No repressed memories for me. I want you to know that I relished every minute. Well, all but that last minute of the thing. Not since I nearly upended Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in the '90s before the match was halted for a day (blasted darkness!) have I so sank my teeth into a single match. And we gave the people what they wanted: shot-making and entertainment. Thankfully the tennis scribes took note, and not just in the wake of our rumble on the grass but also when the year wound down. The No. 8 match of the year, Tignor said, duly noting of course that we have 72 years between us.
Do you feel like an old lady? 'Cause I don't. We can show them in 2012. With hope we will show the tennis world—the sporting world, even the world at large—just what our bite and our fight is all about. And has been, for a decade—or, if you're me, two. :-) What I want to tell you now is this: Your stamina and your body may feel like they are faltering at times, surely. Even so, you can hold your head high knowing that, well, once you worked those interesting beads out of your hair, you have comported yourself with such grace and dignity on and off the court. You are a fully grown and enlightened woman. Few have grown up under the glare as you have. I am proud of you. And what's more, I won't even hold those garish outfits against you—lattice apple pie and immaculate goddess chic and all!
My holiday gift to you: courage. Scads and oodles of courage. Oh, and cold beer.
