Henin's style of play seemed to match mine. In the match against her, I felt very difficult. No other player has been able to understand my shortcomings so thoroughly as she has. She'll make you run, run, run. No matter what your shot is, what the landing point is, she will predict the direction of the ball in advance and then turn it back, which is why I liken her to a mosquito. When you finish the shot and think you've scored that point, you'll find that Henin has saved the ball. I've always stuck with my philosophy: I don't have to be the best tennis player in the world, I just need to be a little better than the guy across the street one day. Henin's philosophy seems simpler: If I can hit one more ball than my opponent, I will win the game. Such a philosophy can make the game incredibly long. And her SLR cutting is even more grinding! Even if I could beat her sometimes, I would be exhausted and look very embarrassed. While being stared at by her one-handed backhand, the game was so long that I could fall asleep. Before retiring in 2011, Henin spent 117 weeks in the world number one position, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles, making her one of the greatest female tennis players of all time.
I was convinced that I could beat her, but I also knew it would be very difficult. Before every matchup with her, I knew she was going to be ready for the game for up to three hours, and I would have an ice bath after the game. The game was going to be a long one, and when I believed it would be a winning point, she didn't know what she was doing, and she turned the ball back, and the quality of the shot was even higher than my previous attack. In fact, I felt like that Australian Open semi-final was the cleanest game I've ever played because I barely made a mistake. Physically, it was also one of the toughest races of my career. Haining is my nightmare, she is thin, but very tenacious, very cold on the field, never soft, never give up. When she competes, she is like a robot, and she doesn't have any expression on her face from beginning to end. And her ponytail, which swung back and forth like a metronome. If you are not careful, you will be hypnotized by her. The game is long and it's hard for you to beat her – that's where I feel really helpless. In the first set, I narrowly won 6-4, but her small legs were still running, and although there was no expression on her face, she revealed a firm belief and determination to win.
I lost the second set 1-6 and then the third set 4-6. But the damage I inflicted on her was probably far greater than I realized. In the final, Henin won only one set and then withdrew from the game due to stomach pains after falling behind 1-6, 0-2. Sometimes, the last match in the whole tournament is not really the final.
The loss of the game stung my nerves and I felt a lot of pain. But it can also turn out to be the best thing that will allow you to find the direction of victory. In this defeat, I learned how to play against Henin, and what happened a few months later confirmed that this defeat was extremely important.
The U.S. Open is the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. For me, it was a relief because after a hot day, it was a very cool evening. Compared to the hot Melbourne, Flushing Park is a completely different existence. Most of my memories of here are about the night, I remember the traffic and the billboards and the Arthur Ashe Arena under the lights, I remember the sounds of the crowds and the highway leading to the Billy Jenkin National Tennis Center, I remember the people in the city and the energy it burst out. I said Wimbledon was unbeatable, but the US Open was impeccable and the feeling of winning in New York was fascinating.
Before the start of the 2006 US Open, I was third in the world, Justin Henin was second in the world, and Emily Maurismo was the number one in the world. A few weeks ago, I shot an advertising video for Nike. Advertising was officially launched before the U.S. Open began at the end of August. It was like making a documentary, and on a supposed game day, the film crew followed me all day, starting when I got up and then leaving the hotel— the Waldorf-Estoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan and leaving for Arthur Ashe Arena. Along the way I met a lot of people who were singing "Oh so pretty and witty and bright," a line from the single "I Feel So Pretty" from the musical West side story. The ad ended with me hitting a backhand on the pitch to win. I really hope that advertising will become a reality. At every advertising time of that US Open, this video was played on the big screen.
At that year at the US Open, my first serious challenge was my semi-final opponent, Emily Maurismo. She has sharp SLRs and excellent pre-net abilities, and her body is far stronger than mine. I've never beaten her on the Tour. That year she had won two Grand Slam singles titles, one at the Australian Open, where she won because of Herning's retirement, and the other at Wimbledon, where she beat me in the semi-finals and reached the final to beat Henin. The match was played on the centre court day court. Your eyes need to switch back and forth in the shadows and sunlight, the ball moves back and forth under the shadows and sunlight, and you need to keep your eyes open the whole time. And there was a lot of wind on the pitch at the time. The night the race ended, I wore a lilac skirt and a pair of silver shoes on my feet. I was 19 years old at the time, and I was working towards the pinnacle of my career.
