Only my family and close friends know that I love watching tennis. It is not something I go around sharing with most people because frankly I'm a little bit embarrassed by how much I enjoy it. About a year ago I splurged and subscribed to the Tennis Channel and when I have a free evening you can be pretty sure that I will spend some of it catching up and watching the day's tennis events. I'm not here to debate whether this is good or bad but just to admit that I do it.
Tennis has four big events throughout the year which are called Grand Slams. Winning one of these tournaments is one of the most prestigious prizes that a tennis player can claim. From May 26 - June 9 the French Open was contested in Paris, France. On the last Sunday, after Rafael Nadal claimed his 8th singles title, the men's doubles final was played and I was able to watch some of it. The United States has an outstanding men's doubles team in the Bryan brothers who are identical twins. They have been playing professional tennis for over fifteen years and have finished as the number one doubles team for 8 consecutive years. They won the Olympic Gold Medal in 2012 and they have won each of the four grand slams at least twice (see below) and they are considered to be the best men's double's team in history. Suffice it to say they are GOOD.
The reason I put "see below" in parenthesis in the previous paragraph was because although they have been successful at the three other Grand Slams winning them multiple times they had only succeeded in winning the French Open one time and that was ten years ago in 2003. The French Open is played on red clay and often this proves very challenging for players who did not grow up on the European clay courts. The Bryans had reached the final at least three times in the past but always lost. They managed to make the final yet again this year and they wanted very badly to lift that championship trophy again.
Their opponents were a French duo who have been fairly successful but had never won a Grand Slam title. Obviously this was a HUGE opportunity for them. They were playing in their home country in front of their fans who were wholeheartedly and loudly and enthusiastically showing their support for them. They would have liked nothing more then to win for both them and their country.
The match was hard-fought and close. In the end the Bryans won in a third set tie-break. The partisan crowd fell deathly quiet and then very politely clapped as the Bryans and the French team shook hands at the net. It was the reaction of the Bryan twins that I found very fascinating. Everyone knew how much this win meant to them, but you could hardly tell by their actions. They calmly congratulated each other and then walked off the court and sat down at their seats. If you didn't know better, you wouldn't have known that they had won one of the most important matches of their career. One of the French players was so devastated that he cried uncontrollably on his partner's shoulder. At the trophy presentation, he was so overcome with his emotions that he could barely speak. His partner thanked the French crowd for their support and congratulated the Bryan twins on their win. It was what the Bryans said when it was their turn to speak that I found especially interesting. They barely even mentioned their win but told the crowd what an incredible performance the French team had given and how they were so talented and that the Bryans were very lucky to have won it. They continued to give praise to the French team and told the fans that they hope they realize what great tennis players their two Frenchmen were and that they should feel nothing but pride in what they had been able to accomplishment. I almost thought they were going to apologize for winning!
Now some people could argue that the Bryans were only being incredibly smart in not celebrating their victory in front of the all-French crowd. But I have watched a lot of tennis and I have seem plenty of full-fledged victory celebrations from players who couldn't care a less that the crowd was devastated that their countryman or woman had not won. I was impressed that the Bryans cared enough not to flaunt their happiness and success in front of the inconsolable team and their supporters. I think it showed class and respect to save their celebration for when they could do it with their own family and supporters. I read an article later in which both of them said how much winning this trophy meant to them and it had been their primary goal at the beginning of the year to once again be the champions at the French Open.
Maybe my question at the beginning of the Blog is rather silly because of course it is a lot easier to be gracious if you have just won something big. Everyone knows that it is a lot harder to be gracious in defeat. Still, I think it is important to consider the loser's feelings. When someone is already crushed by defeat, there is no reason to rub it in by celebrating wildly in their face. I've always liked the Bryan twins but my respect for them grew by the way they handled this victory.
Well, that's enough tennis for now. The good news is that Wimbledon starts in two weeks J
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