It's time for a confession. On the final day of action at Wimbledon last year, I missed the first set of the epic final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Now before you say anything, let me explain why this was, well, unavoidable. As the first chapter of the men's singles final took place on Centre Court, something far more entertaining was taking place over on Court No. 1. That's right, the drama of the men's doubles final was unfolding, just a few hundred yards away from the "main attraction."
As the doubles progressed into a fourth set, I became well aware that to carry on watching would mean that I would have to miss the men's singles final. In all honesty, I gave it a little thought. However, after about two seconds of thinking, I knew what had to be done.
Think about it. The opportunity to watch the likes of Federer and Nadal ply their trade is nearly always available. Now consider that doubles tennis rarely gets shown on the television. I don't know about anyone reading this, but I have a fondness deep in my heart for the game of doubles. Therefore, I actually didn't face a dilemma at all.
Sadly, as the 2008 season begins to draw to a close, I fear that the game that I have so much passion for is dying a very slow and painful death. Long gone are the days when the top players in the world would participate in doubles tournaments on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this is a contributing factor to doubles tennis plummeting in popularity in recent times. As a result, the game now resides in a desperately dark place. In fact, it's in a location that doesn't even appear to have a light switch in the corner to cast a glimmer of hope on proceedings.
Catching a game of doubles on the television has become an extremely difficult task. The only time the opportunity really presents itself is during the Grand Slam events and the Davis Cup. However, besides at Wimbledon, the other three Grand Slams have devalued doubles tennis somewhat. At the three majors outside of England, men's doubles matches are now only best-of-three sets. Just a couple of years ago, all the major tournaments offered the spectator a best-of-five contest. Now only Wimbledon of the Grand Slam tournaments provides the world with this spectacle.
So the situation as I see it is that the public is seldom given the choice of watching doubles in the comfort of their own home. Furthermore, when it is on the television, as it is during the Grand Slams, there is now less of it to actually watch.
To some degree, I can understand why this is the case. Very few of the top doubles players are household names, unlike their singles counterparts. Thus, one would expect that some people would not be bothered with the matches on offer. Consequently, it must be harder for tennis officials to market the game of doubles because they can't just put Federer's name up on the marquee, knowing that people would want to watch.
With that in mind, during this year's Wimbledon Championships, Federer stated something very intriguing. The great man said in a press conference that he would definitely consider playing doubles with either Nadal or Andy Roddick. One could only imagine what a pairing of that caliber would do for the profile of doubles tennis. Federer's desires may never come to fruition, nor do they really matter to the success of doubles as a whole. The people competing should not really be dictating whether it's worthy of viewing, it should come down to the event itself.
My point is that it doesn't matter who the people are in these doubles encounters. While some matches in the singles tournaments may be one-sided and extremely boring, it is hard to come across a dreary game of doubles. With many points being played by all four competitors at the net, the points are often fast and furious. Merely watching this form of tennis is an exhilarating experience.
Doubles tennis is undoubtedly a great spectacle that leaves the viewers on the edge of their seats. Nevertheless, it seems that someone, somewhere has called time on the doubles scene. I imagine that it will always play a part in tournaments, but never more than a bit part. It leads me to think that it may be best for all parties if we all just agree to euthanize the game of doubles once and for all. I simply don't want to see something I love played out in this manner any longer.
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