I want to see a Raphael Nadal and Melanie Oudin play together as a mixed doubles team; they could raise the length of the game to about 85 sets, and while everyone else was keeling over from exhaustion, those two would just keep fist pumping and saying "We can do this, YEAHHHH!" Or they would come on the court looking so earnest, bright eyed and bushy-tailed that everyone else would just throw down their racket in disgust and not even bother to go through the motions.

I've been practicing with a racquet for the past few days and decided to play left-handed, because they way I grip the racquet with my right hand leads to annoying hand-soreness. You would think that playing lefty would make a difference, but ever since I had tendonitis in my right hand I've become increasingly ambidextrous; while I am a little clumsier with my left, it's really not anywhere near as big a difference as you might think. It's much, MUCH less inconvenient to have my left hand sore after some tennis practice then my right. Plus, playing lefty means I can toss the ball with my right hand, which is nice because that part of the game has suddenly become a lot easier.

I've overdosed on watching tennis due to the Open this week, but I still think getting into the game is a really good idea; for one thing, I have an excuse to buy one of those snazzy tennis dresses. I think I've desperately wanted a tennis dress for my entire life and only just realized it now.

I'll probably have five tennis dresses before I can consistently hit a nice backhand, but at least I know where my priorities are.