Bashing Players

Everyone has their own team, or in tennis, their own player they root for. I have my favorites and so do you. On tennisforum, a message board I am a part of, posters have a tendency to “bash,” or talk crap about players. A lot of the bashing goes towards American players, including (well, mostly) Melanie Oudin. Like I have said, I have been friends with Melanie for almost 3 years, so before she was a professional. I got to see her for a split second after her loss to Vesnina in Cincinnati. She just lost today to Fed Cup teammate and compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who is a fine player. I went online and so many people seem to be rude towards Melanie and they don’t even know her.

If you don’t know the story of Melanie, last year she qualified and reached the 4th round of Wimbledon and then beat 3 seeded Russians back-to-back-to-back on her way to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. She was on the verge of being 18 and shot up into stardom and was on “Ellen” one day and signing endorsements the next. The road following the Open has been a rough transition for her and I wish people understood that. Her 2nd full season as a professional this year has not been the easiest for her. She had a steady 17-18 record going into her first round match in Montreal against Mattek-Sands and is currently 44th in the world. This year alone on points, she is 58th, which is not bad at all for an 18 year old.

Posters are calling her “overhyped,” and telling her to retire. Are they being somewhat sarcastic? Yes, but they are being cruel. I have talked to a few players about the site and they don’t go on there because the fans are just rude and snarky. The American girls especially are ridiculed for trying to bring a country’s tennis program to a new level. Only the players know how tiring, expensive and draining the tour is. Some don’t break even and go into debt on credit cards. One player is fortunate that her coach has paid some stuff out of his pocket and trusts her to pay him back when she makes it big (which, is really when not if).

Before you poke fun of a player, think about being in their shoes and putting normal life on hold and doing something you dream for. Tennis is supposed to be a genuine sport, and the fans are supposed to be be cordial and nice. All I see, on the internet, are rude, egotistical people who feel like bashing a player because they aren’t having a good year, or even what they wear.

-There is my vent for the day

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