What does someone do for fun after several successful careers have ended, and the next adventure begins? Well, truth be told, the sky’s the limit.
This June 2025 Anna “Banana” Kruchten opened the points store, and I decided it was time to go shopping. I started my shopping spree at the tennis shop near my house.
After watching the last match of the French Open tennis tournament hosted at Roland Garros in Paris, France, I realized time might be running out for me to become a top player.
The men’s championship match at Roland Garros, between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain was a five-hour marathon fought by two of the finest young talents to come into the game in years.
The quality of the match, which will be talked about for years, spurred a level of enthusiasm in me I haven’t felt in a long time. It also made me realize in order to achieve my lofty goal of a championship at a top tournament; I must up my game.
I wondered, “What if with a little practice, and a few points from the points store I could achieve an equal level of competency?”
The first step was easy. At the tennis shop, I found the latest racquets. The same ones used by the top players, like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannick Sinner. Everyone knows a tennis racquet is the most important tool for any player and surely using the same model as one of the top players will help improve my game. A few thousand points and I was holding a new weapon.
Then, after consulting with the young man whose job it is to string tennis racquets, I found the best combination of size, weight, and tension to match my ability at only a few hundred more points.
Tennis requires a lot of running, so good-fitting, well-made, shoes are critical to good performance. The shopkeeper helped me find the best fit for my delicate feet and took AR points in lieu of cash.
Another pre-requisite for playing well is looking good, so I dipped into the points store and grabbed the latest shirt, shorts, and socks off the rack. I tested my new look in the mirror on the door of the fitting room, and I have to say I barely recognized myself. For a few seconds, I mistook my image for one of those younger boys on the professional tour.
Finally arriving on the court at my local club, all eyes were on me. A small crowd gathered to watch the match between my opponent and myself battling at opposite ends of the court with only one goal. To equal the spectacle of what Alcaraz and Sinner had accomplished only days earlier and solicit an invitation to play at the upcoming Championships at Wimbledon.
It wasn’t a five-hour epic that will go down in history, but still a good start toward my goal of making it to the final of a major tournament. All at the expense of a few thousand AR points.
With the start of The Championships at Wimbledon approaching June 30, 2025, I will continue to practice, awaiting my chance at glory.
If an invitation to play at Wimbledon doesn’t pan out, look for me at the U.S. Open in August. I surely should hit my stride by then.
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