Friday 4th August : Day 20

Had a hit with my good friend Tim last night . Afterwards I could not help but reflect on where I was after playing the game for 25 years ; the sad conclusion is nowhere . For a quarter of a century I have played tennis at least twice a week , having many lessons and straining every sinew to get better . Henman says rankings don't lie , and he is right . After a brief flirtation with 6.1 , I have had a 7.2 rating for the last few years . I have not won a set against my wife for months . She laughs at me , calling me a 'recreational' player . That really hurts , although 'agricultural ' could be just as appropriate .

So , as ever , it comes down to the dichotomy so elegantly expressed by Dickens : tennis is the best of times , it is the worst of times . And with every passing hour I get older , slower and more useless . But it is better to have played and lost than never to have played at all .

I'm playing again tomorrow , I'll let you know how it goes .


Hasta Lasagna!