FRENCH OPEN RECAP: THE RISE OF THE MENTALLY TOUGH UNDERDOG BY JUSTIN CHAFFEE

“Tennis is mostly mental. Of course, you must have a lot of physical skill, but you can’t play tennis well and not be a good thinker. You win or lose the match before you even go out there” Venus Williams

The 2014 French Open concluded this Sunday, with Rafael Nadal lifting the trophy on Men’s side for the ninth time and Maria Sharapova taking her second French Open title on the Women’s side on Saturday respectfully. Now, it may have come to no surprise that Nadal won another French Open or even that Sharapova prevailed once Serena went out, but looking back on the tournament, there were a fair share of surprises, especially on the women’s side. Li Na went out early then even more surprisingly both Williams sisters went out on the same day. The men’s draw saw Stan Wawrinka seeded third, exit early, and then in the fourth round, it was a somewhat surprise to see Federer go out to streaky Ernests Gulbis. The casual fan, will look at the tournament and say, not a good tournament for the seeds, it happens, but the passionate tennis fans will be willing to take a closer look at the results in this second major of the year. When we do we will see an underlying theme of the rise of the underdog. We all know that the top players in the world can all hit the ball well, and are physically fit, but one of the major contributes to their success is their mental strength. How many times have we seen Maria Sharapova buckle down mentally, when it looked like she was down and out? She did it at least three times in a row in this tournament. Djokovic and Nadal have fought back from being down so many times, which makes them nearly unbeatable in a best of five set match. The key factor here, is that they battle to find ways to win. I believe John McEnroe once said, “What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.” This comes down to mental and physically strength of the sport.

 

If we look at on the Ladies side of this year’s French one of the biggest surprises have been Genie Bouchard and Simona Halep. Both of these players were underdogs going up against the likes of Sharapova in the semis for Bouchard and finals for Halep. They could have been intimated by the occasion, being in the business end of a major. We certainly would have understood the pressures, but Bouchard and Halep didn’t allow the name of Sharapova or the moment overcome them. Instead, they walked onto the court and as soon as that first ball was struck, they weren’t intimated. They were all business and it showed. They battled were both close to getting the upset, believing until the final ball that they could win.

 

Going to the Men’s side, If we examine the Gulbis Federer match up. Gulbis shared the similar mindset of Bouchard and Halep. He was not intimated by facing the great Roger Federer, like so many opponents are. Gulbis was going to play the match with the mindset he believed he could hang with Roger and even win, and he carried that mindset to the finish line.

 

The Djokovic/Nadal rivalry is as much as a physical matchup as it mental. We watch in awe of their incredible long rallies, resembling the likes of two heavy weight boxers out there and moving each other around, body blow after body blow, but also with the mental fortitude of chess masters. They are trying to execute a game plan, and be one step ahead of the other, finding ways to mentally win the match as well as physically. It’s a truly great matchup to see. It reminds us what is so beautiful about our sport of tennis, and why we have such passion for the game. It has that perfect balance of the mind and body working together, while at the same time being challenged. At the end, the champion is the one that rises to the challenge, that shows us the power of belief, and that this graceful game is not only about the heart, but it is also about what’s upstairs, between the ears.

 

Topics: Andy Murray, Eugenie Bouchard, Federer, French Open, Gulbis, Justin Chaffee, Li Na, Novak, Rafa, Roland Garros, Serena, Sharapova, Simona Halep, Tennis, Venus Williams

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