Nervous?
She did it. She played “to win.” She played like a champion, especially when it counted most in the third set. In her on-court interview right after winning the 2006 Wimbledon title, Amelie Mauresmo said something about assuming that she now won’t be asked anymore about her nerves and I really hope that’s true. I remember seeing Helen Hayes, a famous actress, interviewed many years ago as she prepared at the age of 80 for yet another opening on Broadway. The interviewer said to Ms. Hayes that he assumed she didn’t get nervous anymore since she’d been acting for so many years. She said, “Are you kidding? Of course I still get nervous! The day I walk onto the stage and I don’t feel butterflies, I’ll know it’s time to stop acting.” I imagine that Amelie will be nervous in her next Grand Slam final, but today she showed she’s found the key to unlocking her best tennis, in the most pressurized of moments, on tennis’ biggest stage. She fought against her fears and she won! That may be the sweetest victory of all…
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