Tests of nerves. Great competitors embrace them. Memorable battles bristle with them.
Earlier this week I found myself re-reading a passage written by Bill Russell, wherein the career champion described experiences when the level of play between two teams transcended boxscores. Russell did not know when to expect such moments, nor how soon they'd evaporate, burst perhaps by an errant pass or bad call. Yet the prerequisite to each experience would invariably be that both teams engage in the high level of play, that each opponent rose to meet their foe shot for shot.
Staying up into the wee hours this week to catch glimpses of the Australian Open, I've been witness to fierce comebacks and fiercer prolonged outcomes, head-to-head struggles which have tested nerves, demanded the best from each side of the net, and summoned a distinctly transcendent aura to the court.
Earlier in the week Tathiana Garbin showed mettle in her second set against 4th seed (and currently 3rd ranked) Ana Ivanovic. Down 6-0, 4-0, Garbin grew suddenly and resolutely resistant to accepting what would seem her inevitable plight. She broke Ivanovic in a game that not only seesawed on either side of deuce, allowing the underdog to develop some semblance of momentum, but also disturbed Ivanovic's focus when the latter's request to use one of her alloted challenges on a debatable line call fell upon oddly deaf ears--with an electronic sensor failing, the chair umpire seemed too faint of backbone to make an overrule.
The transcendent play in this instance occurred in contrast to Russell's description; unnervingly bad calls threatened to burst the bubble of excellence before it even got afloat, or worse (for Ivanovic, at least), swing the momentum completely to Garbin. Nevertheless, Ivanovic's ensuing display of heart and focus was thrilling, and seemed to spring from both her opponent's steely resolve (Garbin faced 5 match points before ultimately succumbing) as well as her own refusal to focus on matters outside her field of control.
Two nights later, 2nd seed Rafael Nadal seemed to bring the entire court under his control. Down to 28th seed G. Simon, 5-2 in the first set, the charismatic Spaniard turned invincible, willing himself to fend off repeated set points en route to a 7-5 victory. The crushing tide of one-sided excellence showed no signs of abating, as Nadal cruised to a two sets-to-none, 5-3 lead. Undeterred by his Sissyphean circumstance, Simon vaunted his own lion's heart, facing 4 match points with fearlessness and clutch precision. At this time Nadal could be seen pacing the baseline. Sneering, his eye flashed the glint of a predator who's tasted blood, and isn't about to remove his teeth from the chosen prey.
Soon, a dazzling rally cut fresh angles across the court lines, drawing each man to the outer reaches of his field of play before eliciting a looping, topspin lob from Nadal that ducked deftly over Simon's head for match point. In a match where the outcome seemed inevitably headed towards Simon simply being pummeled into submission, the victorious stroke was, in fact, far more entertaining and unexpected. Accustomed to victory (so long as there are no Rogers around), Nadal's flushed grin at the net revealed a deeper appreciation for the moment.
