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Martin proves his mettle
Posted: Saturday September 11, 1999 08:19 PM
By Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated NEW YORK -- It was less than two months ago that Todd Martin last appeared in a high-stakes match. Though looking like death warmed over -- a 6'6" ghost, only stiffer -- Martin took the court at the Longwood Cricket Club outside Boston to face Pat Rafter in Davis Cup play. His captain's clumsy chicanery had backed the ailing Martin into a no-win situation, and while he played valiantly he lost this decisive match in five sets. He was devastated afterwards, but not simply because he was on the short end of the score. Since turning pro in 1990, Martin has always labored in the shadows of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang. Now, at age 29, he had squandered this potential capstone on his career, leaving his legacy to be that of ... what? An oft-injured top-15 player? A giant so gentle he couldn't hold a 5-1 fifth set lead in the 1996 Wimbledon semifinals? A nice guy? But a funny thing happened on the way to retirement. In his 10th U.S. Open, with nearly a full head of gray hair, Martin is a match away from winning his first Grand Slam. His road to the finals has been a rocky one. He barely won his first match, outlasting qualifier Stephane Huet in a fifth-set tiebreaker. A week later, looking much as he did that day in Boston, he was down two sets and 3-5 to Greg Rusedski. Somehow he survived the set, and with the crowd that had so often dismissed him as an also-ran squarely in his corner, he pulled out a vintage five-setter. "What an unbelievable feeling," he said afterwards, straining to hold back tears. "This is going to take a while to sink in." Galvanized by the match, Martin has been all business ever since. Putting to rest questions about his stamina, he dispatched Slava Dosedel two nights later. Saturday, he simply dismembered Cedric Pioline in three efficient sets. "I counted on my serve a lot and it got me out of a few jams," said Martin, who saved five of the six break points he faced and belted 14 aces. "His game is prettier than mine, but I think he was more affected by the windy conditions." As the two veterans met at the net, Pioline wished Martin well in the finals: "I hope for you tomorrow. I wish for you to win." He's not the only one. If Martin's career is bereft of Grand Slam titles, a No. 1 ranking and monstrous endorsement deals, he is on the short list of players who are wildly popular with their colleagues. A two-time ATP Tour sportsmanship-award winner and a mainstay on the Players' Council, Martin is a solid-to-the-core Midwesterner who has the demeanor and physique, if not the mobility, of Abe Lincoln. This is a guy who pulled out of the high-stakes Lipton Championships to ensure he'd be healthy for Davis Cup play. "If you don't respect Todd, there's something wrong with you," Jim Courier once told me. Says Martin's agent, Tom Ross, "Let's just say Todd won't have a real hard time getting another job once he's done playing tennis." As Martin is the first to admit, that day is on the horizon, to be sure. But Martin's not ready to take his gold watch quite yet. Despite battling a litany of injuries this year, Martin is on pace to finish the year with his highest ranking ever. Honest Abe will have to be at his best to beat Agassi Sunday. But when we reflect on his career, rest assured we'll remember his win over Rusedski and his improbable run to the finals before we recall anything else. Open volleys Gustavo Kuerten has to be wondering what happened to the Pioline he played the other day. Pioline won as many games in his last set against Kuerten as he did all day Saturday. ... Likewise, little did Rusedski know that he was creating a monster when he let a two-set, 5-3 lead against Martin slip away Thursday night. ... On average, the four male semifinalists were almost a decade older than their female counterparts. ... Yes, the future of American men's tennis might look bleak, but five of the last six Grand Slam finalists have been Yanks. ... Agassi lost the first set of Saturday's match in 21 minutes. ... From the Who's-the-Crackpot-Now? Dept., here's Richard Williams, more than a year ago, assessing his offspring: " Serena is the best one. What makes me think she will be better is she has had years to sit around and watch Venus and see what Venus' mistakes were. She always was a better athlete than Venus to start off with. She hits the ball harder. She returns serve better. She places the ball better." ... Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes lost in the doubles final to American Alex O'Brien and Canadian Sebastien Lareau Friday, but they nevertheless made history as the first doubles team ever to reach all four Grand Slam finals in one year.
Jon Wertheim is a Sports Illustrated staff writer.
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