The Lightning Storm: A Funny Story during the 2008 Team World Championships

The USA 35's team had lots of fun together, playing tennis matches, watching each other, rooting our teammates on during the day matches, and then relaxing during dinner with trivia every night in Turkey. We had trivia of all sorts and topics.

One story that sticks out is the Lightning Story. So on this particular day, after playing the Doubles matches for the first two days, I was scheduled to play the #1 Singles match against Romania. Today started out with a cloudy morning while Jim played his Singles match. When Jim finished, it was my turn to go on. The guy I was playing was good and I went down early in the first set, but with a bit of momentum I was turning things around early in the second.

Then it started to rain, and we had to stop for a rain delay. Our FIRST rain delay! We retuned to the court, I was eager to continue my play and momentum and had earned a lead in the second. Play continued and I was able to keep the momentum going and got deep into the second set with a lead.....but also with more rain starting falling now. And this time it brought with it ----thunder and lighting! That's right, crack! bang! in the background ....and like all tennis players do (hahaha) ....do we stop now or play on....? After all, it was still safe and I have the momentum, right.

So, with the rain now coming in steadily, the lightning cracking and electrifying the afternoon sky, I continued on, not realizing that that the lightning was so close to us. Afterwards, I learned others had sought shelter, even some of those watching our match! The Romanian player continued to play on ...and so did I....I had no inkling of stopping either! So,...I in the midst of it all on the court, I think to myself "do I stop or keep it going." And after all, I was on-a-roll, right! And the courts are very much still playable! But as the rain increased further, it really was lightning close by us.

So with that, my Player-Coach Jim, comes out on the court and asks me midway through the game (because we can have an on-court Player coach us): Do you want to play on or do you want to stop? Some players and our fans are leaving the courts...?

At this time I'm locked into my game and closing out the second set, here! So, without thinking too clearly on the weather, I said (like any of us would, right....), "We can keep playing, right....the Ump. is still letting us play, right....and I'm on a roll, right. I WANT TO KEEP GOING!"

And Jim adds, "People are stopping....even Stacy and your parents want you to stop it. But it is still playable. I think you should keep going, too!" And then with a squinted face while brushing off rain and avoiding the thunder and lighting claps as he headed back to his chair courtside, he yells, "CHRIS, LET'S KEEP IT ROLLING!!!

And we played on!

But, it was not two more points later ...that I remember, that the rain began to pour and the umpire came in and stopped the match for the second rain delay. Then, we sought shelter quickly!

There are witnesses (and apparently pictures out there, too) of lightning crashing in the background while I was serving but......