Sam Stosur stepped rather than stormed her way into her first WTA final of the year in Qatar last weekend.
Although beaten in the final by world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 1-6 2-6 in a brief and one-sided affair, Stosur’s fans could be forgiven for feeling a touch confused at her quick recovery after an utterly underwhelming Australian summer of tennis.
After her U.S.Open victory last year the American media embraced the Australian underdog, albeit in a no-frills way. Sam was no Maria Sharapova, nor did she pretend to be.
But her victory anointed her as the new ‘darling’ of Australian tennis. It catapulted her into the media spotlight and great expectations followed. Australia Post even produced a souvenir stamp sheet to celebrate the occasion.
In the lead up tournaments to the Australian Open we forgave Sam when she lost in the second round of the Brisbane International to 48 ranked Czech, Iveta Benesova, 4-6 2-6. The press said Sam was not dwelling on it.
The Sydney International loomed large and so did our expectations. Another first round loss to 11 ranked Italian Francesca Schiavone, 2-6 4-6. Hmmm, this was not the form Sam took into the U.S. Open.
An embarrassed silence enveloped the media and television lounge rooms as we struggled to come to grips with our newest hope.
Then the shock first round loss to 59 ranked Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-7 3-6 and her dream of a home Grand Slam victory shattered, without having gained an ounce of momentum.
In her post-match media interview Sam was upset, but stoic:
“I’m probably very close to crying, having a really awful night…” she said.
“It’s hard to suppress those emotions when it means so much to you.”
So Sam said she was going to take a break, get away, move forward, relax, enjoy herself, away from the burden of expectation. And she did.
There was nothing wrong with her tennis. In the first round of Fed Cup against Switzerland in Freiburg two weeks later she lead the Australian contingent, winning both singles matches in straight sets, with Australia coming away with a 4-1 victory.
Then in Doha last week defeating four credentialled players before a retirement (from injured Marion Bartoli in the semi-final) allowed her to step into the final.
Although she was thrashed by Azarenka in that final 1-6 2-6, her performances to get there beg the question: Why is it that the weight of home expectation bears such an unforgivable burden?
My guess is that the answer to this question is vexed with complexity.
In the meantime Stosur’s fans can only hope that in time she will learn to embrace the spirit of expectation rather than fear it.
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