Dear Justine,
So...yeah, it's January 26, 2012. Not sure if you remember that date (I'm not even sure if you want to remember it), but I do. This day, exactly one year ago, you announced your second, and final retirement from professional tennis. Like I said in my letter that I wrote shortly after you announced your retirement, I felt so shocked, and most of all, sad. Sad that I would never see your beautiful game again on court, sad that this something stupid called injury had finally taken its toll on you. No one saw that coming, no one thought that your injury (that you got from falling during your fourth round match at Wimbledon the previous year) was that bad. But...yeah, it happened.
In some ways I also felt lucky because 22 days before you retired, I got to meet you. It is one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I always adore that day, January 4, 2011. I traveled all the way to Perth to see you, and never for once I ever regret that decision. I still keep your autographs and pictures of you that I took during the tournament. The way I felt when I saw you enter the court for the first time...Goodness, I'll never forget that.
I still watch tennis even after you retired. For some reasons I just can't stop watching it, you know. How can I stop being enthusiastic for something that introduced you to me? I've discovered some amazingly interesting players and I always cheer for them with joy, but just so you know, I always miss you every time I watch tennis. That graceful movement, that fabulously effective footwork, that killer of a forehand, that dazzlingly beautiful backhand...oh, how I miss them all, and how I never find things that are slightly close to them after you retired.
At first after you retired I felt like s**t, really. But then I realised that no one felt much worse than you, you were the one that was affected the most. And I discovered that your fans needed to be strong for you, we needed to always stand by you, support you, no matter what. We did, and we always do. We still watch tennis and cheer for the current players, but we never forget you. We never forget the woman that brought us together, from all over the world, to unite and together enjoy the sport we all love. I can never thank you enough for that, Justine. For bringing us together.
From what I've heard and read, I think retirement's treating you well--I hope it really is. You've got your boyfriend (a pretty good-looking guy, I have to admit), your friends, your family around you. And even though you're not playing tennis anymore you still give some contributions to the sport--I know some of the players from your academy are the very promising ones. I hope they will someday be part of the greatness of the game, as well as you were :)
I think that's all for me today, Justine. I wish all the best for you in your life. And need I tell you that you are always missed.
Allez!
A fan,
Mentari
So...yeah, it's January 26, 2012. Not sure if you remember that date (I'm not even sure if you want to remember it), but I do. This day, exactly one year ago, you announced your second, and final retirement from professional tennis. Like I said in my letter that I wrote shortly after you announced your retirement, I felt so shocked, and most of all, sad. Sad that I would never see your beautiful game again on court, sad that this something stupid called injury had finally taken its toll on you. No one saw that coming, no one thought that your injury (that you got from falling during your fourth round match at Wimbledon the previous year) was that bad. But...yeah, it happened.
In some ways I also felt lucky because 22 days before you retired, I got to meet you. It is one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I always adore that day, January 4, 2011. I traveled all the way to Perth to see you, and never for once I ever regret that decision. I still keep your autographs and pictures of you that I took during the tournament. The way I felt when I saw you enter the court for the first time...Goodness, I'll never forget that.
I still watch tennis even after you retired. For some reasons I just can't stop watching it, you know. How can I stop being enthusiastic for something that introduced you to me? I've discovered some amazingly interesting players and I always cheer for them with joy, but just so you know, I always miss you every time I watch tennis. That graceful movement, that fabulously effective footwork, that killer of a forehand, that dazzlingly beautiful backhand...oh, how I miss them all, and how I never find things that are slightly close to them after you retired.
At first after you retired I felt like s**t, really. But then I realised that no one felt much worse than you, you were the one that was affected the most. And I discovered that your fans needed to be strong for you, we needed to always stand by you, support you, no matter what. We did, and we always do. We still watch tennis and cheer for the current players, but we never forget you. We never forget the woman that brought us together, from all over the world, to unite and together enjoy the sport we all love. I can never thank you enough for that, Justine. For bringing us together.
From what I've heard and read, I think retirement's treating you well--I hope it really is. You've got your boyfriend (a pretty good-looking guy, I have to admit), your friends, your family around you. And even though you're not playing tennis anymore you still give some contributions to the sport--I know some of the players from your academy are the very promising ones. I hope they will someday be part of the greatness of the game, as well as you were :)
I think that's all for me today, Justine. I wish all the best for you in your life. And need I tell you that you are always missed.
Allez!
A fan,
Mentari
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