By: Chuck Miller
Having Fun

I did not have “greatest tennis player of my generation replies to my Tweet” on my Bingo card.

So this happened.

A little background.

Yesterday, while perusing Twitter, I saw that tennis / human rights legend Martina Navratilova had retweeted a Twitter image from NBA veteran Rex Chapman. It was a magic trick in which a man was able to magically spread milk from one small cup to three larger cups.

Now I follow Rex Chapman, but I never got around to following Martina Navratilova. That being said, I kinda recognized the science behind that trick. It’s an optical illusion mixed with some magic powders. Let’s say if the left cup has 5 ounces of liquid, the other three cups may look taller, but they might be thinner – sort of like a smushed tin can. Thus, when the guy pours the liquid into each cup, it looks like there is more liquid. Sort of like how a champagne flute and a Dixie cup can hold the same amount of beverage.

And as for the trick where the milk now expands from filling one cup to filling three cups simultaneously?

I’m suspecting that there’s some sort of powder in the final right cup, that when mixed with any sort of liquid, causes the liquid to thicken and expand. Sort of like that old bar drink trick where you take a straight shot of Bailey’s Irish liqueur and try to swallow another alcoholic drink, only to have that combination of beverages expand in your mouth. I think it’s called the “cement mixer” trick, I’m not sure.

So I posted my theory of how the magic trick was achieved.

Okay, that’s fine. What I was NOT expecting was to receive a response back – not from Rex Chapman, which I kind of expected would happen … but by the other person in the conversation.

That being tennis champion and human rights champion Martina Navratilova. And by the way, if the only three women’s tennis players you’ve ever heard of are Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka … we need to talk.

So anyway … I posted my tweet … and a few minutes later … this happened.

Wait, what??

Is that the same Martina Navratilova who won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including enough Wimbledon plates to outfit a large dinner table? And then after that, 13 Grand Slam doubles championships, including sweeping all four Grand Slam doubles titles in 1984? And then adding 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles to her trophy case?

Well, this is big. But I had to keep my cool and my composure. I couldn’t run around screaming and waving my arms like Kermit the Frog on the stage of The Muppet Show.

Oh, who am I kidding?

And of course, Martina Navratilova, being the true classy person that she is, responded back.

And apparently, I’m not the only one who gets excited like this.

So I’m just going to say this. Thank you, Martina Navratilova, for brightening my day yesterday. Responding back to my tweet was unexpected, of course – but it was a really great and kind feeling.

Especially from someone who completely defined dominance and class in the sport of tennis.