Sam Querrey: My interview with the man of the moment


Early summer means Wimbledon when millions of us—our rackets long outdated, zipped into cases, stuffed into hall closets—tune back into the game of tennis. I used to love tennis, or the idea of it anyway. Tennis whites bringing out the brown on arms and legs, the players and their idiosynchratic grunts and groans. The 70's were the heyday of my tennis ardor, Breakfast at Wimbledon a yearly tradition. The romantic possibilities of Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors. Billy Jean King and Martina Navrátilová. The sex appeal of Ilya Nastase. Arthur Ashe followed by the long-haired Bjorn Borg looking like Peter Frampton. McEnroe and his anger management problems. Those were the days I played it too, poorly, the sweet spot of victory ever elusive. 

 Eventually I let it go, but still Wimbledon calls every year. The names familiar with year after year of victories, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, the Williams sisters, Novak Djokovic. This year the name on everyone's lips is the California tennis player Sam Querrey. Querrey who shocked the tennis world by knocking out Djokovic—the winner of this year's French Open—in the early rounds. Hearing the news I did a double take. 

 I interviewed Sam Querrey back in 2008 when he was living out in the exurbs of L.A. and I was writing freelance pieces monthly for the Westlake Village based 805 Living magazine.

 The interview was for a regular back page item called P.S. where I asked local celebs a few puff piece questions. Querrey had just turned pro and, no surprise here, it was clear from our conversation that his passion for the game exceeded anything else, although he did say if he could do anything he'd "be in an awesome rock band". 

 Querrey was particularly stoked over a game he'd played against James Blake, telling me his Most Memorable Day was playing 'James Blake—one of the top ten players in the world—on the center court at the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells.' 

 Just a hunch but I'm thinking that Most Memorable Day has been lobbed into oblivion.
A bit more of the Q&A ...


 What would surprise people about you? 
I'm a whiz when I get a karaoke microphone in my hand. 

 Pet peeve? Right-handed people who wear their watch on their right hand and slow golfers.

 Book on your nightstand? The World is Flat (Thomas L. Friedman, The Winner's Mind (Allen Fox)

 Dream Day: Playing tennis in front of 50,000 people and loving it. Then afterward, go golfing or hang out at the beach with my friends.

 Congratulations Sam, it looks like your Dream Day has come true in aces! Except for the part about golfing or hanging out with friends at the beach later. But that's ok. I have a hunch that golf and the beach are the last things on your mind right at this moment, and that you'd put a whole new spin on that Most Memorable Day question.

 You're in the sweet spot! Enjoy it.

Popular posts from this blog

5 Ways to feel like you’re in France when you don’t have the francs

Image
Are you Dreaming of France but finding yourself short of the francs you need to take you there? Ladies and Gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs, step right up and j oin my travel club and take a journey that won’t cost you a red hot centime. Because this is a trip you take in your mind. Okay, it ’ s not exactly there -there but if you can ’ t actually get to Paris or the Cote d ’ azur, it ’ s the next best thing.  Here ’ s five things to pack in your virtual valise to put you in a French  state of mind.  Substituting French words for English is a great starting point... Un: French Ambience Pretend you live on a charming street near the Eiffel Tower with the simple application of this artistically incorrect mural. How do you say cheesy in french? Or better yet, decorate your home with every  Eiffel tower you can find — never mind most self-respecting French citizens would likely prefer to leave the tour  Eiffel on the Champ de Mars  where  it belongs.  Deux: La mus
Continue Reading »

Baker Street Station—Sherlock Holmes was there

Image
Baker Street Station The main thing my husband wanted to see in London was London ... as Sherlock Holmes saw it. So our first move, like any fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation was to take a double decker bus to Baker Street. As it turns out I read the map upside down or sideways or maybe it was backwards but we found ourselves in Putney at the bridge. Very much in the wrong direction. Over half an hour by car, which we didn't have. We wound up taking the tube back in the right direction which delivered us to the Baker Street Station. The station is one of the original stations opened when the Metropolitan Railway—the world's first underground railway—was built in 1863.  While we don't immediately think of Sherlock dashing out on the tube, he very well could have and in fact the rail, train etc is alluded to in several dozen Sherlock stories. The Baker Street station is situated on the very block where Sherlock lived at 221B Baker Street. Or should I say th
Continue Reading »

Above Ground on the London Underground—Day 46: White City

Image
If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 46. Today we’re walking from the Ealing Broadway underground station to White City. The trek is 4.2 miles which should clock in at just about 10,000 steps.  Back in 1908, the area was transformed from Shepherd’s Bush farm land into the location for the Franco-British exhibition and the 1908 Summer Olympics. Called the white city because of the white cladding of the ornate exhibition buildings, the area was used for the Japan-British exhibition in 1910, the Latin-British exhibition in 1912, and finally the Anglo-American exhibition in 1914 when WWI put an end to it. After that the White City was left to fall into disrepair and ult
Continue Reading »