I have never watched Rafael Nadal and thought, \u201cI could do that.\u201d I have never watched Roger Federer and thought, \u201cI can hit a forehand like that.\u201d I have never seen Djokovic do one of his backhand splits and thought, \u201cI want to do that.\u201d But I have watched Adrian Mannarino and wondered if, perhaps, I could not be a good tennis player myself.<\/p>\n
There is nothing particularly noteworthy about Mannarino. He is of average height, he has a decent build, and he doesn\u2019t blow you away with any of his physical characteristics. He moves well on court, but he\u2019s not Monfils or De Minaur. He strikes the ball cleanly, but not like Jannik Sinner<\/a>. His serve is regular, his forehand is mildly powerful, and his backhand is smooth and moderate. His playing style patronus is Gilles Simon.<\/p>\n Mannarino is minus flash. He does not have Tsitsipas\u2019 hair, or Benoit Paire\u2019s beard. He did not resurrect Agassi\u2019s fashion like Denis Shapovalov. He does not have Berrettini\u2019s bicep tattoo, or Kyrgios\u2019 sleeve. He shaves his head and wears shirts with skulls on them.<\/p>\n And this is why he\u2019s inspiring. Reilly Opelka doesn\u2019t inspire me, because I\u2019m not 6’11”<\/a>. Nadal doesn\u2019t inspire me, because I can\u2019t sprint full speed for five hours. Tsitsipas doesn\u2019t inspire me because I wasn\u2019t chiseled out of marble to play tennis. But Adrian Mannarino…he makes me believe I can do it.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mean that Mannarino makes me believe I can play tennis. I can play tennis. He makes me believe I can be a professional. He has made a career out of not hitting very hard [relative to top players], not serving very hard, and not being extraordinary. A career that has planted inside the Top 50 for ten years. No, he won\u2019t go down as an all-time great, and he might not even get past Nadal in his next match; but more than the all-time greats, and more than Nadal, he makes tennis believable. I realize I\u2019m not going to be a professional tennis player; but the thought that maybe I could be makes playing that much more fun.<\/p>\n Now, I wouldn\u2019t trade Nadal and Opelka and Tsitsipas for a tour filled with Mannarinos. But I also wouldn\u2019t trade Mannarino for another superhuman. I see myself when I watch him play, and I learn from him. His forehand seems attainable, his tactics seem learnable, his unimposing game seems achievable. And this makes it more fun to watch him win, because it so often seems like he shouldn\u2019t. But I shouldn\u2019t win either, and therein lies the inspiration.<\/p>\n Players like Mannarino are important for tennis because fans need reminders that not everyone was born on Olympus, not everyone was carved by Michelangelo. They say \u201cIt takes all types to make a world\u201d; and, I would add, a sport. Mannarino\u2019s laconic style and non-fantastic game are refreshing in a sport filled with heavy-hitters and athletic rock stars, as a realistic contrast. He might not get past Nadal\u2014he might never get past Nadal\u2014but Everyman plays tennis, and sometimes he wins. And that\u2019s inspiring.<\/p>\n Main Photo:Relatability is Inspiring<\/h4>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>