IT STARTS OUT WITH ME NOTICING before it turns into allegiance when it comes to left-handed tennis players. Being a lefty, I have a slightly different view of things. It was challenging the first time I was handed a pair of scissors; they were made for right-handed people. The desks in elementary school were fine; but, in the higher schools of education many desks were simply attached to the right arms of chairs. Some of the college lecture halls I sat in had trays that were stored inside again of the right arm of our chairs. It was an inconvenience at best; however, I was aware since most people were right-handed, us left-handed folks were being grouped into a minority. Because of these early experiences, I have always rooted for those left-handed individuals who have excelled in their field. The first famous lefty I knew was Sandy Koufax. I had a baseball card with his picture on it. In fact, whenever I got the ball when playing bombardment or scatter ball in gym class, I pretended I was him. As it turned out, I had a strong throwing arm and was able to knock out many players on the opposing team. I do not know if my success had to do with being left-handed, but I certainly believed that I had an advantage over the right-handed kids.      I THOUGHT MY LEFTY SUPERPOWER WOULD carry me into other sports, like tennis. However, I quickly learned I was a real minority when I was the only lefty in class. The instructor had difficulty teaching me, as a result I was always behind everyone else. The other students liked playing against me because it was an easy win for them. It was not until I had gotten proficient with my ground strokes that the other students had to really work to try and beat me. They could not read my shots as easily as they could with their fellow righties. I started to enjoy the game even more. At the same time, I started watching tennis matches on television. Whenever one of the opponents was left-handed, I immediately rooted for them. My first “crush” was jimmy Connors. He was aggressive and he was left-handed. After him, I was an enthusiastic fan of John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and of course, Rafael Nadal. These were my heroes who reached the top of their sport while being left-handed. I felt if they could do it, I could succeed as well in any field. During my time watching these players, there was one player that caught my eye. Where everyone was grunting and sweating during their matches, he was someone completely different. It looked like he was doing a form of ballet whenever he was out on the tennis court. I grew to admire his skills even though I would still root for the lefty. However, I grew to respect his incredible skill. When I saw this documentary about him advertised, I knew I had to watch it.      THERE COMES A TIME WHEN ONE needs to face their future, especially when their work requires physical stamina, strength, and endurance. What started out as private home videos became a record of the last twelve days leading up to the retirement of this illustrious tennis player’s incredible career. Directed by Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Amy) and Joe Sabia (73 Questions-TV), this documentary was a smooth, and at times, intimate production. I enjoyed the access the viewer had to Roger’s thoughts, home, and work life. This film matched Roger’s cool classiness, which both helped and hurt the story. Everything was so polished and scripted; it would have been nice if the directors could have dug deeper into Roger’s thought process more, to get an understanding of what drove him to be the best in tennis. If one is not a fan of tennis, then there would be little interest in watching this biographical sports picture. I on the other hand enjoyed seeing the camaraderie between fellow players, such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. Their interactions in this film created special moments. The term, “a life well lived,” seems appropriate here, for this picture simply celebrates the career and accomplishments of an extraordinary individual, who was not bad for a righty.

3 stars