The young man has won again in Beijing. Thirty-four times, I’m told, and never lost. He beat Zverev and Medvedev this week.
Then they sat him in front of microphones and asked him why tennis was so demanding. He said it was a cruel sport, knockout. That you can’t stay on the bench and wait for someone to come and replace you. That you can lose in the first round because of a bad night’s sleep, or food poisoning.
He also said Turin is the only tournament of the year played in round-robin groups. Once a year, then.
Back home, at whist, my aunt played in groups all year round. Whoever lost a hand stayed at the table, was given more coffee, and the cards were reshuffled, for a very long time. Nobody went home before the rice tart. That was called an evening.
The young man wins thirty-four times, and they still ask him to talk about defeat.
The gentleman with the microphone could ask another question.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
