Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Past Plays The Future

Anyone else think the picture they're using to advertise the new London season-ending championships at the end of next year is kind of funny? It's exactly the same picture as Shanghai '07, but with Richard Gasquet lopped out of the background and Andy Murray, looking extraordinarily uncomfortable, chest all puffed out, suspicious look on his face, stuck smack bang in the middle. I get that it's in London and so Murray is a major drawcard, but it almost looks like they're predicting Murray'll be bigger than Federer and Nadal next year. I think he'll be big, but I don't see that much boat-shaking going on!
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Meanwhile, on a totally different subject, I've been following this tournament in Perth. I am totally unable to discover what level of tournament it actually is, but it calls itself the Perth International and it's actually been kind of interesting - at least if you know who some of the Aussie guys are, in which case I might be in a bit of a minority.
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The most interesting match today was a real epic duel between Bernard Tomic and Todd Reid. It's a match Tomic really should have won, being a set and 3-0 up, but Reid got him in the end after a real see-saw. It was almost like watching history play itself - not that I was watching, because, hello, as if it'd be televised, but you get my drift. Todd Reid, a few years back, was exactly where Bernard Tomic is now. He was touted as the next big thing after he made the final of the junior Aussie Open in '02 and won junior Wimbledon... but then nothing ever really came of it. He pulled a few upsets in early rounds here and there, but I'd venture to say hardly anyone has heard of Todd Reid.
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So here's hoping Bernard Tomic doesn't go the same way. Because this kid is seriously awesome, and I would hate to see his talent fade away. He was beaten by the past today - but in the future, here's hoping he eclipses it. That'd be a real victory.

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