I played this week in the Barbados National Championships, at the Ocean View Tennis Club. Result? I won my first round match in the open tournament against a teenager, by a flattering 6-1, 6-0 score. Then, reality bit me as I lost in the next round to the eventual winner, Michael Date, who represents Barbados in Davis Cup matches. (Michael beat Russell Mosley, another Bajan Davis Cup player, who had 10 match points in the final. Russell is now a neighbour so I will commiserate with him later.) Not bad for me, in a sense. I took up tennis only three years ago, and given that I am in my early 50s, I can't expect much. But I've been told that I get national ranking points! What next? I hold no hopes for my own late-blossoming tennis career, especially as I am now nursing a knee injury. The younger players, on the other hand, have a possible future in the sport, though it takes a lot to get ahead. We tried to help them a few weeks ago by participating in some fund-raising events.By contrast, real tennis stars can help raise money in other ways. Tommy Robredo has just agreed to bare all for charity, in Cosmopolitan magazine (see article). I guess that few would laugh at Tommy's efforts (I have to see the other posers). A good reminder of the movie, Calendar Girls, before Helen Mirren decided she would act as The Queen. Now, if someone asked me to bare all for a good cause, I'd do it willingly, though I'm not sure that Barbados is ready for that.
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