24.2.22
The standard of play in Doha did indeed start to improve as the cream rose to the top - but enough about my operating! It helped everyone's moods, which was handy considering WTA jobs are full-on and quite tiring, but the three of us worked well together and rotated whenever someone needed some relief (or sweet release during poorer matches).
I found yet another excuse to create an Excel spreadsheet - namely logging how long James, Ryan and I spent 'on court', along with various statistics. When I did a similar exercise at last year's Snooker World Championship, Jimmy was by far the jammiest of the three scorers but he got his comeuppance this week; his part in the tournament ended after Round 3, by which point he'd totted up nearly 5-and-a-half hours more court time than I had, including the six longest sets we'd been involved in. His lead was so great that even though I had an extra day in Doha, he remained ahead of me in all categories!
My involvement in Doha concluded tonight with quarter-finals day, and it was a brilliant note to end on - all four singles and two doubles matches ended in straight sets, and in double-quick time! The longest match lasted 1h26, and it was one of those days that stats spreadsheets are made for:
- Average match time: 1h09
- Exactly 100 service games played, with the longest set being 6-4
- Average of 8 games per set
As an operator you often root for quick matches over entertaining ones but we got the rare combination of both, with standout performances from Anett Kontaveit and Jelena Ostapenko. I'm rooting for a Kontaveit v Swiatek final, but I wouldn't begrudge any of the four remaining ladies (Maria Sakkari being the other) the title. Great final day aside, I'm not sure how much I enjoyed the job as a whole this time around; I think a lot of that is to do with the aforementioned changes to our role, but also Doha was a bit of a dud, honestly. Still, beats Newmarket any day of the week.
We had some friendly colleagues too, which always is the biggest plus of a job; I enjoyed the odd chat with Cezary, a Polish director who takes any excuse to take the conversation off-piste - he was all for discussing my family's Polish ties and the Christmas hybrid we traditionally enjoy, confirming to me how to pronounce Iga Swiatek's name, and chatting snooker - which he is a big fan of - though not the Shoot Out! On my last evening, Ryan suggested a quick drink in the bar, and we chatted for a good while along with another acquaintance Ann, who also loves her snooker and has been at many of the same events as me, just a truck away! Small world, innit.