. I witnessed the entire second set of a match between a highly ranked Czech player named Tomas Berdych and Steve Darcis from Belgium. Surprisingly, Darcis pulled the upset over Berdych, 6-4 6-4. Berdych, who had qualified for the Wimbledon final in 2010, payed a very uneven, inconsistent match, and was bounced in the first round. Before I even had time to stretch, they brought in the next two competitors. One of them was indeed Serena Williams, and the other was former World #1 Jelena Jankovic from Serbia. I thought to myself, "This match could be a classic!"
Boy, was I wrong.
Serena took it to Jankovic, who must be past her prime as a player. She won 6-3 6-1 thanks to a dominant serve and some powerful shots. I felt so much pride rooting for my fellow American. I also found out later that Michelle Obama attended the match in support of Serena. I wish I had known that! Oh well.
Because the match ended earlier than expected, I decided to walk out, stretch my legs, and check out the Wimbledon shop. Not even ten minutes after I left, however, I could already hear clapping from inside the stadium. I frantically ran back to my seat, where I would see my boy Roger Federer in action. Federer, the 17-time grand slam champion, played Colombia's Alejandro Falla. I had remembered that back in 2010, Federer played Falla in the first round, and Falla took him to five sets. Federer struggled against Falla early, missing a lot of makeable shots and throwing away a lot of break chances. Federer managed to get a huge break to go up 5-3, though, and managed to win the first set 6-3. In the second set, despite being dominated by Falla's serve early, Federer broke Falla again to go up 4-3. Up 5-3, Federer won the first three points on Falla's serve.
3 match points. This one's in the bag, right? In fact, I even took a couple extra pictures of Federer because I did not think the match would last much longer.
Boy, was I wrong...again.
Falla won the next five points and managed to hold serve. Falla then proceeded to win the next three games thanks to some shaky play by Federer. Before you knew it, a 5-3 Federer advantage with 3 match points turned into a 7-5 set win for Falla. In the deciding third set, Federer broke Falla in the first game and won the second to go up 2-0. Falla responded by winning the next three games and breaking Federer's serve for the third time in this match. For the first time in the match, Federer was truly in danger of losing.
I recall a British family talking about the match behind me. The father said to the son, "There's something relentless about Roger Federer, isn't there?"
Champions are relentless. Champions respond in high-pressure situations.
Federer responded. Federer managed to hold serve his next game and then broke Falla twice en route to a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory. Falla had given it all he had, but came up just short. Still, the lefty Colombian had earned Federer's respect and had essentially cemented himself as a thorn in Federer's side.
I took a couple of last-minute pictures as Federer and Falla embraced in the center of the court and as Federer waved to the crowd. The crowd was fascinating the whole time. They were very quiet for the most part, with lots of "oohs" and "aahs" during points and some big cheers after crucial or tightly contested points. Following this match, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki was supposed to play a match. However, I decided that I had just about had my fill at that point, so I started to leave the park. Along the way, I made a quick dessert stop for some strawberries and cream. Yum yum yum...Berries and Cream, BERRIES AND CREAM, I'm just a little lad that loves BERRIESSSSSS AND CREEEEEEEAAAAMM!!!!!!!
...sorry about that...
Anyway, I made my way out of Wimbledon and back toward the station. I boarded the District Line and rode it all the way back to Victoria station, where I transferred back to the Victoria Line to get to King's Cross. I came to the conclusion along the way that the Victoria trains were much smoother and less flawed than the District trains, which would start and stop every so often and had flickering lights. I returned to the hostel eager to share the news of my terrific day to everyone. I wrote about half a blog and then went out to find some food when I ran into Chris, who was just completing a workout. He told me that Allie and Katie wanted to grab a bite once they got back, so I decided to wait.
Unfortunately, the whole group of us that went got so sidetracked that it wasn't until about 9 or so that we received our meal: vintage fish and chips from Great Britain. After eating, I shared with some of the people about my day's experiences at Wimbledon, still unable to wipe the smile off my face. Chris told me about a men's cycling race that came right down to the very end and sounded very exciting. In the meantime, we watched the 400 individual medley gold medal race in swimming, the first of two races between American powers Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps. Apparently, Phelps had just barely qualified for the final earlier in the day, so we all wondered if he was in trouble in this race.
He was.
Lochte DOMINATED the field, almost breaking Phelps' world record in the process. I could tell Phelps was in trouble after trailing Lochte at the end of the butterfly lap. Phelps struggled through the middle part of the race and ended up finishing in 4th place. That was the first time since Phelps' first Olympic race in Sydney 2000 that he failed to medal.
After watching more swimming and doing more blogging, I decided to sneak a run in late. I had not been eating very healthily to that point, and I did not want to run the next day because Sunday is the sabbath, a day of rest. I took a huge risk in going outside in a big city in the dark, but God was with me every step of the way. He guided me toward the busier parts of the city, away from the shady, unoccupied sections, and I was able to remain safe throughout. After my experience, I promptly decided that I would never do anything like this again. I showered, did some reading, and then went to bed, extremely blessed by experiences that day. I couldn't believe there was still
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