15-40, Set Point

Tennis - as much a psychological game as it is a physical game

Clark Graebner

 Arthur Ashe

I love to read - I really do.  I'm fascinated by all kinds of subjects - art, politics, geography, medicine, dance, religion, etc. etc. etc. and books take me to all kinds of places where I wouldn't ordinarily find myself.  I may not have experienced something in person, but I can do so vicariously through the writing of author historians.  Words are powerful.  So much so that they easily distract me from writing research papers, studying for the GRE, and analyzing art.  My sophomore year of college I promised myself that I wouldn't read for pleasure during the semester because I got way too engrossed in literature (I think I read the complete works of Dan Brown in a week - riveted at first, but I realized he writes the same story over and over again using different names and locations - utterly disappointing in the end) that had nothing to do with my GPA.  I broke my own promise this week, but I have to admit, I'm so glad I did.  I finally finished a book that I started this summer, which had been set aside to gather dust once I entered back into Academia in September.  Brilliantly written, I highly recommend Levels of the Game for anyone who is remotely interested in the details of tennis.  John McPhee provides an insightful analysis of the 1968 tennis match at Forest Hills between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner, weaving in the personal histories of these two men explained through the style of their tennis game.  Again - brilliant.  With recent events, I wanted to share one part from this book that I found particularly poignant.  If you think this is good, you should read the whole thing:

"...I am cautiously optimistic.  I define the cause as the most good for the most people in the least amount of time, and that has absolutely nothing to do, specifically, with color.  Anything I can do to help the cause is good.  Nobody listens to a loser.  If I put myself in a position where I can't compete, I am merely a martyr.  We don't need any more martyrs right now.  One must separate the emotional from the practical.  Don't bite off more than you can chew.  A little bit is better than nothing, no matter how you may feel.  Progress and improvement do not come in big hunks, they come in little pieces, and the sooner people accept this the better off they'll be.  I wouldn't tell my son to content himself that things will come gradually.  You've got to push.  You've got to act as though you expect it to come tomorrow.  But when you know it's not going to come, don't give up..."        -Arthur Ashe

Love it, love it, love it!!!  I could go on and on, but I'll merely end up spoiling a great piece of literature by giving away too much.  It was fun reading this book because the descriptions of the match are so real.  You almost feel like you're the one hitting aces down the center of the court or smacking a backhand so hard it's untouchable, only to see it land inches out of the chalk line.  If you can keep up with the tennis lingo throughout the book, you'll definitely finish with a sense of accomplishment after a game well played!!!