As of this morning, the US was down to four representatives (a loss of seven in three days) in the US Open women's singles draw: Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Bethanie Mattek. The one in greatest danger of falling by the wayside was Mattek, who was playing a second-rounder with the no. 17 seed, Alize Cornet. It promised to be a good match up, partly because the contrast between the young women is striking.
Cornet projects a "classic" vibe of the kind brought to its highest expression in recent years by Justine Henin. She's lean, lithe, and boyish in a charming way. She wears discreet separates, and tops things off with the familiar pony tail threaded through the adjustment strap on a visor. Henin defined the look (as well as manner) of the contemporary "sporty girl" in our time without ever appearing even remotely like a fashionista. And in short order Henin's game convinced any skeptics that this was not just a "look" that she'd cultivated. Those whiplash one-handed backhands and scampering retrieves ensured the organic integrity of the package. Call it a marriage of form, function and fashion - were pink Adidas stripes ever more appropriate - as well as less "girly" - than on Henin?
Cornet isn't quite in Henin's league as a a ball-striker or athlete, at least not yet (she's only 18). Her game is more conservative and, anchored by a solid two-handed backhand, more economical (one of the most seductive aspects of Henin's one-hander was the almost profligate nature of the stroke; it was almost as if all the abandon or recklessness that lurked somewhere inside Henin was channeled into, and exclusively expressed in, that shot). Cornet has fewer tools than Henin, but she's nimble in a similar way and it's a pleasure to watch her trip the light fantastic on the court.
Mattek, 23, is a clothes horse of a different color. She became famous for outre outfits and fashion statements that, frankly, make the disciples of Anna Wintour cringe. At Wimbledon, she's still remembered by some as the "socks girl", and whatever else you may think about this now legendary ensemble, you've got to give her credit for inventiveness. Or nerve. That vaguely Cyndi Lauper vibe has careened toward Britney Spears territory in more recent times; Mattek is a girl who lets it all (or most of it) hang out, and she's not going to let some heroin-chic catwalker in black mascara make her feel badly about herself. Today, she was wearing black shorts and a white top that was mostly open in the back (and decorated with a sparkly butterfly), exposing more straps and elasticized bands than you find on the knapsack of an Army Ranger.
To some, Mattek's over-the-top look is amusing, to others it's mortifying; Avedon would cast his eyes away, but Peter Paul Reubens might stroke his chin and go Hmmmmm. . . Mattek is a reminder that tennis is a resolutely bourgeoise game, and that's one reason I like to see a little bit of the trailer park in the sylvan outposts of game. Too, Mattek's fashion sense pleasingly dovetails with her lunch-bucket approach to, and place in, the game. She's a journeywoman, short on genius and devoid of any sense of entitlement; true to her mid-western roots (she's a native of Minnesota), she's tough, determined, and hard-working. She pours her heart into the game with the kind of unapologetic and unconcealed desire that suggests integrity, perhaps even courage.
Mattek has been on the tour for eight years, since she was 14 years old. But she's shown her most marked improvement this year (her August 11th ranking of no. 43 is a career high). Although Mattek flamed out in the first-round of qualifying for the Australian Open back in January, she slashed her way to a place in the main draw at Roland Garros, then pushed Maria Sharapova to three sets in the second round before yielding. At Wimbledon, she ousted defending finalist Marion Bartoli, and rolled all the way to the fourth round before Serena Williams put an end to it. She came into this tournament with high expectations built on a foundation of excellent fitness. My Tennis magazine colleague Tom Perrotta did some preliminary interviewing with Mattek during Wimbledon, and he shared the tape with me.
Last year at the Open, Mattek lost ugly to Shahar Peer in the second round, 2-and-1. She left New York furious, vowing, in her own words, "That I would never lose another match because I'm not fit. I could lose because I played bad, or the other girl played awesome, but never because I couldn't chase down another ball."
Mattek was also suffering from tendinitis in her knees, and she consulted a Pennsylvania chiropracter whom she describes as a mentor, Dr. Malcolm Conway. He suggested that Mattek get together with Phoenix fitness trainer Jay Schroeder, area of expertise is muscle-training. Mattek moved to Phoenix to work with Schroeder, and set aside her tennis racket. Schroeder specializes in a low-impact but rigorous form of training called "Iso Extremes." It's a yoga-like regimen that can leave a practitioner far stiffer and more sore than typical high-impact workouts, like running or intensive drilling on the court.
"That first day, I cried through the entire workout," Mattek recalled. "I went home that night and thought, either I quit tennis or I go through with this, because this is what I need to do. Just to go back there for the next few days was a mentally tough choice - 70 per cent of Jay's clients quit before they complete the training. The main focus is learning to take and hold a certain position at 100 per cent maximum stretch, for minutes at a time, because you tend to get injured mostly when you suddenly have to go 100 per cent and you're not ready for it. I was pretty proud to make it through."
