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Are we not entertained? The tennis circus has come to town
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
11th January, 2015
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Roger Federer is in vintage form. (Image: AFP Leon Nea)
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
11th January, 2015
4

For me, tennis is the sport that bears more than a passing resemblance to an ancient gladiatorial contest, without resorting to actual bloodshed.

For the players, there is nowhere to hide. It is a brutal, one-on-one contest in front of a baying crowd who’s attention is fixed solely on them. If they are off their game – even for a minute – there is no second chance in this most brutal of sudden death environments.

And the parallels are illustrated perfectly by Russell Crowe’s epic performance in Gladiator.

This past week in Brisbane, a relative outpost in tennis terms, certainly far removed from the dramatically named Grand Slams, and three long months since last playing on the biggest of stages in New York, these modern gladiators faced off for the amusement of the paying public.

Just looking at the faces of spectators around the stands of Pat Rafter Arena gives some of the intensity of the occasion. All eyes were firmly fixated upon the two warriors in the cavernous arena, armed only with a meagre racquet for the entertainment of the 7000 patrons. As the two players do battle on the court, the crowd sit and observe the contest. Each thrust and counter thrust bringing a murmur of approval and round of applause so typical and distinctive of tennis crowds worldwide.

Unfortunately for my point, players rarely fling their weapon of choice into the crowd screaming “Are you not entertained?” upon securing victory. And that is probably for the best, especially if one thinks about how large the fine would have been from the ATP were they to hurt a spectator.

Furthermore, it is conceivable to me that there might be a post-match discussion between a top player and their coach similar to the scene in Gladiator between Maximus and Oliver Reeds’ Proximo, where Proximo extols the virtues of finally playing on the big stage of the Colosseum in Rome, going ‘back where they belong’, far from the ‘flea infested villages’ where they’d been ‘scratching together a living’.

Of course I’m not suggesting Brisbane, or indeed Chennai or Doha – where the other ATP tour events were being played last week – are flea infested villages, and I’m fully aware that the players were not heading to the Colosseum, but Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena – like the other Grand Slam finals venues – are not dissimilar to the great Roman amphitheatre, so you get the picture.

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Proximo goes on to say, “Oh you should see the Colosseum Spaniard. 50,000 Romans watching every movement of your sword”, which could easily be transplanted to the 15,000 Victorians who will pack every session at Rod Laver Arena, watching every cut, parry and drive from the racquets of tennis’ best.

This hypothetical conversation could apply to any of the genuine superstars of men’s tennis, – a more inclusive group this year since the apparent denigration of ‘the big four’ – or any of the big names of women’s tennis who are also gracing the courts of Australia this week.

The respectful silence of the crowd during the rallies could relate directly to “the silence before you strike, and the noise afterwards, it rises, rises like a storm, as if you were the Thunder God himself”.

Add to that the gasps, the groans, the occasional shrieks from your typical tennis crowd prior to the thunderous applause at the culmination of the point, we could in fact be watching a genuine battle to the death.

Roger Federer chose to start his year in Brisbane last week, and had to be close to his best to record his 1000th professional win and dispatch Milos Raonic in the final 6-4, 6-7, 6-4. Watching him play is like watching an artist let loose on a tennis court. His backhand alone is the sort of shot that would have had poets’ knees quivering in the times of old.

No doubt an image of him stroking a backhand down the line would have adorned pottery throughout the Roman Empire should a player of his class have ever graced the Colosseum. The Swiss master should be fairly well pleased with his preparation for the big dance.

These early season tournaments, in the flea infested regions of world tennis, are merely precursors to the main Grand Slam events, and although all players will be looking to find the sort of form that Federer and Raonic mustered, some could come unstuck before the big show even begins.

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Rafa Nadal – the actual Spaniard – perhaps it would have made more sense to focus on him in this article… never mind – is carrying a number of injuries and may not be able to drag his broken, weary body to Melbourne at all. He fell 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to German qualifier Michael Berrer in Doha last week in Round 1.

World number one Novak Djokovic fell early in the quarter finals of the same Qatar Open tournament, to giant Croatian Ivo Karlovic – who, at 211 centimetres, stands as tall as the mountain of Fremantle, Aaron Sandilands – 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. In fact, seeing a photo of the two of them shaking hands at the net, it looks as if the Djoker is about to do battle with a giant in the Colosseum.

Andy Murray, twice a winner in Brisbane, played in the non-ranking Hopman Cup in Perth, away from the pressure of sudden death tournament play. And by winning all three of his guaranteed singles games in straight sets, the Scot will be more than happy with his preparation.

But as the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. Or in this case, the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific in Melbourne. The Australian Open is the big stage both fans and players are looking forward to. And if I can be certain of anything, it’s that we shall all be entertained.

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