h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thursday 15th June 2010
7.10 BST

I suppose I have been listening/watching Wimbledon for well over fifty years.
It was the highlight of my visit when I first returned to Europe after the war - I think it was in 1953.

There were those marvellous Australian players headed by Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad abd several others.

I think however that Eric Sturgess, a South African was also there or am I making a mistake?

But yesterday was quite extraordinary.

we watched two men, a good looking Frenchman called Nicolas Mahut and a very tall American called John Ismer competing against one another. They started competing on Tuesday evening, continued all day yesterday and are continuing. apparently, again today.

Is it tennis? Well yes, in a fashion it is.

I have read some of the sports writers comments. I have heard the players, Federer and McInroe, and others comment. All of them say it is awesome - incredible - extraordinary -. But is it?

The longest rally took about seven exchanges between the two players. and even so they were both equal.

It was perfection - but oh dear does one want perfection in a singles match. We want someone to make a mistake. But neither man made a mistake.

As a Frenchwoman I was naturally upset at the partisanship of the Wimbledon crowd; but then they have always been partisan.

I remember seeing Yvonne Goolagong. Were the crowd partisan then?

I do not know how the outcome will occur. I was amazed because I knew nothing about either of the players, and it seems neither did the commentators. How remiss of them; they certainly had time to go and investigate their tennis backgrounds which I am sure are fascinating.

I was glad I watched, and glad that the outcome was a non-outcome. both men behaved so well. There were a few dramatic falls onto the turf - there was relatively little barracking apart from a chant of

USA,USA,USA,USA, USA

which became rather boring after a while.

But I wondered again, as I often do in this adopted country of mine.

Why do the English hate the French so much?

However I must admit that for the first time in my life there was a chant of

Vive la France!

And that from the crowd at Wimbledon. So perhaps the cold is becoming warmer. !

I have certainly not witnessed any of partisanship during the soccer matches in South Africa. I know I criticized the French team for their approach when they played, and they have certainly received a roasting from the the entire French nation when they returned to France.

Apparently the latest "punishment" is to make them pay for their own trips by air to South Africa. !!

A really novel way of making the standard of play improve. Perhaps we should try it on a certain soccer side. !!

How strange life is.

Christiane
Alsoran80

Thursday 24th June 2010 7.30 BST

I believe that the English dislike of the French dates back to the 12th Century when Eleanor of Aquitaine divorced Philip, the king of France, and married Henry, the king of England.

There's an account of Richard the Lionheart's adventures in the Crusades written by an anonymous English crusader. His descriptions of the French seem to be exactly the same as the attitude today.

Since the crusades, Britain was at war with France more or less continuously up to about 1900, so there wasn't much chance for the British attitude to change.

The Irish loved the French (just to spite the English) up until last year, when an incident in a football match forced Ireland out of the World Cup.

Oh, it was Louis, not Philip that Eleanor divorced.

Since that football incident, the English have decided to love the French - just to spite the Irish

I am also loving Wimbledon, Christiane

The Queen will make an appearance today - her first since the Silver Jubilee year of 1977, when she presented the Ladies' Trophy to Virginia Wade. "Our" one hope - Andy Murray - has said he will bow to HM (how gallant of him!) - I am cheering for the Scot as a fellow Brit, but I was perturbed when the TV reporters thought it amusing to go ask Scotsmen if they will be supporting England in the World Cup, one replied "I'd rather saw off my foot!"

I think it's healthy to support one's own nation, but when neither is involved in a sporting match such as you describe (Fr vs USA) then the British invariably go for the underdog.

My son was fascinated by the longest last set ever, I took him to his club at 7pm and when I collected him at 11pm I told him they were still playing () - the result matters not except to the individual players and I am sure their names will live on in the history of the sport and also appear in pub quizzes down the years so I for one am going to commit both names to memory. I agree it's remiss of the commentators not to do some research on the two opponentsthey could have introduced a few interesting asides while the to-ing and fro-ing was going on.

Dear Gnoman,Icy North and GB

How good of you to explain all those permutarions (marital~!!) of long ago. My knowledge of any sort of history is extremely poor.!

Anyway, as Icy North says, the rift has been healed. Thank goodness. The present day rulers do not get up to such shenanigans. (??????)

Or do they. !!!

GB I shall enjoy watching Wimbledon with you. We shall have to have commentaries by email. !!

Didn't you think that that Frenchman was mightily good looking.? I know that at my age I should no longer notice it, but I am afraid that I do.!!!

