The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Turning a mundane affair into an enjoyable one

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 06, 2006

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Sport - Tennis

Turning a mundane affair into an enjoyable one

S.V. Sriram

Chennai: Wimbledon champions generally don't need to do anything special to attract attention. If they have led a rock star-like life after retiring from the game, the stakes — of the fan following kind — are that much more.

From the time Pat Cash landed in Chennai, he has been followed by the media, more so after he was pencilled in to play doubles with India's Karan Rastogi. And it made quite an amusing sight when the flamboyant Australian had to draw the attention of the media at the press conference after the pair's first round loss on Wednesday.

Too busy

With the reporters busy trying to catch the deadline after the late night match, nobody noticed Cash and Rastogi enter the media centre. It was left to Cash to do a "hello, hello, mike testing, 1, 2, 3," to draw the attention of everyone present there. He followed it up with a neat impression of a guitar recital with his vocal chords.

It came as no surprise when the first poser to Cash was, "do you play bass?" "Nope," he replied, straight-faced. "I'm the lead guitarist."

Press meets are generally considered dull and monotonous affairs. But sometimes a few like Cash lighten the atmosphere with their quick wit. Leander Paes is another player who is always ready with a memorable quote or two. He was at his humorous best after the first round doubles win with Martin Damm on Monday night.

What these veterans have proved is that they are willing to make it light and enjoyable with a few jokes — some at their own expense — and that it is not all work and no play for them. For them, tennis, though a sport, is still a professional calling for these gentlemen.

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