I walked into the Devonshire Park tennis grounds this morning … and what a feast for the eyes!  After I got through security (friendly staff), I emerged to the open air and faced a broad expanse of grass with lots of round tables.  People were smiling and eating.

I looked down at the green in wonder.  “That’s got to be synthetic – it’s so perfect.”  I reached down and touched.  REAL!

The photo above shows Center Court, and a match between Harriet Dart of Great Britain and Shuai Zhang of China (in the foreground).  The Brits cheered wildly for their girl and were appreciative of Zhang’s tennis too.  Harriet won.

I had never seen a tennis match on grass.  The flight of the greenish-yellow ball against the green grass was stunning.  And the blue seats.  And classic buildings behind.

To top it all off, hundreds of my friends showed up.  Seagulls!  They soared high above Center Court, and occasionally swooped low above the players.  Oh … what happiness is!

***

My tennis day began by watching Camila Osorio on a side court.  There she was – my favourite – in real life instead of TV. Before the game, I watched her in conversation with the umpire, a smile beaming.

Here’s a photo. Too bad the racquet is obscuring Camila’s face but you can feel the gush of energy. The match against Shelby Rogers was so close and I often heard “Vamos!” from my Colombian friend. And Camila got the job done!

About one hundred of us watched as Camila won the final point. I stood and cheered.

Now it was time for action. I walked around the perimeter of the court to her side as she signed autographs. Soon she shouldered her big tennis bag and started walking towards the locker room, accompanied by two security guards.

Camila was coming my way!

It was now or perhaps never. Our eyes met.

“You are my favourite player. You play with passion and you live with joy. And you are kind.”

Camila smiled my way … a real one. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

***

And so I did what I intended to do

It feels good