Outsports
Ring Of Honor

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By Wyman Meers
For Outsports.com

Also: Tennis Discussion Forum    All Hail Mauresmo

She struggled with greater expectations and an intense spotlight that was focused on her life off the court; it was a glaring attention with which her developing game was not ready to keep pace. Mauresmo was forced to wear the tag of “the lesbian player” while she learned to reign in her wide array of talents. Seven long years would pass before she returned to another Grand Slam final; however, the unassuming honesty and conviction of heart that first grabbed the world’s attention would foreshadow the type of champion that Amelie Mauresmo was destined to become.

The 2006 Australian Open began in typical fashion for the year’s first major tennis championship. Players enter the fray with precious little preparation and chaos often ensues, although 10th-seeded Venus Williams looked impervious to such peril during the first set of her opening match against Bulgaria’s Tszvetana Pironkova. Venus  was in full flight in posting a routine 6-2 score line, only to suddenly lose the timing on her forehand during the second set. The opportunistic Pironkova quickly shook off her nerves and took advantage, drubbing Williams 6-0 to even the match. The third set was a battle of wills, with Venus fighting hard to overcome both herself and the Bulgarian’s dogged defiance. Pironkova tenaciously fought her way to a 5-3 lead, but Williams steadied her resources and broke back to pull even. The respite would prove short-lived, unfortunately, as Pironkova -- a player without a sponsor’s endorsement who was clad in mismatched Reebok and Adidas clothing -- sent a warning to every top player in the tournament by ousting the reigning Wimbledon champion 9-7 in the deciding set.

More surprise results would soon follow, including the dismissal of Venus’ younger sister and the tournament’s defending champion, Serena Williams. Serena arrived at the Australian Open to a cacophonous flurry of tabloid attention that centered on her increased weight. The unflattering buzz was relentless and often times rude, but there was some truth at its core, and Serena’s lack of fitness was evident in her third-round loss to the very dangerous Daniela Hantuchova.

Upsets were not limited to the women’s draw. Already depleted by the withdrawals of defending champion Marat Safin, French Open king Rafael Nadal, and popular veteran Andre Agassi, the men’s event lost several contenders in the early rounds. Australia’s own Lleyton Hewitt was unceremoniously sent packing by Argentine nemesis Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round, but no one was prepared for the parade of upsets that was about to unfold at the hands of 54th-ranked Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. Baghdatis began his dream run mildly enough in taking out the No. 17 seed, Radek Stephanek, but he would not be satisfied with claiming a mere Top 20 scalp. Cheered on by an attractive Greek chorus of raucous fans as he advanced, Baghdatis turned the tournament upside down in easily defeating second-seeded Andy Roddick, the hard-serving American who was favored to make the final; ending the career-best Grand Slam run of number seven, Ivan Ljubicic, in the quarterfinals; and shocking the fourth seed and reigning year-end champion, Argentina’s David Nalbandian, in the semifinals.

Baghdatis notched each victory with brilliant tennis and a smile spread wide across his face, reminiscent of another smiling assassin who made her return to Grand Slam glory after a three-year absence from the WTA Tour. Three-time champion Martina Hingis returned to the site of her first major win and looked as if she had never left the game. Her tennis was crisp, nostalgic, and a joy to witness in an era defined largely by power.

The crafty former world No. 1 thoughtfully outmaneuvered opponents right through to the quarterfinals, where she challenged the woman who is now atop the rankings – Kim Clijsters – to a thrilling three-set match that saw Hingis dismissed in a tight third set. In her previous incarnation, Hingis was a spoiled player who could not cope with the increase in power that pushed her off the professional tour. Older and wiser now, the same woman who once branded Amelie Mauresmo “half a man” is playing with an obvious love for the game and its highest levels of competition, offering testament to the forgotten virtues of point construction and guile. Hingis’s return to her winning ways was not limited to singles competition, either. She won the mixed doubles event with partner Mahesh Bhupati.

