Cheering On the Next Generation

It is 9:43 Thursday EVENING in Melbourne, Australia, as I begin this post at 5:43 Thursday MORNING in Florida. Most of the men’s matches in the second round have yet to be completed at the Australian Open. Only three of the women’s matches remain. Andy Murray and Vincent Millot from France are warming up for their match.

Of the matches completed today, Federer has advanced to the third round. So has Nadal, easily dismissing  his Australian challenger, Thansai Kokkinakis 6-2 6-4 6-1

What is significant about the Nadal / Kokkinakis match is that Kokkinakis was a seventeen-year-old walk on who presently holds a # 570 rank in men’s tennis. The fact that he even scored at all against the world’s # 1 player is significant. The fact that he earned the privilege in a 7-6(4) 0-6 7-6(3) 6-2 match against Igor Sijsling of the Nethlerlands (# 73) is even more noteworthy. Nadal and others see him and another Australian teenager aseighteen-year-old (# 183) Nick Kyrgios, as the future of Australian men's tennis.

One of the features of tennis which I enjoy is the tendency of the older players to cheer on the next generation. It reflects a little of what I understand the Scripture to teach about God’s intention for the generational relationship in His Church. I am afraid that we who have known Christ for several decades may slip into an isolated mindset in which we seek to “maintain our heritage” instead of “passing on our grace” to those who are following us down the road. As we realize the miles ahead of us are few and the roads behind us are past, we fail to cheer others ahead in their journey down roads we will not travel. By and large tennis is a sport of professional courtesy (with some exceptions, of course). With regard to the Church, Alice Bronson’s remark catches this spirit: “It seems to me that in God’s economy, the work we are given is as much about providing us an opportunity to treat each other well as it is about the job.

By the way. As I click “Post,” our Sam Querry leads the tournament in aces. Forty-three so far. And Andy Murray leads Millot in the first game of the first set 5 to 1.