[staisacic]

I don't know if the following will help or hurt, Jeanne.

And, YES, since nelslus is still traumatized by that Wimbledon final love and love thrashing that poor Dora Bootby took against Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, he can speak from experience here.....

If you can stick with this sport- like any sport- it will bring you great highs, and then break your heart.

And then, repeat.

With the exceptions of the likes of Henin, Margaret Court and Sampras- even when I don't care as much for some players- it always can feel a bit sad when players retire. It's like- DAMN- I will never see that person play again. Eras end, which is very sad. Sometimes, you do just have to mourn. And know that the big sadness will pass- albeit, if you're like me, you'll ALWAYS miss certain players. (AND thus why we have literally hundreds and hundreds of old match DVDs. It is still fun to relish victories of your favorites- and even matches that you never thought you'd ever have the chance to watch.)

While I can always try to analyze and dig, dig, dig, dig to try to figure out why specific players become my blazing-hot favorites- eh, who the hell really knows? For me, I sure can't manufacture it. Better just to accept when your favorites happen for you and enjoy.

Through the highs and lows of the sport for me, I always watched the Slam finals. But, say, when Graf and Sampras were winning ALL of the time- I wasn't watching too much of the regular tours. So, my over-all obsessiveness with tennis has also ebbed and flowed.

For me- it sucks when I don't have big favorites. Of course, it also sucks when DO have favorites- when you're so geeked over players that you can't even watch their big matches live, and must perform all the aforementioned OCD rituals trying to lead them on to victories. As if any of that matters.

Still, I guess that I will always prefer having huge favorites. I don't have a clue who will replace V and Fed for me. I don't know how long it will take. Could be days, or months, or years. But- if you hang in there- you'll have future favorites. Again, though, at least for me, this cannot be manufactured. I have never been able to will myself into having favorites. Can't "convince" myself into this. Someone "should" be my favorite because of this and that.....eh, rationalizing doesn't work either (see: Mauresmo, Amelie.) It just happens.

IN any case- NOW there is you all to contend with. And, damn it, I wish I knew how to quit you. BUT- y'all will keep me into this game, no matter what. 'Cause y'all are my favorites now.