Craig’s take – THEY SHOULD CALL HER WEAKTORIA!

Written by: Staff on 27th January 2013

Craig's take - THEY SHOULD CALL HER WEAKTORIA! |

Well, clearly she didn’t cheat. The rules specify she can take a medical timeout if there is a medical problem, and the truth is, the poor woman couldn’t breathe. Anyone who has experienced intense anxiety knows the fear of chest pain and the inability to catch a breath. It can be terrifying. So, why all the fuss?

Because tennis players know the difference at the top levels is primarily mental. They understand that choking is something great players contend with, and overcome, all the time. Could you imagine Peyton Manning calling a ten-minute time-out because he got nervous during the final drive? Imagine Seth McFarlane postponing his Academy Awards host role for half-an-hour because he had a little nausea. Or Pete Sampras staring down the sights of his Pro Staff as he lasers in on Wimbledon’s match point and then stepping away from the line to say “Hang on, I’m a little tight, so let’s wait a few minutes before I hit this.” Are you kidding me?

How can you call yourself a champion and the worlds’ number one player when you need a medical time out to handle pressure? How can you ask for crowd support and millions of endorsement dollars and prize money and fame and everything else elite athletes earn with their ability to perform under pressure, when you toed the line and then backed away in fear?

Oh sure, you came back and served it out. But hey, why not take a little longer next time and go grab some tea and a medicinal brownie to ease the nerves? Don’t worry about those thousands of fans who paid to see excellence at a level they will never reach? Don’t worry about your teenage opponent who’s overcome more nerves in the last fortnight than you’ve had in your whole lifetime?

You know what, I need to finish this later; the pressure of the deadline is getting to me. Gimme a break!

Topics: Australian Open, Sloane Stephens, Sports, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, Weaktoria