Christiane nearly the oldest fan at Wimbledon.
Alsoran80

Thursday 25/VI/2010 10.05 BST

Hello Christian

I have only been once to Wimbledon and that was to watch John McEnroe in the quarter finals, I am not quite sure what year it was but I know it was either before 1985 or just after.

Having lived in Scotland for five years, I found that the Scottish people have a great love of all things French. It's called the auld alliance and has been going on since 1295.

Katrine

Thank you my dear Katrine for your lovely mel( email in french.)

I think I do know that the Scots and the French got on very well. I cannot exactly remember the reason why but I think there was a French Queen around or something. !!

I am really looking forward to Wimbledon. I have been watching the soccer in South Africa. I am so lucky to have a big TV screen and I can enjoy all the wonderful sports events which take me back to the country of my birth - South Africa and also make me enjoy the things I did when I was young.


Go well my dear friend,

Christiane
AlsoRan80
Thursday 24th Junem 2010 12.10 BST

Christian,

One of the main reasons for the Scots / French mutual friendship if a joined enmity of the English. There's also that every time one of the English Kings would come chasing over the border after a rebellious Scots Laird, they'd go and hide in France for a couple of years, before returning to make some more trouble for the neighbours.

So many memories were reignited by your mention of tennis players of the past, Christiane. My father has been an avid tennis buff for fifty years, so whenever there has been a major tennis tournament, my father would watch it on TV. I remember Rosewall, though I can't recall whether I saw him actually play, or act as a commentator. I think I saw one of Pancho Gonzales' last matches, though it might have been a film clip from an earlier era. Chris Evert, Yvonne Goolagong, Rod Laver, and Jimmy Connors I saw playing on TV.

I played a lot of tennis myself when I was younger, as did everyone in the family except my mother. I don't play any more, but I still play the less strenuous badminton, as I did with my family last Sunday.

Don't get me started about the crusades! Bad idea all around, and I think the French were major factors, especially in the Children Crusade . Anyway, the British would hardly be fond of the French after what the French did in 1066. Considering that one of my ancestors fought on the side of the French (he was the younger son of the Duke of Orleans, after all), it would be hard for me to be neutral. ,tongueout>

Hi GB,

They are on the same court 18, and you get get it through the red button.

good luck

CME
In haste

CME

24/IV/2010 3.45

I've switched from Wimbledon to watching Italy losing in the World Cup

I watched the match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Bjorn Borg was a fantastic athlete who happened to also be a great tennius player. He was so superbly conditioned that his resting pulse was about 27. His heart was that efficient.

"Anyway, the British would hardly be fond of the French after what the French did in 1066."

Why, what did the French do in 1066...apart from sit back doing nothing while Normandy invaded?

Good point. In the crusader accounts, it was the English and Normans (who had invaded England) disliking the French (who hadn't).

I thought William the Conqueror was French. No?

Not really, Normandy wasn't part of France in those days.

Well all my dear so well-informed friends,

The longest tennis match in the world ended fairly soon after it started this afternoon.

The winner was a fresh faced American player aged 23 who stands six feet 9 inches, and dwarfed the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut when they embraced one another at the net after the match.

There was possibly some gamesmanship in it as the Americain John Isner who looked absolutely finished after the match played a men's doubles three hours after the end of their marathon. And against him was the Frenchman with his French partner. !!

I do think that that tennis is becoming a really intellectual game 0 rather like bridge, and you play to your strength. I mean those rocket serves would scare the daylights out of me!!

Somehow in the distant part of my brain regarding william the Conqueror I am also not certain what nationality he was. I shall try Wikipedia, but I suspect paulh that you might be right,. !!

Thank you for your lovely memories of the players whom I certainly remembered. I am starting a memory-loss dictionary for myself, With clues so as to try and remember what something was called. It will strictly be an aide-memoire for myself. I find that as I struggle to remember,I get more and more agitated and remember less and less. I think that is why some of one's children get so short tempered with one. That is where Keith is so patient. I am researching the possibility of having a visual phone - but they do not seem to be very well known here. Schype though is possible....

Anyway, I am now going to try and have an early night. All this excessive sporting activity is exhausting. !!

Sleep well,

Christiane
AR80
Thursday 24/VI/2919 21.01 BST

Please do not forget to tell me when the time-name changes dear Gnoman. !!

Apologies about the tear date It shoud have beeb 2010!! not what ever I TYPED.

Christiane
24/VI/2010

William the Conqueror was born in Normandy, no need to go look up Wikipedia, Christiane http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/william_i_king.shtml

Night night, sleep tight!