True Grit

What does it take to win in pro tennis? Winning a match seems to hinge on momentum and belief, and a lot of talent. Today I watched two matches that would have been labeled upsets had the tide not somehow turned. Seventeen-year-old Melanie Oudin (who got to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon) faced an injured Marion Bartoli. Bartoli last year’s BoTW runner-up (to Caroline Wozniacki), had her calves taped below the knee and was limping around, taking forever between points. Oudin berated herself for each missed first serve, went for too much on her groundstrokes, and, worst of all, tried to beat Bartoli from the back court. A losing strategy, unfortunately.

The first evening match between Sabine Lisicki, a talented German player, and former number one Jelena Jankovic (seeded fourth) also had all the makings for an upset. Lisicki took the first set decisively (6-2) but then folded in the second set. JJ pulled out the third. Like Oudin, Lisicki had lots of missed opportunities, and she double-faulted way more than a pro should.

Today’s heroes were Nadia Petrova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (still sporting soccer socks) who pulled out a win against Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Rodionova. Petrova and Mattek-Sands took the first set, then made many unfortunate errors in the second. They managed to eke out the 10-point tiebreak 12-10. The match was sufficiently gripping to keep the stadium respectably full until the match ended shortly after 11 p.m. I was thrilled for the duo – especially after the many botched shots in the second set. Tennis is a mind game. The tenacious rule.