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Line Calls: Wimbledon Wrap-Up
Peter Aaron, our Line Calls columnist, calls 'em like he sees 'em.
If you don't like the call--or if you do--send in your email responses and
we'll post them. Peter's opinions are his and don't represent those of TennisONE.
Past Line Calls Columns
Choking and Winning
I think few could argue that the best men's match at this year's Wimbledon
was the Todd Martin, MaliVai Washington semi-final, which Washington won
in the fifth 10-8. Martin was up two breaks and serving at 5-1 in the fifth
set. With a big server like Martin, it should have been a wrap. However,
Martin proceeded to throw in three double-faults and several unforced errors
in his next two service games and Washington broke back twice to even-up
the match.
Unlike some of our other tennis stars who flee from the press after a disappointing
loss (i.e. Agassi), Martin bravely and candidly admitted he choked. "I
obviously froze up a little bit and Mal played well when he needed to."
What I find distasteful about some of the press coverage of this great match
was the gleeful deriding of Martin's effort. One writer commented that Martin's
failure to hold serve in the fifth would transform his name into an infamous
epithet for choking, "Ooh, he pulled a Martin," or "Man,
that's Martinesque."
OK, he choked a few games away. But Martin doesn't deserve the label of
choker. In fact, as John McEnroe candidly admitted once, everyone chokes.
Everyone tightens up under pressure. It just becomes a matter of learning
to handle the pressure. Remember when Ivan Lendl was labeled a choke artist
after he lost a couple of US Open finals? Remember when Andre Agassi was
tagged with the same label after losing two French Open and one US Open
final? Lendl came back to win three straight US Open championships, and
Agassi came back to win three different majors' titles. Both came back from
the ignominious title of world's biggest choker to world's best tennis player.
Now Martin doesn't have the talent of a Lendl or an Agassi, and he may never
win a major, but I predict he'll be a better player for this experience.
After the match, Martin admitted, "I know if I had won that match,
it would have been the greatest feeling I've had in the game, and to lose
it just makes me realize that right now I don't have a grip on the game
overall." Pat Riley, the ex-Lakers coach, who has become something
of a sports psychology guru, says you have to fully experience the pain
of losing before you're ready to experience the joy of winning. Judging
from Martin's agonizing soul-searching after the match, he's on his way
to learning to win.
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