Elite champions were dismissed early and often to ask questions that only they can answer. Yet their post-match interviews and actions may provide a clue as to the future of their tennis: Andy Roddick, unable to get a last-minute wild card into the main draw of a small tour event in Delray Beach, dropped his sometimes enormous ego and has committed to playing in the tournament’s qualifying rounds in order to find his game and confidence; Serena Williams admirably admitted to not being fit enough and withdrew from an upcoming event in Tokyo, promising to get back into shape and return to competitive form; Lleyton Hewitt petulantly blamed the speed of the court and publicly questioned why tournament organizers would not make the surface more friendly to Australian players who generally prefer a faster court, ludicrously stating that the Rebound Ace “may be slower than the French Open”; and Venus Williams betrayed more self-doubt than intended when she branded reporters “naysayers” with false bravado, concluding her press conference with a defiant, “I don’t care.”

Meanwhile, to absolutely no one’s surprise, another Swiss stylist was making his way through the men’s field. Top-ranked Roger Federer continued his mastery of the ATP Tour as he advanced through the draw. He was not without willing challengers, such as the dangerous German Tommy Haas and deceptively inconspicuous fifth-seed Nikolay Davydenko; both men were able to push Federer to produce his finest shots before ultimately succumbing to the tennis genius.

As the second week of competition dawned, the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced a pair of somewhat controversial nominees for its Class of 2006. Aussie icon Patrick Rafter and Argentine beauty Gabriela Sabatini were met with mixed reaction from tennis fans. The pair of former U.S. Open champions hold resumes that are impressive but perhaps not excellent enough to stand alone as proof of their place in tennis history; however, Rafter and Sabatini are two of the most humble, sporting, and affable champions in recent memory. They are heroes whose careers pay homage to the fact that there is more to being a champion than simply winning titles, soaring into the company of the tennis elite on the wings of their talent and the strength of their character. The announcement would prove oddly fitting, for as the final stages of the Australian Open approached, it became clear that the year’s first major was out to test the true character of the men and women seeking to conquer the land Down Under.

Nikolas Kiefer was quick to fail the test. The quirky and dramatic German advanced to his first career Grand Slam semifinal, but tainted the accomplishment with an idiotic display of poor sportsmanship in his quarterfinal victory over France’s Sebastien Grosjean. The two men were deeply embroiled in the longest match of the tournament when, during an exchange that saw both men at net, Kiefer purposely tossed his racquet towards Grosjean. The juvenile stunt distracted Grosjean and he missed a routine volley, but the chair umpire incorrectly ruled that the racquet was tossed after Sebastien had flubbed the shot.

Kiefer shrugged his shoulders and played innocent at the time, but later admitted that he knew the point should have been awarded to Grosjean. Although the match did not turn on that isolated point, Kiefer’s lack of integrity turned the collective stomach of tennis fans worldwide. His semifinal defeat at the hands of Roger Federer was roundly applauded.

The only obstacle remaining in Federer’s quest for a second Australian Open title was tournament wunderkind Baghdatis and, for two sets of gripping tennis, the man from the tiny island of Cyprus looked as if he could cap his feel-good success story with the most unfathomable victory in tennis history. Playing with unfettered confidence, Baghdatis was the first man to break serve in the match and – despite losing his own serve immediately afterwards – used the momentum to claim the first set 7-5. The second set was also closely contested.

Baghdatis was serving down 5-6 to get into a tiebreak, but he hit a forehand long on break point; the shot was ruled good by the linesman but the chair umpire immediately overruled and awarded the set to Federer. Although the call was correct, it seemed to deflate the jubilant Baghdatis. Federer would claim his third consecutive Grand Slam title and seventh Slam overall with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 win. Federer is now halfway to equaling Pete Sampras’s record tally of 14 major victories and shows no signs of slowing down. Such an impressive haul of titles speaks for itself, yet Roger Federer displayed the true capacity of a champion’s heart when accepting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup from Australia’s Rod Laver inside the arena that bears his name.

“You have no idea how much this means to me,” Federer told the savvy Australian crowd as he broke into tears in acknowledging the win itself and the honor of accepting the trophy from a living legend.

Which brings us back to Mauresmo, now having finally traversed her record-setting seven-year gap between Grand Slam finals, and still being defined by her heart. Gone was the intense focus on her sexuality, but it was replaced by a questioning of her fragile emotions.

