Really nice piece, Steve. You really nailed that last part about Ana. Loved this line:

"Errors confirm the truth about yourself, good shots seem like pathetic mirages, delays before the inevitable."

thanks Steve that is just great stuff. Nice to be reminded that you were one of the few Elf believers early on.

Thanks for the thoughtful article. There is a small typo in the opening paragraph that is also a wonderful variation on the Freudian slip: "Said cover subject either falls pray to injury..." It should be "prey" instead of "pray." But as you said, tennis is the kind of sport that defines the self and as such it requires immense amounts of irrational, illogical FAITH. A willingness to surrender to the unknown fate that exists 2 points into the future. So glad I don't play professional tennis either, but also so glad there are those who do with whom I can identify and by whom I can be inspired.

Geez. Wouldn't have known before I wrote this that a busted wrist and a pulled-down visor could provoke such deep self-exploration. Anyway, thanks for the nice piece.

Great article Steve. I've always thought tennis is probably the hardest sport, from a psychologic point of view, that's ever existed. That's why i can't never dislike or hate a player because deep down I admire each one of them for being brave enough to get out there and do the 'job'. I know I wouldn't, couldn't.

for all its elegance and cleanliness, tennis is one of the toughest sports on the mind. you have to play a competitive tennis match at least once in your life to understand how cruel it is, even if you lose or win it. and when you play for a living...you have to be a rock of steadiness and believe deep down that something/someone else is even more important than tennis, otherwise i don't know how you'd be able to move, honestly.

tennis does force you to look your weaknesses straight in the eye, even if you want to or not. not sure that's a good thing, though, confronting your demons day in day out...

as a kid, i used to play competitive tennis, and while i loved the sport, i hated tournaments and i hated losing. at 12, my mom decided that school was more important than tennis, so i stopped playing. i regretted it and blamed my mom for a long time. now I'm 33 and looking back, and seeing what a tennis player's life is like, i think my mom made the right choice. I know myself better now and i don't think I'm cut out that way. Funny how life turns out...

"Hell, the times that I’ve been injured and away from the game for a few months have been extremely depressing. All I could think of to do was go shopping. (Shudder, shudder)"

lol

therapist to patient: 'so how much shopping have you been doing lately... like, say, blowing an entire month's salary within a few hours?' yeah, sure sign of a funk. don't tell that to fed, though. for whom it is a pleasant extracurricular activity (decompressing from the stress of the tour, knowing you have millions and millions in the bank, must be so much fun)

Steve,

My biggest regret is that I never played Tennis.Not just Pro-tennis.
It's a regret because,I know how well Tennis pro life would have suited me!
HUH!!

Ivanovic was looking good until her bad loss to Martinez-Sanchez - though credit to the net rushing Sanchez for not giving Ana time to find her rhythm.

On another note, I was thrilled for Jelena Jankovic's tense win over Serena Williams, and I see her as the #1 challenger to Henin for the French. Regarding the controversy, I couldn't believe the umpire allowed that to happen TWICE in the same tiebreak. On the very first point, Jelena hit a clean ace and Serena had not only been waiting for a decent amount of time but she didn't actually signal, it was simply called by the ump. The 2nd time Serena had just gotten into position and Jelena was just starting her motion, so I think it was a little more valid. The camera didn't show a good angle to see if Jelena was ready on Serena's ace.

While I must admit to a bias against Serena, it's one thing to say to Jankovic afterwards that 'I would never cheat you like that', but actions speak louder than words and I didn't see her admitting to the first clean ace.

Steven, Steven:

Your candid humility/realism about the fragile state of us humans is so refreshing...
thanx again,

David

i have loved your writing for a long time, and am (happily) impressed that you continually offer such sublime and thoughtfully crafted pieces. this one reminded me why your voice is so vital for fans of the sport--you write about the game and its players with respect. no one writes about this sport better, more meaningfully.

thank you for that.

Hi Steve,
Excellent post. I generally do not post here but could not help with this one. Reading your articles, I realize that there is a lot of similarity in the way you and Agassi think (wasn't he your favourite player?). Not sure whether you read his book but lot of your thoughts coincide. This is one of the many many quotes I like and remember from the book" No matter how much you win, if you're not the last one to win, you're a loser", resonates a lot with what you have to say about tennis and how personal the outcome of each and every match could be to the player.

nice one steve. anyone can relate. there's no such thing as surety. anything can happen in a blink of an eye.

The interaction between Ivanovic and her coach during the loss to Martinez was revealing, as overheard on the broadcast mikes.

Her coach gave her tactics, telling her to pull her opponent wide to the backhand, because she had less reach.

Ivanvovic's response sounded like a whiny teenager: "The ball just dies. She hits it, it just dies. And she keeps hitting the lines. The balls just die." Ivanovic then went out court and proceeded to hit the ball generally up the middle of the court.

Any encouragement I got from seeing her earlier play was erased by hearing that from a former number one.

Great article and oh how painfully true. "In tennis, you're always poised, hanging, dangling—two points from hope, two points from doom. You never know which way you're going to go" - and that's what's happening with Fed these days. Can't believe he lost in Estoril. I'm so upset and can only hope he'll do better next week. One more chance before Paris!

Great piece of writing and really interesting comments. I agree that tennis is one of the hardest sports psychologically and that's exactly what makes it interesting - to see the reaction of the wide ranging cast of characters to both success and adversity.

Even the most successsful, such as Federer and Sampras, end up having to accept defeats as they age and their game goes downhill. It's like life itself, where youthful fit people have to accept it all going pear shaped as they age.

A very good article. Watching pro players compete, we take it for granted that they are and should be mentally tough. We assume that because they're young and have reached this lofty plateau of tennis performance, they must be healthy. We, the amateurs, grant ourselves all the frailties and injuries - and excuses - we need.

Part of this is natural, and even right, for these talented kids have chosen this life; or had it chosen for them. And yet they remain no different at root than the rest of us - sojourners in this tempestuous world.

We admire and watch them in part because they seem so tennis-stable, but as Steve writes, it is an illusion. Even the decline of champions illustrates that the loss of confidence and drive are instrumental in their falls from their respective thrones. Even for a Sampras or Fed, it hurts to lose that which they are already reconciled to losing.

P.S. If you're interested in a great new ebook about tennis, drop me a line at 'spinzit3@gmail.com.'

time for fed to go shopping. i understand "retail therapy" (purchasing something you want as opposed to the out-for-milk buying) lights up certain area of the brain or raises serotonin levels. but when you already have everything, does it continue to do that?

So sad to hear about Del Potro, I hope he comes back strong. I seem to remember a comment from a player who played Michael Chang after Chang had come back from an injury, saying that he did not feel he played Michael Chang the French Open champ but a player coming back from an injury because Chang lost to the player and he was fighting back to get to winning form again after his injury

It must be tough grinding it out on the tour month after month, losses maybe you can reconcile yourself with but injury is another opponent altogether and one you can't avoid.

I'm glad to hear someone else say shopping is "therapy" -- so true!

for each ecstatic instant
we must in anguish pay
e dickinson

i love about del potro the contrast between his gentleness and shyness demeanor on court and his monster game. for instance nadal's body language and demeanor is "gung ho" on court but has a much more defensive game