GETTING AN EMOTIONAL CHARGE

Jun 22, 2011, 8:38:26 AM

GETTING AN EMOTIONAL CHARGE
A person’s emotions are a very powerful aspect of an individual’s make-up and that, I believe, is a beautiful thing. To release one’s emotions generally helps you to feel better. A good laugh or a good cry can...
A person’s emotions are a very powerful aspect of an individual’s make-up and that, I believe, is a beautiful thing. To release one’s emotions generally helps you to feel better. A good laugh or a good cry can certainly aid in lifting a burden off shoulders. But, when it comes to tennis players not too many display their emotions during a match. The players feel, and there is merit in this, that if they show their emotions during a match it sends out a signal to the opposition that there is an opening for them. The player is lacking a bit of confidence or is losing their temper which could make then vulnerable. Still, don’t you think seeing a player producing emotions shows that they are human being and not robots? I remember back to Bjorn Borg’s days, who I idolised growing up, there were never any emotions on court from him. They said he had ice in his veins and he gave nothing away. I tried to be like him playing juniors but instead slammed a couple of racquets onto the court more like J.P. McEnroe. Pete Sampras was another who gave nothing away and too many fans just couldn’t not warm to him. That was until the emotions erupted during a match at the Australian Open many years ago against Jim Courier. He could have flooded a desert with his tears and people saw that Sampras had feelings. These days Roger Federer rarely gives anything away during a match. On the rare occasion he can have a bit of an outburst like when he broke a racquet during a match in Miami a few years ago. The crowd was shocked into silence. Then, when he cried after losing the Australian Open final and cried at winning the French Open final, people appreciated how much all this meant to him. I think it is absolutely wonderful to see a player express themselves in such ways because it adds to the atmosphere and it’s opens a door into their hearts. I feel the fans want to see that in a player, don’t you? I do a fair amount of work with Serena Williams who is a terrific to deal with but she is so strong willed and professional about her tennis. That’s one of the big reasons she is so tough to beat on the court. No one in the public eye has ever seen her cry; that was until her first round match at Wimbledon this year because it reflected all she had been through the previous 12 months. However, amusingly she dismissed it suggesting “something was in my eyes at one point”. “This was probably the most emotional I've gotten after a match, after a win, and to be a first round, I never really get super, super excited,” she said, “but for me it wasn't about winning the match, it was about being out there. “You know, you just have faith. If you believe in yourself, you just continue to fight and never give up.  I always preach, you know, never give up, never give up. I finally was in a position that I could have given up, I couldn't have came here, I could have sat home and said, I've had a fabulous career. I don't have to work extra, extra hard now. “But it just really goes to show if you don't give up, you still have a chance.” So let us know here at wearetennis.bnpparibas if you think players should show emotions or be stoic on the court. What are your views?