Witnessing the Blackswan

Aye! I did! I surely did! Metaphorically, at least! It took me a while to process it, embrace it and perhaps form an explanation about it.

Wimbledon 2016 semi-finals between mortal and God seemed to have shocked the expectations of every one, particularly since the said mortal was ordinary in the finals. So, having seen God losing the plot when he served a double fault, yeah! I have to say, I saw the unpredictable, unforeseen, unimaginable event in the history of said God and that is such a rare and freak occurrence, that it compelled me to say that I have seen a black swan!

I thought Roger Federer will cruise to the title. But that did not happen. He is quickly losing his God Persona, but tennis has become more fun now. Watching him play and toy and raise the bar beyond the opponents comprehension when needed, made him the God of Tennis. And now, these youngsters are envisioning his play and matching his greatness with grit, yet he still seemed to have something up his sleeve, until recently. Now, the tricks seem to have gotten a little old.

Raonic played brilliant tennis. He was positive, pushed Federer all over the court, had awesome second serve and finally, just believed he could win. It showed in the game. Federer, on the other hand, seemed to struggle to find the right gear for the match.

I enjoyed the hither-tither of the ball all over the court, particularly Federer’s returns and Raonic placements. For a moment there, I was just enjoying the game. Is that not what sport is supposed to do? To help you enjoy the battle of stalwarts, stepping up their game with every shot and like the fierce warriors they are, never giving up and toiling on, putting up a performance that is laudable even for an amateur sports buff. And they gave that in plenty to me. But, in the fourth set, Federer did the unthinkable. I was thinking this would go to a tie break, both holding their respective serves. But Federer and double fault – two words as unlikely an event as him not winning a single game in a match and it all ended there, for me.

Post-match, my husband and I were arguing, his prediction that Raonic looks more positive irked me to enough to banish him from the living room. In hindsight, I should have saved my heartache and just watched something else, but then, I would have missed the metaphorical Black Swan! I hope I won’t have to watch another!!