Line Calls

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.