Page 59 of Match Point

“What’s that about?” my broadcast partner Tim Henman asked, muting his microphone.

“Moreau asked me out,” I revealed. “He’s been sending me flowers.”

Henman closed his eyes and chuckled. “Good luck dealing with that. I don’t think he’s going to stop.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Does he have a reputation for pursuing women like that?”

“No, but he has a reputation for never giving up—inanything. I’ve covered him for a decade, and I don’t think he’s going to stop unless you agree to go out with him. Or if you kill him.”

“That second option is starting to sound appealing,” I said, which made him laugh. I unmuted my microphone and said, “We’re back on Centre Court, where Moreau is up two breaks against a struggling Nadal…”

Off the court, Gabriel was every bit as persistent.

Gabriel: Did you see my match today?

Me: You know I did. I was in the booth.

Gabriel: I was thinking of you after every ace I hit. Your smile. The way you roll your eyes when someone compliments you.

Me: You hit 20 aces today. I would advise you to spend more time thinking about tennis, and less about me.

Gabriel: Nadal is one of the greats, and I defeated him in straight sets. I believe my strategy is working quite well.

Gabriel: Let me take you on a proper date when Wimbledon is over.

Me: A colleague told me you were relentless today. I guess he’s right.

Gabriel: Ah! So you were talking about me, no?

Me: We were commentating your match on NBC Sports. Yes, we were talking about you.

Gabriel: Let me make a proposition to you. If I win Wimbledon without losing a single set, you have to go out with me.

Me: Bragging that you won’t lose a single set the rest of the tournament? You haven’t been listening to me at all. I don’t like this side of you.

Gabriel: Allow me to make a clarification. I do not believe I can complete Wimbledon without losing a set. Especially if I must play Dominic deGrom again, who is the best grass player in the world.

Me: Then why make that wager with me?

Gabriel: Because I wish to leave it up to fate. And perhaps to give myself some extra motivation.

Me: I would think winning Wimbledon would be motivation enough for a professional tennis player.

Gabriel: Such is a measure of your effect on my heart, Miranda.

I didn’t respond, but I doubted he could finish Wimbledon without losing a set. Grass was his weakest playing surface, and he had already almost lost several sets in his first few rounds.

I was commentating a women’s singles match when I heard my producer talking with someone else behind me. We were in a commercial break, so I removed my headset and turned around. “Did you just say something about Tristan Carfrae?”

My producer pointed to the array of TV screens above me. “He just lost in straight sets to Juncheng.”

29

Miranda

Tristan lost? Oh no!

“I whirled back around to the TV in the booth and winced. Tristan was shaking hands with his opponent, an unranked Chinese player who was only 18 years old. The camera zoomed in on his face as he packed away his tennis rackets, slung his bag over a shoulder, and waved goodbye to the crowd.

---