Reflecting Lights

Picture it. Arthur Ashe Stadium, August 31, 2007. Two men meet in the middle of a tennis court, sweating profusely, one wincing in pain, the other smiling, both embracing one another and walking to their seats with their arms around each other’s shoulders. The match had had actually begun on August 30th, but it was now well after midnight on the 31st. There was magic in the air–but could one expect anything less from someone nicknamed “The Magician.”

Last night, those at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, as well as those watching from afar on television, were treated to one of those matches you don’t get to see too often. Sixth seeded James Blake, a man who has had to overcome a lot in his career, faced down Fabrice Santoro, a 34-year-old currently ranked 44 in the world and heading towards the end of his own career. One is seen as a player who hasn’t quite lived up to his potential since an amazing comeback from breaking his neck, getting debilitating shingles (which paralyzed part of his face), and losing his father. The other is someone who played his first U.S. Open in 1990, and while he’s never made it past the quarterfinals of any Slam, is widely feared and admired for having the most unique play style of any man out there.

I will admit, the match started out rather bland. Santoro, “the Magician,” did not seem to have anything up his sleeves early on. He seemed out of sorts, and Blake was taking it too him quite well. However, it seems he merely needed a little time to find the rabbit hiding in his hat, because while he lost the first set, he was able to storm back to make it close, and then proceeded to win the second. The third set was more lopsided, with Blake once again taking it to Santoro, except this time it felt that it was really more beautiful play on Blake’s part (he was at the net even more than Santoro, quite the feet for a current American player) rather than lack of good play on Santoro’s. Things turned around in the 4th, with the 34-year-old fighting through cramps to push things to a fifth and deciding set.

And that’s where things got interesting. At first John McEnroe seemed to be implying that Santoro’s pain was gamesmanship, although I notice he shut up after realizing that after his medical timeout, Santoro never sat down again during changeovers due to his body being too tight. So once that was out of the way, there was nothing but pure tennis, drive, and a thrilling match. Santoro had several opportunities to break Blake at 4-4, and had he done so, he could have served for the match. However, the much fresher looking Blake managed to hold to get up 5-4, and quickly broke Santoro to finish the match.

This match had a fair amount of significance for Blake. He seems to have this inability to with a fifth set. He’s now 1 and 10 in matches going to five sets. I liked how he talked very specifically about the fact that his inability to win 5-setters was a monkey on his back, and that it is now gone. Santoro, for his part, provided the perfect setting for this to occur. Yes, I wanted Santoro. I’ve been a fan of his for several years, and would have loved to have seen him take out the 6th seed, especially since the rest of their quarter isn’t the strongest, and could have potentially led to his best U.S. Open results in singles. However, I also wanted to see Blake overcome his issues with five set matches, and knew that facing down Santoro would be a great experience. So when that final winner smashed past Santoro, I felt only a moment of regret before grinning and realizing I’d watched something wonderful. Plus, seeing them embrace at net, smile, appreciating one another, it was beautiful to see. There is sometimes animosity in tennis, and it really takes a certain mix of players to see such beautiful gestures at the end. Both men were interviewed on court following the match, and both were full of praises for one another. Santoro had such an impish grin on his face as he commented that he felt he gave Blake a bit of “troubles,” much as he had hoped to do so. Blake, for his part, commented on Santoro’s amazing speed and shot making, and noted he’d rather not see him across the net again anytime soon.

Fabrice Santoro is never going to win a Slam in singles (although he has quite a nice resume in men’s and mixed doubles.) However, I hope he realizes just how much he has brought to the game of tennis in singles, how much fans love to watch him, and how much respect the best players (see Santoro vs Federer, 2005 U.S. Open) have for him and his tricky, cunning, and amazing style of play. As Tracy Austin pointed out (I believe it was her…) there will never be another player like Fabrice Santoro. No one would ever try to teach someone to play like he does. He is one of a kind, and when he finally decides his body can no longer keep up with the pain of playing professional tennis, he is going to be sorely missed by all. And all the guys on the seniors circuit are going to be crying in their Gaterade as they realize they have to start facing the guy again.

Merci, Fabrice. Vous êtes vraiment le Magicien, et nous vous adorons.