Tennis legend Arthur Ashe once said, “The doing is often more important than the outcome.” I often think of different aspects of my identity as relationships that I need to nurture. For example, I like to think of my hobby of journaling as a relationship that I need to nurture: the more I put in, the more I get to learn about myself; the same applies to my identity as a podcaster. After not recording for a few weeks, I am feeling the bumps of this relationship. So I try to use these quotes to remind myself that it is okay to feel rusty after a few weeks of not talking to myself for 20 minutes. As a certified yapper, I love to yap (especially about tennis), but putting my voice out into the world requires confidence in both my voice and my love for tennis.
Here is what happened on the tour this week:
Unlike me, Fils’s comeback journey from his back injury seems to have both the “doing” and the “outcome”. The final match was meaningful in itself– the first ATP Masters Final between two black players. Despite the match being somewhat of a snooze fest, a 90-minute three-set finale, Fils captured his first ATP Masters title, putting himself 5th in the race and achieving a career-high ranking of 11th in the world. In terms of the interesting matches, we witnessed Cobolli’s mental fortitude against a surprisingly energetic Jodar (he did eventually run out of gas), Nakashima and Fritz’s impressive long rallies, and Zverev’s lack of confidence that cost him the match against Paul despite having two match points.
The women’s side featured the players from two matches with four players from opposite sides of the spectrum: Pegula and Bejlek utilized their incredible defensive skills and mental fortitude to defeat power hitters Anisimova and Keys, respectively. Credit to Bejlek for following up her win against Sabalenka by beating Keys. At this point, are we really surprised that another Czech player is making waves on tour? The race for the world number one between Rybakina and Sabalenka was cut short by an unfortunate leg injury to Rybakina, which also puts her U.S. Open participation into question; however, Pegula, Swiatek, Gauff, and Anisimova all had impressive runs that are keeping my hopes up for the U.S. Open.
Flavio Cobolli vs. Rafael Jodar:
Taylor Fritz vs. Brandon Nakashima:
Tommy Paul vs. Alexander Zverev:
Arthur Fils vs. Frances Tiafoe:
Jessica Pegula vs. Amanda Anisimova:
Sarah Bejlek vs. Madison Keys:
Jessica Pegula vs. Iga Swiatek:
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