Being an American living in Japan, I'm often asked the question, especially during an international event like the Olympics, "Which country are you rooting for; America or Japan?" I usually answer "both!" or "I just want to see a good game!" Which is pretty true. When it comes to team sports, I suppose I lean towards my own home country, but not as strongly as when I lived in the States. When it comes to individual sports like tennis, the national lines are almost non-existent. When I choose a favorite player, I usually go by style of play, a rivalry, the character of the player and maybe after that, their nationality. It's just not that important to me as it used to be. Wilander was my favorite player in the 80s, followed by Courier and Agassi in the 90s, then sort of Roddick in the 00s until Murray came along.
That being said, I would like to see players from my own country be successful. I keep an eye on players like Isner and Sock and if they get up there and catch my attention, then I'll root for them. I like the way Sock plays and I think he may be my next favorite player after Murray retires.
That's one of the things I love about tennis though. It is the most international, varied and balanced sport in the world. Golf may be close to it but as long as they keep excluding other countries from the Ryder Cup, it doesn't hold a candle to the Davis Cup.
And even if my favorite player goes out, that's not the end of the tournament for me. I love seeing different players and different match-ups in the Grand Slams. I'll have to admit Federer or Nadal were never my favorites for whatever reason, so from '05 to '10 or so was pretty meh for me. Djokovic is ok but he's not one of my favorites to watch. I hope Murray or someone can step up and challenge in the slams or it could get a bit boring.
But anyways, how do you choose a favorite player? Is their nationality on the top of your check list? Or are there other things more important when choosing a favorite player? I guess a good question to ask is, "What player makes you most emotional when rooting for him/her?"
That being said, I would like to see players from my own country be successful. I keep an eye on players like Isner and Sock and if they get up there and catch my attention, then I'll root for them. I like the way Sock plays and I think he may be my next favorite player after Murray retires.
That's one of the things I love about tennis though. It is the most international, varied and balanced sport in the world. Golf may be close to it but as long as they keep excluding other countries from the Ryder Cup, it doesn't hold a candle to the Davis Cup.
And even if my favorite player goes out, that's not the end of the tournament for me. I love seeing different players and different match-ups in the Grand Slams. I'll have to admit Federer or Nadal were never my favorites for whatever reason, so from '05 to '10 or so was pretty meh for me. Djokovic is ok but he's not one of my favorites to watch. I hope Murray or someone can step up and challenge in the slams or it could get a bit boring.
But anyways, how do you choose a favorite player? Is their nationality on the top of your check list? Or are there other things more important when choosing a favorite player? I guess a good question to ask is, "What player makes you most emotional when rooting for him/her?"
