Western & Southern Open Tennis Tournament part II

Upon purchasing tickets for the popular tennis tournament held annually in Ohio, we were excited to learn that many top athletes who were familiar to us would be playing: Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal among them

 When Al, daughter Shanda, Nate (13) and Elliot (11)  and I arrived at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon, August 16^th, we discovered that Serena Williams was scheduled to play that evening against Emma Raducanu, a 19-year-old tennis wonder from Great Britain. Serena won her first major title at the age of 18. We wondered how she, now forty years old, would do in this current match.

I spotted an empty table near the food court and claimed it, while the others went in search of dinner before taking our seats in the Center Court, where Serena would be playing.

The applause that Serena Williams received when she came on the court at the beginning of the match was evidence of the love and admiration people in the crowd had for her. Two women sitting in the row in front of us were overwhelmed with joy at being there in person.

“What a blessing!” one woman said to those of us sitting behind her. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” sounding like she might break down and cry.

Prior to the tournament Serena had announced that she would be retiring in order to spend more time with her family. She had given her all to tennis; but now it was time to give her all to the family.

It was a short match, with Emma Raducanu defeating her famous opponent in two sets. Serena departed as she had arrived, with a wave. Then she was gone. Perhaps her tennis career was over, but she was leaving a great legacy behind.

We left for the hotel later that night after watching the match of an upcoming tennis star from the U.S., Madison Keyes. Keyes won, moving ahead in the tournament along with Emma Raducanu. Afterwards, Nate and Elliot managed to secure Madison’s signature on a sweatshirt and cap! She even took a selfie with Elliot in the background, much to his delight!

Wednesday was spent attending more matches, with the main difference being that the sun beat down upon us. Cold drinks and ice-cream helped keep us cool along with getting in the shade whenever possible. A free “cooling” towel received after signing up for prizes at the “Tennis for Charity” booth helped too! I doused it with water and kept it around my neck all day long.

We had wondered if the venue was used for other events and discovered that a pickleball tournament was planned for the following week! The facilities, including sixteen courts, are owned by Tennis for Charity and are available to rent during the rest of the year. Since 1974, millions of dollars have been donated to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the Barrett Cancer Center and to various inner city youth tennis programs.

Along with beautiful facilities at the center, the latest technology was used for things like line calls, determining the speed of a player’s serve, replays on video screens, posting schedules and disseminating information.

Want to know if the ball was in or out? Several computer-linked cameras were placed around the court which together produced a three-dimensional image, showing clearly where the ball landed. A good way to end disputes—at least some of them!

The day passed quickly and soon it was time for us to drive home. A fifty-foot statue of Jesus, His arms outstretched, hadn’t changed since we sped by the previous day on our way to the tournament. The famous “Lux Munde” statue in front of the Solid Rock Church was just easier to see, being on our side of the freeway—a  fitting way to end a fun and inspiring two-day trip.

 Tennis was great; time together with Shanda and the boys was wonderful too, with many special memories to make us smile in the days to come. Al and I were thankful that everything worked out so well. Praise the Lord!

Through all of the times of transition and change in our lives, it is comforting to know that Jesus never changes. His love for us is constant and unconditional, His arms always outstretched to welcome us into His embrace. We can depend on Him.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NIV