So I'm finally on a flight back to Edinburgh. It was supposed to leave at 16.10 but eventually got airborne at 18.45. Something to do with earlier storms around Heathrow and a security alert at Edinburgh Airport. Didn't need that when I'm knackered and don't need the snoring lady next to me either.
Shouldn't complain though. It was a great few weeks from Queen’s right through to the semis of Wimbledon. Looking forward to getting on the scales when I get home. Reckon I've lost a good few pounds from all that nervous energy. There seems to have been quite a lot written or debated about my energetic supporting. I am quite calm for most of the match but when there's a great shot, a big point, I can't help but get a bit excited. One journalist suggested I ought to get a seat belt and another said I had a yell to rival Braveheart. Mmm… quite liked that one.
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And although I don't read the papers during Wimbledon, one of my mates couldn't wait to tell me that I was being dubbed the "uber tennis parent" and readers were being warned to beware my sharpened elbows! You just have to laugh at these things and remind yourself that those who write them don't know you from Adam.
Anyway it was a great tourney as always - the weather was amazing. Just ten minutes of rain in a fortnight and just one and a half matches played under the £80m roof! I even managed to put a bit of work in doing some corporate entertaining each lunch time and commentating on one match a day for BBC 5 Live. Great fun. Still find it hard to believe you can get paid for talking about tennis!
The bonus about being a female commentator is you get to do women’s matches and generally speaking the early rounds on Centre and No.1 Courts are pretty one-sided. I mean, quick. Like an hour or so. Perfect. Best matches I worked on were Sharapova v Dulko and Serena v Dementieva. Couple of observations from those matches:
- Sharapova’s dad wasn't in the player box. I checked the sky for flying pigs but there were none. Where is he?
- Sharapova’s shrieks get louder as the rallies get longer and when the match gets close.
- Dementieva gives her mum a right old mouthful when things get tight. And her mum always sits on her own in the corner of the box with an empty seat beside her.
- Serena warmed up for her match in a white designer trench coat. When asked by the press why she did that, she replied "I like trench coats". I really think the Williams sisters have a field day with the press. Did you know their dad Richard (who is a bit eccentric) flew back to America before the final "to cut the grass" instead of watching his kids play each other.
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I can honestly say I watched no matches other than Jamie’s and Andy’s and the ones I commentated on. And can you believe that on the first Saturday and second Wednesday the boys were scheduled at the same time. Luckily one followed the other on Centre on the last Friday.
On the Saturday, I left Andy’s match with Troicki at two sets to love to watch Jamie on Court No.2. As I got up to go, I turned to speak to Andy’s best pal from school who was in our guest box. He hadn't been to Wimbledon before and didn't know anyone so I told him I was going to watch Jamie and then pointed him in the direction of Sharon (our amazing manager from 19 Entertainment) so she could take him to see Andy after the match.
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Some of the photographers snapped me pointing and after Jamie’s match I was accosted by about four journos asking if I had left Andy’s match after a row with one of Troiki’s coaches!!!! Haha… its unbelievable how they can make something out of nothing. I explained what I did but they wrote it up as if I had stormed out in anger anyway.
- Best meets of the fortnight - comedian Michael McIntyre who told me he stays up till the early hours playing his Wii tennis game as.....Andy Murray. How funny is that?
- PM Gordon Brown - had coffee on his terrace with him and his lovely wife Sarah. Gave them some tips on how to teach their young two sons in the garden.
- Billie Jean King - I loved watching her when I was very young. What a fighter and the inspiration and drive behind women’s tennis in the Open Era. Big thrill for me!
So that's it for another 50 weeks. Back to peace and quiet I hope and pursuing my tennis club/school dream.