Early in the fourth set today at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena, after being beaten 2-6 in the previous set by David Nalbandian, an understandably petulant John Isner got nothing but his big serve right. Through that set, though, he appeared calmer, visbily more determined with every serve he held. He should have, probably, believed at that point that he wasn’t far from breaking Nalbandian’s serve. Or so it appeared. This will to win got ever more apparent in the final set, until the moment Isner won it 10-8 and with that, the match.
John Isner’s is a portrait of a person trapped by ideals of being or, at least, feeling superior, to whom there’s no comparable cure in defeat. As was evident from the marathon final set against Nicolas Mahut on Wimbledon’s Court.18 that ended with Isner winning an epic 70-68. When playing an opponent of other-worldly skill and class, these are athletes akin to the kings and heroes described in the epics whose highest honour lay in their death during a battle than after pneumonia.
The thought applies to Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, too, now. They are of a much superior class of tennis, surely. But not quite alien for their objectives are no different from any other human being on this planet – to win; keep winning and be immortalised in history. It is, perhaps, their struggle that we can relate to that makes them our favourites. And absorbed in their quest for glory, we’re probably blind to the existence of a true alien in the sport.
Ernests Gulbis is a millionaire in Latvia who is known for traveling to Tennis tournaments by his private jet. I recollect a time in 2010 when there was gossip that he even had his own submarine. For a laugh, maybe. Apart from that he is the first and only Latvian to reach a grand slam quarter-finals. That was at Roland Garros in 2008 where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic. And for someone who turned pro in 2004, he has merely two singles titles to his name. That isn’t bad – Janko Tipsarevic too has won only two singles titles despite having been around in the pro circuit for ten years now. Only, the Serbian shows that will to win, dies a heroic death during the battle. How Gulbis crashed against Michael Llodra yesterday at the Australian Open first round match, and how he exits most tournaments early, it’s easy to see he probably isn’t looking at scoring those hero-points.
And it’s the manner of defeat, too. This isn’t a rookie who’s there so the giants could improve their stats with a straight set victory. He’d trouble them, push them on to their best. For only one set, though. For the promise he was as a teenager, who has troubled the likes of Nadal in the past, his attitude and game in the recent years are, possibly, a thing of art. I’m not qualified enough to recognise a piece of art but when a man travels the world to play a tennis match or two – and in them, a couple of sets to the best of his capabilities – with a possible disregard for the winning ways of the capitalist world, he represents the sheer joy of playing the sport. And since it lacks any purpose but itself, it should be art. Probably.
