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The Nalbandian dilemma: Brain snaps are a part of the game
Vanilla Gorilla
Roar Pro
19th June, 2012
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Vanilla Gorilla
Roar Pro
19th June, 2012
1

At the Queens tennis tournament we saw a shambolic ending to what was turning out to be a tremendous final. However, David Nalbandians’ brain explosion that resulted in a Serena Williams 2.0 situation, saw him injure a linesman by kicking an advertising board in his direction.

I am not condoning what Nalbandian did, I am sure that his intention was to vent some frustration by destroying the sign rather than the linesmans’ ability to walk, but his actions have been preceded by numerous tantrums, outbursts, arguments and projectile hurling in other individual sports.

I feel if the linesman had not been injured, this would not have made the papers.

These individual sports, such as tennis and golf, for example, leave you horribly exposed, like being naked in front of a doctor. However, in sport, only 10,000 people are sitting in on the examination. Your every flaw is being analysed, there is no one else to blame and your brain can singlehandedly destroy you.

In team sports you can blame the structure, perhaps someone else blew their assignment or, at least, if it was your fault you know that someone else will make an equally bone headed play which will result in you seeming less terrible.

You have the added advantage of a coach to tell you what is going wrong during a game, team mates can help rebuild your self esteem with a reassuring word or manly bum slap.

There is none of this in the two aforementioned individual pursuits. Once you are on the course or the court, it is all you; there is no saviour but yourself. These sports provide numerous outbursts and the general disintegration of ones mental state.

Deep down I like to see someone boil over, just to see if they can regain their composure. To see if they have the mental will to, once the steam has been blown, get back into the contest.

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In individual sports there is a list of notorious dummy spitters the likes of which team sports do not produce. John McEnroe, John Daley, Marat Safin, Tiger Woods and Baghdatis’ four-racquet demolition at the Aussie Open come to mind.

All of them have destroyed equipment, stormed off the course or abused officials. They simply let their emotions get the better of them and are a true representation of how frustration becomes breaking point, when there is no one to blame but yourself.

Think back to your own personal experiences if you have ever played tennis, golf or another individual sport. How quickly can things go from perfection to mayhem? One shot, one hole?

I have never destroyed a piece of equipment, I choose not to blame my tools, but I know that feeling when you get the impression you are being screwed by the game. Your day begins with quiet confidence followed by ambivalence, then comes your old friend self doubt, throw in a bit of frustration and finish it all off with despair and confusion. Before you know it you are beaten in straight sets or 10 over your handicap.

The professional athlete is no different to us in this manner. Do not let their rock hard physique fool you, they may be athletically superior but they are your equals when it comes to mental fragility. The major difference is the professional has a lot to lose; we do not.

If I go out to the golf course and put on my best lumberjack impersonation by felling timber with sprayed drives, so be it. My girlfriend will still like me, I will still have a job, my friends will still talk to me and I will come home to a warm house and a nice cooked meal.

When a professional athlete loses in these individual sports they miss a paycheck. They have to fly to a foreign country, stay in another faceless hotel chain and continue to battle with the irrelevance of their marginal career. They will be heavily critiqued and god forbid you be British or Australian and in the top 100 because if you do not win Wimbledon you will be taken out back and shot by the media and public opinion. This all mounts in underlying pressure, frustration and self-loathing.

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The resulting backlog comes out in an outburst as a result of feeling helpless, the situation feels out of your control and countless hours have been spent with the company of your own mind replaying missed shots or failed attempts.

What I am trying to say here is do not be surprised by David Nalbandians’ actions. What resulted from a routine outburst, which usually makes the highlight reels, turned into an unfortunate situation.

After all he is only human, a supremely talented one in his given field, but a human nonetheless. They have not signed contracts saying they will be role models; they are not here to raise our kids and teach them right from wrong. Professional athletes are there to entertain.

I find the occasional brain snap compelling, the pro now seems less robotic, less perfect and more relatable.

Similar instances have occurred with little consequence, it is just the nature of the beast, the sports are incredibly frustrating, the stakes are high and the focal point is an individuals’ performance

These are sports that continually test ones sanity and mental capacity to deal with stress. I will admit, I have lost this battle many times, you just won’t see footage of it on every news channel in the world.

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