Ben Myers Group B Blog Post 3: David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace, a skilled tennis player, knowledgeable mathematician, and impeccable author, realizes that no matter how good you are at something, there will always be someone better. We can see this through many levels of amazing Tennis players. In Derivative Sport In Tornado Alley, David Foster Wallace talks about his short lived time “between the ages of twelve and fifteen” when he “was a near-great junior tennis player.” He even managed to reach “seventeeth in the USTA’s Western Section.” He was so good because he could “Play the Whole Court:” he knew all 2,106 square feet of every rough court he played on, he could analyze the strong winds and the effects of wetness, bumps, and heat, and was better at adjusting than opponents. He could think n shots ahead, even with all these complications. He could play a defensive game, and wait for people to mess up. However, in his articles, he is at the bottom of the hierarchy, the worst of the best.

Gil Antitoi was the other leader in Central Illinois, and what he lacked in mathematical skills, he made up for in athleticism and size. Him and Wallace had a tense rivalry, but as Antitoi grew stronger, his talent began consistently defeating Wallace’s analytical game.

When these two near-great kids left their beloved low-quality outdoor courts for the regional championships, they learned a lesson: some players know the game like Wallace without even having to think about it, and are even faster and stronger than Antitoi.

In String Theory, he admits that even if he had become a regional champ, the USA-wide tournaments would’ve been ridiculous for him to compete in. You can’t win by waiting for people to mess up, because they won’t mess up unless you make them. Pros add another aspect to this: if your shot isn’t ridiculously hard to return, “they will hit a winner off it.”

Even among professionals, there is major disparity, which gets settled in the “qualies” before every tournament. These people are so great at Tennis, and when they mess up, or get booed, it is natural to get angry, but the world class players know how to recover, and keep all their focus on the ball and court.

Some players are just “magical,” like Andre Agassi, who has all these aspects described so far, combined with “one in a billion vision” and “otherworldly foot speed.” Yet, in Federer, Both Flesh And Not, Federer “beat the absolute shit out of Agassi.” If some current players were to go back in time, they may be able to beat young Federer. These three articles clearly show that no matter how much you practice/study, and no matter what skills you possess, there will always be someone better.

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