Worlds collide for Sharp in Mexico City
“For those 10 to 15 minutes, it felt almost surreal to have my tennis and other worlds colliding in front of my eyes," says Stephen Sharp.
Having earned selection in Australia’s men’s over-60 squad for the 2024 ITF World Masters Tennis Team Championships, Jewish Melburnian Stephen Sharp was thrilled to learn, upon arrival in Mexico City late last month, the specific venue for all matches in his category.
It turned out to be Centro Deportiva Israelita (CDI), which is the largest Jewish community centre in Mexico.
Among its top-class sport facilities are 13 clay tennis courts, including six under a stadium-style roof.
The centre hosted the Pan American Maccabi Games back in 2019.
“Being my first world championships, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from the opening ceremony, held at the CDI,” Sharp said, upon returning to Australia last week after an amazing tournament.
“All the teams marching into the stadium was fabulous, as expected, but what was not anticipated was the troupe of about 30 dancers, all in traditional Mexican costumes, performing their version of Israeli dancing, to the sound of familiar Hebrew tunes.
“For those 10 to 15 minutes, it felt almost surreal to have my tennis and other worlds colliding in front of my eyes!”
The over-60 men’s draw comprised of 16 teams in pools of four, with the four seeded teams – Spain, France, USA and Italy – split between them, for a three-day round robin format opening stage.
Each tie between nations comprised of two best-of-three set singles rubbers and a best-of-two set doubles rubber, with a 10-point super tiebreaker if required.
The team finishing first in each pool then played off for semi-final spots and those below them played off for positions fifth and lower.
Sharp and his Aussie teammates comfortably beat Turkey and India in the round robin stage, but then lost to Spain in a high-quality contest, leaving them in the 5-8 play-offs.
Their match against the UK on May 1 turned out to be one of the classic battles of the championship.
After it was 1-1 in the opening singles rubbers and one set all in the deciding doubles rubber, the Australians fell agonisingly short in the super tiebreaker, losing it 10-12.
But the Aussies still finished a very credible seventh overall, when they posted a comfortable victory over the Netherlands on the final day.
Reflecting on his masters worlds debut experience, Sharp – who in February won a 2024 Kooyong Tennis Club Championship men’s 100+ [combined age] doubles title – said he will “remember it very fondly”.
“Playing tennis in these conditions is about as hard as it gets for Australian competitors, as the transition to clay always takes time and the altitude of Mexico City means the shots you hit for winners back home, sail metres long, in this environment.
“Some days I was able to adapt and play close to my best, while other days my form was ordinary.
“It was, however, an amazing experience, enhanced by surroundings which made me feel a little closer to home, in a way I could never have imagined.”
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