16Jun
If you look at this image of Emma, you will be looking at a player in the zone - her athleticism, grace, balance, dynamism and power in full flow.
Arthur Ashe, whose name is honoured at the US Open with the huge Stadium court which carries his name, once remarked that there is a zone spoken of in tennis. “It got its name from the TV show, and it translates, more or less, into ‘another world.'” Arthur Ashe once described a period of playing almost perfect tennis as being “in the zone,” and the level of his game took on an almost mystical aura.This zone is fascinating and mysterious, and though it is not scary it is certainly tantalizing, elusive, ephemeral. When a player is “in the zone” they are in total control of their game. They can play to their fullest capacity, reach heights that they had only dreamed about before.
All true for Emma, who has been the subject of more superlatives than she could have imagined; winning all her matches in a row without dropping a set. Every coach worldwide wants their players to have this quality, which can manifest itself even in day to day settings.
It is not the same as relaxing, feeling relaxed or unworried; indeed it relates to an ability to exclude all distractions and concentrate the mind and body to the task at hand. “Seeing the Tennis ball like a football” is often used to try and describe this state, and playing the ball not the opponent is part of the mindset needed. Emma is quoted as saying that she really only thinks about herself when in matchplay, and takes care of the actions that she can control; this must be how she stays in her zone.
Watching her matches in the US from the sofa, you can sense that in the early exchanges Emma is scouting her opponent, and experimenting with test plays, assessing outcomes, neutralising their pattern and then imposing her game plan to devastating effect. All this against some of the most experienced and successful players in the Open era.
We have all experienced being in the zone; in my case a round of Golf on a par 3 course, without missing a fairway, and of course unusual and a long time ago, but a true pleasure nonetheless. Tennis is very different but there are times when the zone magically appears and you win all your service games!
So to the final against a brilliant fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez - real pressure on all fronts especially at 3 games all in the first set; but Emma found the way, winning the crucial points, staying in her zone. Every player has to believe that this is possible, and I’m sure Emma has needed to find the zone, and exclude the fans, the noise, the hype, just for those moments, and “bring it”.
Allez Emma!