June 11th, 2012
As has become the norm, I saw very little of the French Open. But a few thoughts from the sidelines:
* Grantland had a column offering advice to Andy Murray and calling him “in terms of pure ability, one of the 30 or so best tennis players ever to pick up a racket.” My opinion of Murray is awfully high. But that strikes me as overstating his gifts. Possibly by quite a lot. That said, I’d kind of enjoy with the essay suggests–a full-fledged heel-turn by Murray. And this line describing Ivan Lendl is gold: “the tennis player most likely to commit murder in a Coen Brothers movie someday.”
* Galley Friend P.G. writes in concerning Maria Sharapova’s career Slam:
Sharapova has to be the worst female to win the career grand slam, right? (I’m not qualified to judge players from the ’40s and ’50s.) She also has the oddest career grand slam of either men or women, with 1 title for each slam and 8 years separating her first and last. I wouldn’t even put Sharapova in my top-5 of the past decade or so.
I think I’d probably agree with most, if not all, of that.
Yet at the same time, I’ve come to appreciate and admire Sharapova. And kind of even like her.
Remember, Sharapova came of age when the Kournikovazation of the women’s game was in high swing. She was pushed on us relentlessly as a Face. Endorsements, ads, the silly-fancy tennis dresses. She was more commodity than player. And it turned out that while she was a good player, she wasn’t great. Or even close to great.
When Maria Sharapova was blanketing the airwaves with commercials for cameras, clutching a ridiculous purse dog and batting her fake happy smile, I always assumed that she’d make her money on endorsements, become a professional celebrity, and wash out of the sport in a few years.
Instead, she hung around and did what good-not-great players have to do: Grind.
Early losses at the U.S. Open. Ball-toss problems that basically destroyed her serve. Recurring shoulder injuries. She kept grinding. In 2007, she was the top seed at the Australian Open and in the finals she was humiliated, collapsing against an unseeded, out of shape Serena Williams and losing 6-1, 6-2. After that, I suspected her career might be over. But she kept coming back for more. I kind of love that about her.
Maybe my favorite Sharapova moment was a post-match interview after getting bounced from the 4th round of the 2011 Australian Open:
Q. Did you feel comfortable out there tonight?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Did it look like it?
Q. I just didn’t think you were quite there.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, definitely wasn’t there. You know, not many things were working. I think it was just one of those days. Yeah, just not a good day at the office.
“Not a good day at the office.” I think it’s pretty hard not to love an athlete like that.
Galley Friend J.E. June 11, 2012 at 3:55 pm
“I think it’s pretty hard not to love an athlete like that.”
Especially one who looks like that.