MELBOURNE, Australia --
Need more evidence that tennis is the cruelest sport of them all? From
an early age, players practice relentlessly, innumerable chunks of time
sacrificed at the altar of the practice court. Quick
back-of-the-notebook math suggests that players make a mockery of the
"10,000 hours rule." And the practice is, almost necessarily,
monotonous. It's an individual sport. There are only a few strokes, and
they must commit to muscle memory. Unlike golf, the dimensions of the
field never change.
Then, for all that prep time, the big occasions -- those "moments of truth," as the cliché-prone call them? Those instances when players try to coalesce their gifts and experience under the brightest lights? They are few and far between. And they are fleeting. All that rehearsal and, often, only a few big shows.
Sloane Stephens had the first Big Show of her ascendant career Wednesday. The 19-year-old American played in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Her opponent? The prohibitive favorite to win the Australian Open, the great Serena Williams, who had lost once since May and won the last two majors plus Olympic gold.
The Stephens camp tried valiantly to convince its player that this was just another match. But, of course, if wasn't. And Stephens needed only to look at her phone for confirmation. She had received hundreds upon hundreds of texts (kids, today) since winning her fourth-round match. An opportunity to take down Williams in the latter rounds of a major? Hard to outwit yourself about the magnitude of that.
"Look, dude, like, you can do this," Stephens thought when she woke Wednesday.
How did Stephens do when the moment arrived? Well, she rolled with it. And, under awkward circumstances, she still played the match of her life, taking out The Mighty One 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Yes, a central storyline of this match will be Williams' injuries. The right ankle that she aggravated Tuesday and restricted her movement. The back spasms that caused her to patty-cake first serves at speeds that wouldn't get you a ticket on the freeway. (Serena Williams? A 73 mph serve?)
Then, for all that prep time, the big occasions -- those "moments of truth," as the cliché-prone call them? Those instances when players try to coalesce their gifts and experience under the brightest lights? They are few and far between. And they are fleeting. All that rehearsal and, often, only a few big shows.
Sloane Stephens had the first Big Show of her ascendant career Wednesday. The 19-year-old American played in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Her opponent? The prohibitive favorite to win the Australian Open, the great Serena Williams, who had lost once since May and won the last two majors plus Olympic gold.
The Stephens camp tried valiantly to convince its player that this was just another match. But, of course, if wasn't. And Stephens needed only to look at her phone for confirmation. She had received hundreds upon hundreds of texts (kids, today) since winning her fourth-round match. An opportunity to take down Williams in the latter rounds of a major? Hard to outwit yourself about the magnitude of that.
"Look, dude, like, you can do this," Stephens thought when she woke Wednesday.
How did Stephens do when the moment arrived? Well, she rolled with it. And, under awkward circumstances, she still played the match of her life, taking out The Mighty One 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Yes, a central storyline of this match will be Williams' injuries. The right ankle that she aggravated Tuesday and restricted her movement. The back spasms that caused her to patty-cake first serves at speeds that wouldn't get you a ticket on the freeway. (Serena Williams? A 73 mph serve?)
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