Arabella Byrne

Tennis has always been a game of psychological warfare

  • From Spectator Life
Image: Getty

There was a time when having a nervous breakdown on a tennis court was called a hissy fit. Watch John McEnroe shouting at the umpire during the 1981 Wimbledon Men’s Singles first round match against Tom Gullikson for the masterclass. Strutting over to the umpire like an angry bird, his trademark headband doing anything but containing his mop, McEnroe splutters the immortal ‘you cannot be serious’ riposte accompanied by fabulously energetic arm movements before returning to the baseline and serving out a double fault. In the gladiatorial arena that is the tennis court, McEnroe knew that repression wouldn’t win him the match. Did he look bonkers? Yes, but he didn’t care. Instead, he channeled his mental anguish to win him the match, and later, the tournament. A star was born, albeit a highly strung one.

These days, things are rather different. World number two Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French Open last week citing her mental wellbeing as the reason, shows us just how different. It began when Osaka refused to take part in the mandatory press conferences for all players. She was fined and continued to play in the tournament. Five days later, amid a media frenzy in which the sport establishment called her spoilt and entitled, Osaka formally withdrew from play, issuing a statement in which she expressed her desire not to be a ‘distraction’ to the other players and speaking of her mental unrest when faced with the press. This week she announced her withdrawal from her upcoming Berlin tournament, casting doubts on whether she will compete at Wimbledon. In a world of constant news flow and Instagram click bait, it isn’t just on-court drama that spectators consume but the lives of tennis players off the court too.

Post-match analysis is as much of a spectator sport as the game itself.

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