Mattek said the training paid off so abundantly that when she picked up a racket again, in November, she found she had a lot more power - too much, in fact. "I couldn't keep the ball in the court, it was so weird. It took me a couple of practices to get back on track. But when it came to moving, I felt awesome."
Mattek came into the US Open feeling confident and brimming with hopes, but it was clear from the start of her match with Cornet that she had her work cut out. The games in the first set were close, and both young women played bold, attractive tennis. They kept turning up the heat in the rallies, forcing each other to answer pace with more pace, and angles with more dramatic angles. It seemed that Mattek's best chance lay in finding her way to Cornet's forehand, which is a bit more volatile- and thus unpredictable - than her backhand.
Although Mattek isn't as light on her feet as Cornet, her anticipation and reaction time are excellent; she has a way of making certain shots look easier than you'd expect, but her relative lack of height (she's 5-6, but appears smaller because of her build) means that against a player like Cornet, who hit with plenty of topspin, she's forced to hit many, many balls from shoulder height. Thus, the physical toll was high, especially when Mattek chose to play aggressively and do more than get the ball back.
To her credit, Mattek played with nicely modulated aggression and, despite her thick build, you could see her body recoil backward as she kept reaching up and out of her strike zone to produce enough torque and spin to keep her shots both hard and deep. Her refusal to give ground seemed to take a toll on Cornet; a few impatient errors crept into her game, she occasionally let fly a shriek of frustration.
The first set went to a tiebreaker, in which Cornet blinked first. Mattek scored a mini-break for 3-1, on a cross-court backhand pass that forced a volley error. But Cornet evened it at 3-all. Mattek kept the pressure on, though, and ended a terrific rally with a volley winner for 5-3, and although Cornet won the next point, Mattek had two balls to serve with the tiebreaker was on her racket.
And that's when the wheels fell off.
Mattek wasted the first point with a cross-court backhand error, and followed it with a double fault. Suddenly, Cornet had a set point, and won it when Mattek went for too much on a backhand down the line.
Cornet broke immediately to start the second set, and fended off two break points in the next game to hold. Mattek was quickly broken again; by then it was clear that the match was slipping away, and fast. The insurance break allowed Cornet to bide her time while Mattek struggled to no avail, like a fish being reeled in to net. Cornet took the match, 7-6,6-1.
I'd requested a one-on-one interview with Mattek, before the match even began. By the time I returned to the press room, the announcement had already gone out - Mattek was going to be in Interview Room 2, immediately. That was unusual - typically, winners and losers take a little time to unwind after a match.
When I got to Room 2 (Room 1 is the main interview room, and 2 and 3 are usually reserved for players of lesser interest), the only other reporter was Newsday's Jeff Williams. He was sitting at one of the small, fold-top desks, with Mattek seated opposite him, at a table. She had a trucker's cap on, pulled low over her face. I started my tape recorder and set it down in front of her. But something didn't seem right. After a while, Jeff asked: "Was there a particular shot, or series of points, something that made it tough for you to get back into it?"
It was silent for some time. Finally, and without looking up, Mattek mumbled, "No.'
Jeff waited. It was quiet for a long time. "What about her game?" he finally asked. "Did she do something in the second set that was better?"
With her face still hidden, Mattek answered in a monotone: "She stayed consistent."
It was painful. I said, "Do you want to do this later, Beth?"
"No. . ." She paused, and her voice cracked as she whimpered, "I want to go home."
Another reporter entered the room, followed by another.
It was impossible to see her face, but we knew what tears looked like.
"Would you like to be private," I said. "Do want us to leave the room?"
"No," she whispered. "I've got to do this, so. . ."
"We're not going to complain or anything like that, Beth. Up to you."
She said nothing. We stood up and left the room, encountering the WTA's Amy Binder outside the door. We explained the situation, and Amy went in to talk with Mattek.
I could hear Mattek's anguished voice on the other side. Soon Amy came out. "She's not going to do any one-on-ones. She has the right to turn those down. But she'll finish the post-match."
Nobody was very worried about his one-on-one request by then; in fact, I think we went back in there just to get it all over with.
Somebody asked about the blister that developed on her right hand. She said it popped. Somebody asked about the first set and she said, she had her chances. Somebody went back to the blisters and she said she gets them a lot. She has sensitive skin. It went on like that for a bit. I said something about her reputation for working hard and fighting, but it didn't console her. It went on like that for a little while, going nowhere, really.
Finally, Amy asked, "Anything else."
Nobody had anything else. And at that moment, Mattek didn't either.