I didn't lose a single set in the first set, and the score was frozen at 6-0. But Mauricemo beat me in the second set to make it 6-4. Did I have a moment of self-doubt at this point? Maybe. A player usually has the confidence to suddenly lose in a game. The first time I looked up at the score on the big screen during the switch break, I shifted my attention to my players' box. My coach, Michael Joyce, and my father sat inside, and Yuri held up a banana and a bottle of water (1). While sitting in the players' seats, I spent some time imagining the victory. My attitude towards the game is consistent and my belief in winning is indestructible. Do the right thing the right way. I didn't concede any set in the third set, and in the end, for the first time since winning the title at Wimbledon, I reached the grand slam final.
After the game, I was interviewed on the pitch. They asked me what I thought of Justin Heinen. We're about to meet again in Saturday's final. I've played against her four times in the last two years, swallowing a bitter four-game losing streak, but that doesn't scare me. "I haven't lost the final yet!" I told the audience, "I've never beaten Emily before, but today I won; my record against Henin is completely at a disadvantage, but you know, I mean it doesn't matter, it's a brand new game and I have a chance to win." "Looking back now, I really can't believe I was so confident.
On the day of the final, I wore an Andre Hepburn-style black dress, determined to turn the fantasy of Nike advertising into reality. That night, the atmosphere in the stadium was more depressing, the crowd in the stands seemed to be very close to the stadium, and the cameras on the sidelines came from all directions. Sometimes, I forget who I am and feel like I'm just a spectator. Before the game starts, you need to come out of this feeling, you have to go back to reality, and only then can you win the game. Henin broke my serve as soon as he came up and took a 2-0 lead. That's when I woke up like a dream. The voices of the crowd in the stands were still noisy, and I could feel that they were all supporting me, that they were all standing with me, with the same enemy.
Serving is the key to my victory. It was the best time of my career, and tennis could continue to fall exactly where I wanted to, fall into corners, hit the line, and have a lot of power. When you do that, even if it's not an ACE, you'll have an advantage in the next round. I understand what my flaws are, so I can make better use of my strengths. In some scores, under my mobilization, Haining was like a puppet hanging on the line. In the other way, I mobilized her the way she mobilized me in the first four games. At this point she understood that even in her own serve, she would inevitably enter a long standoff. After a poor start, I broke her two serves in the first set to take the next set 6-4. In the second set, too, my serve with a strong backhand determined the course of the night's game. In the eighth inning of the second set, I broke her serve, and sometimes that's the case with the game, you just have to break one serve and that's enough.
At the end of the game, I felt full of energy, and I heard the screams and shouts of the whole New York City. At this point, it's all about concentration. In this game, my focus is more focused than ever. The game relied on my serve and the last ball was of very high quality and Henin put the ball back into my backhand position, which was a huge mistake. I hit the ball straight through, the ball was very fast, and Haining decided that he couldn't get this point. As she returned the ball to the net, the game was over. As I did at Wimbledon two years ago, I knelt on my knees, covered my face with my hands, and then rushed to the stands to hug my father. I went back to the pitch and picked up the trophy, which was a silver trophy, and the lid of the trophy fell off because I was lifting it so fast. This is a typical me. I couldn't help but laugh, I knew I had won, but still couldn't believe what was in front of me. The almost impossible second Grand Slam title, in New York City, under the gaze of everyone who supported me and opposed me, became a reality. Life can be sweet, and in this moment, you will feel that you will be happy like this forever. However, whenever you are incredibly sure of something, there is a good chance that you are wrong. (Source: House of Tennis Author: Maria Sharapova Editor: Yang Guo)
Note (1): As mentioned earlier, when Sava's father lifts a banana while resting, it means to remind Sava to replenish her energy; lifting a bottle of water means reminding Sava to drink water.