 In the interim between major finals, Mauresmo had more often than not succumbed to nerves during her biggest moments. Her heart had not caught up to her talent. Playing into form over the course of the tournament’s fortnight, Mauresmo was poised and impressive – particularly in scoring decisive wins over up-and-comer Nicole Vaidisova and the treacherously talented Patty Schnyder – but her road to the final was unusual. Mauresmo’s third round match against promising Michaella Krajicek ended abruptly when Krajicek retired after losing the first set handily. Later, during her biggest challenge of the entire two weeks, Mauresmo was taking charge of a closely contested match against U.S. Open champion Clijsters when Kim turned her ankle midway through the third set. Mauresmo clearly had the momentum, smacking a scorching backhand winner to break Clijsters and take a 3-2 lead on what would turn out to be the second-to-last point of the match; however, Amelie had advanced to the final without having to prove her mettle at the would-be climax of her semifinal. Questions surrounding Mauresmo’s nerves were left unanswered as she advanced to face French Open titleholder Justine Henin-Hardenne.

The women’s championship should have been a battle royal between the two most artistic all-court players in women’s tennis, but the contest never lived up to its destiny. A focused Mauresmo stormed through the first set, befuddling a stunned Henin-Hardenne with a clever mix of heavy topspin that took advantage of the rubbery Rebound Ace and forced Justine beyond the baseline. Henin-Hardenne flailed in attempting ill-timed winners and Mauresmo took the opener 6-1. She was now but a precious set away from fulfilling the dream that she had never lost sight of through the ups and downs of the past seven years. For her part, Justine seemed to be ready to change tactics and give Mauresmo more of a fight in the early stages of the second set. Henin-Hardenne attacked the net with more purpose, but Amelie was resilient and took a 2-0 advantage. That’s when Justine Henin-Hardenne failed the Australian Open’s test of her character.

Henin-Hardenne called for the trainer, who arrived carrying medication to soothe acid reflux, an extremely mild condition at best. Fans, commentators, and – most notably – Mauresmo were therefore caught off guard when Henin-Hardenne announced that she would not continue the match. Mauresmo was a Grand Slam champion at last, but she had been short-changed by one of the most selfish and childish stunts in women’s tennis history.

Justine played brilliantly throughout the Australian Open fortnight, advancing to the final on the strength of impressive wins over top-seeded Lindsay Davenport and world number four, Maria Sharapova. Henin-Hardenne had promised to fight to capture another “very special” Grand Slam title, but when questioned about her sudden withdrawal after the match, she offered a litany of excuses that did not add up.

Justine claimed to have eaten some seafood a few days prior and to have suffered from stomach pains ever since. She did not know that ESPN commentator Mary Jo Fernandez had spoken to the tournament trainer and been told that the stomach trouble was in no way related to Henin-Hardenne’s earlier meal. Justine also professed fear of further injuring a pre-existing sore shoulder, but prior to the final, Henin-Hardenne publicly proclaimed that she was completely healthy and felt better than she had in the last two years. Sad and unprofessional, Justine Henin-Hardenne’s withdrawal lost any hope for sympathy when a reporter asked her if she felt sorry that Mauresmo’s moment of victory had been so abruptly taken away.

“First,” Henin-Hardenne tellingly bemoaned, “I feel sorry for myself.”

Amelie Mauresmo was robbed of a celebration overdue in coming, but she did not let Henin-Hardenne define her championship.

“The joy is still there,” Mauresmo softly and eloquently stated. Over the course of her championship run, Amelie Mauresmo encountered three players who were unable to compete fully. Michaella Krajicek announced to the press how touched she was by Mauresmo’s kindness after their match, because Mauresmo had sought the young girl out in the locker room to see if she was feeling better after receiving treatment for heat exhaustion. At the close of her semifinal with Clijsters, television cameras focused on the two women as they exchanged the customary handshake at net, and Mauresmo’s genuine concern for her injured opponent was evident. Most tellingly, as tournament officials scrambled to prepare for the trophy presentation, Amelie Mauresmo was sitting at Justine Henin-Hardenne’s side, consoling the woman who had stolen her glory only moments before.

Roger Federer’s tears and Amelie Mauresmo’s grace perfectly illustrate that character in tennis champions does matter. Sportsmanship and class are palpable, tangible, and obvious when properly practiced. Thusly, as the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup was finally presented to a beaming Amelie Mauresmo, its shiny surface mirrored the radiant smile of the truest brand of champion.

Wyman Meers is a writer living in New York. He is Gaga4Gaby on the Outsports Discussion Board.

Jan. 30, 2006