Matthew Ebden: From hack to professional player part II
January 28th 2011 09:36
Part Two: Who would have thought?
Ebden had no qualities that I could see that would have taken him off the scrap yard. He sure better have a back up plan in life because he was not destined to be a professional player. He was 19 when he won the tournament, ancient by tennis standards where it is not uncommon for players to have won multiple grand slams by that age. He did not have an imposing physique – modest height and slightly emaciated. Even his demeanour did not smack of look at me.
When I interviewed him post match, just after he had claimed his $25 and packet of chips, there was no brashness or hint of ego. Not even talking to an impressionable young reporter like me, was there a hint of I’m better than you, an ugly by-product of bravado but an important ingredient in the recipe for professional athlete success.
I thought he would fade away and become another irrelevant person in everyday life. And that was the case for the next few years. No mention of him in any of the local rags. Out of sight, out of mind……probably on the dole playing social tennis half parched with his mates – that was most likely what it had come to. Dream over, time to wake up and face the horrors and reality of this shit “real world”. Time to conform to the structure of civilised western society.
But to my surprise (utter shock?) I heard snippets of his name mentioned last year. I really thought it was just a beat up from the media, short on sport stories for that particular news cycle.
But blow me down, I finally caught a glimpse of him on the box during Brisbane in his quarter final encounter against Robin Soderling – the fourth seed in the world. The South African-born West Aussie was a revelation and a distant figure from the sorry state of four years ago.
His game was transformed – solid on both sides and nimble around the court. He looked like he belonged. Sure, it was a warm up tournament and the Swede was finetuning his game for bigger fish. But I can assure you, Ebden has put in the hard yards and continues to chase his seemingly forlorn dream.
And in its own weird tale, his progress from Sorrento to Brisbane is inspiring. No, he’s not going to make 20 to 1 Australia’s Most Inspiring Stories but Ebden’s journey proves that even the most impossible dreams are worth believing – no matter how improbable they appear. As Rhianna so eloquently said: Just Live Your Life.
Ebden had no qualities that I could see that would have taken him off the scrap yard. He sure better have a back up plan in life because he was not destined to be a professional player. He was 19 when he won the tournament, ancient by tennis standards where it is not uncommon for players to have won multiple grand slams by that age. He did not have an imposing physique – modest height and slightly emaciated. Even his demeanour did not smack of look at me.
When I interviewed him post match, just after he had claimed his $25 and packet of chips, there was no brashness or hint of ego. Not even talking to an impressionable young reporter like me, was there a hint of I’m better than you, an ugly by-product of bravado but an important ingredient in the recipe for professional athlete success.
I thought he would fade away and become another irrelevant person in everyday life. And that was the case for the next few years. No mention of him in any of the local rags. Out of sight, out of mind……probably on the dole playing social tennis half parched with his mates – that was most likely what it had come to. Dream over, time to wake up and face the horrors and reality of this shit “real world”. Time to conform to the structure of civilised western society.
But to my surprise (utter shock?) I heard snippets of his name mentioned last year. I really thought it was just a beat up from the media, short on sport stories for that particular news cycle.
But blow me down, I finally caught a glimpse of him on the box during Brisbane in his quarter final encounter against Robin Soderling – the fourth seed in the world. The South African-born West Aussie was a revelation and a distant figure from the sorry state of four years ago.
His game was transformed – solid on both sides and nimble around the court. He looked like he belonged. Sure, it was a warm up tournament and the Swede was finetuning his game for bigger fish. But I can assure you, Ebden has put in the hard yards and continues to chase his seemingly forlorn dream.
And in its own weird tale, his progress from Sorrento to Brisbane is inspiring. No, he’s not going to make 20 to 1 Australia’s Most Inspiring Stories but Ebden’s journey proves that even the most impossible dreams are worth believing – no matter how improbable they appear. As Rhianna so eloquently said: Just Live Your Life.
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Comment by Gabe Lock
LopsidedSports