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In Praise of the Tennis Fan
by Harvey Rubin

Apart from the sea of basketball fans, baseball fans and football fans exists the tiny domain of the tennis fan. Unlike other sports fans, this redheaded stepchild hasn't a section in the newspaper to accompany his or her coffee, just a column or two. Barely a sip's worth.

However, while not rich in numbers the tennis fan is special in many
ways. The tennis fan is more often than not the tennis player. The tennis fan can directly relate to what is happening on the pro court. He or she knows what it is like to be up 40 love and lose the game or to be down break point only to come back and win the game, set or match.

One of the most illuminating things about going to a tennis match is
realizing that whatever happens to you on Saturday morning, happens to the pros in the finals! Football fans are not often confronted with 3rd and long in their everyday lives. How many baseball fans know the pressure of bases loaded and they're
pitching, batting whatever. This is not to say that other sports fans don't enjoy their sports every bit as much as the tennis fan, but the tennis fan feels just a bit more empathy with the professional game.

The tennis fan is also unique with respect to being in an international environment at a tournament. Players and sponsors from many different countries throughout the world create cosmopolitan atmosphere practically unique to the tennis world. Only the Olympics, which comes around only once every four years, offers this, and that's usually far far away!

Praise the tennis fan not for their numbers but for the depth with
which they can enjoy their sport and the real world benefits they can reap from not only watching, but learning from the pros.