Playing for the (Absent) Tennis Fans...
One of the greatest challenges of being a pro tennis player is competing in a nearly empty stadium as the first match or last match on or sometimes the crowd has left during a lengthy rain delay and then play resumes in front of a handful of fans, e.g. Andy Murray against Juan Del Potro at the 2008 Italian Open yesterday… Even Roger Federer and Serena Williams have had the experience of playing a match in an empty stadium. In
these moments, especially when a player is not playing his/her best, the internal drive becomes very important. The true character of a champion shows when a player manages to fight through these matches in order to play another day in the limelight. Of course, the opponent is the primary focus of the tennis pro during a match. Nonetheless, the roar of the crowd is always very inspiring for a tennis player. When the stands are silent, a player needs to dig deep to find those inner cheers…
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