AUS-SUI Davis Cup 2011: FUCK YEAH STANLEY!!!! (by PJ)

LJ has dibs on the proper blogging on the conclusion of the super spectacular Australia-Switzerland Davic Cup tie – so wait for it!

But I just want to say my bit on this…how AWESOME is My Friend Stanley!? Honestly. I gave him something like negative three zillion chance to beat Lleyton Hewitt in that deciding rubber. Simply because:

1)      Stan is injured (leg). From the matches on Friday and Saturday, it was quite clear that he wasn’t moving very well.

2)      Grass is his worst surface, he doesn’t like grass and he’s quite crap on grass.

3)      Lleyton Hewitt, the classic DC warrior. Before Rafa Nadal, there’s Lleyton Hewitt. No matter how injured or how gimpy or how old this guy is – he just doesn’t give up. Those words are not in his vocabulary. The surface favours him, the home crowd advantage favours him and the Davis Cup mentality favours him. Lleyton can suck at all other tournaments in the universe and he simply just doesn’t suck at Davis Cup. I firmly believe if he were to collapse and die on court, he’ll find some way to resurrect himself, and win the match with a C’MAAWWWWWNNNN right at the opponent’s face.

All the above is true. But then, a very different Stan showed up…a very very determined Stan, who was like, “fuck all about this crap surface, the Fanatics heckling my second serve, the leaves falling on my head and that freak across the net who doesn’t know how to die…I’m going do it for Rogeeeeee!!!” (Maybe not that last part, but then again, may that last part is the catalyst…heh heh heh)

He came out thinking he can win. He came out WANTING to win. He came out PLAYING to win (third-set mental cramping aside). And that made all the difference. At the end of it, Hewitt DID end up being half dead and was barely able to walk, but still gritted his teeth and walked on the court. Sadly, he couldn’t save the tie. As determined as that heart was, the body wasn’t holding up.

I’m pleased that Stan/Switzerland won (there’s no other outcome I would want after Stan’s tremendous showing yesterday, would have been absolutely devastated if he didn’t pull through today), but seeing Hewitt dragging that battered body off-court, it kinda broke my heart a little. He would’ve been crushed beyond crushed at not being able to do it for Australia. Say what you may about him – but this man is all heart when it comes to his country.

I hope this will bode well for Stan, going forward in his career. He’s a proper Davis Cup hero for Switzerland (although not in the magnitude of Fernando Verdasco or Novak Djokovic, seeing that those two won the Cup for their country), winning that crucial match AGAINST ALL ODDS. No one gave him a chance, and he came out and whacked everyone’s doubts into submission with his one-handed backhand. Regardless of Hewitt’s injuries, beating this man – who clawed back two sets to love down and a break down to hand McFed his most painful defeat in the 2003 Davis Cup – in his home court, is very very massive. And Stan should reap lots of inspiration from that.

Hugely humongous year next year. Will Stan continue to be the DC hero? And not to mention certain Olympic gold medals needs defending…

I’ll end this quick blog entry with an open-letter to Stan:

Dear Stan,

YOU RULE ALL AND YOU’RE AWESOME-POSSUM!!

Love, PJ

Hopp Suisse!

P.S. Photos are mine. I have a bunch to be edited, uploaded and shared…whenever I get to it. *lazy* For now, here’s a small batch from Day 1.

Advertisement