Group B Blog Post
From this week's reading on David Foster Wallace, I found it interesting that he became so talented in tennis at such a young age. From the article titled Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley, he was able to become such a good tennis player because he could read the court and use math to help him beat other players. For example, he said that "Calculus was literally child's play" (Wallace 1). Additionally, he also said that "The biggest single factor in Central Illinois' quality of outdoor life is wind" (Wallace 2). Because the conditions are so severe and hot, it can be hard to play tennis effectively. However, Wallace grew up playing in these conditions and he became so used to them that he didn't realize how to play in "good" conditions. While many high school players that he played against would get so frustrated and throw their rackets, Wallace was a very patient player, waiting for the other player to mess up. This connects to the Charles d'Orleans poem because a big part of this poem talks about how anxiety hurts his tennis game. At the end of each stanza, it says "And I fear nothing apart from anxiety" (Line 7, 14, 21, 25). Because a big part of tennis is waiting for people to mess up, long rallies are often both physically and mentally draining. Additionally, because Wallace was able to hit down straight lines, he was a very consistent player. By using math, he was able to time his shots very well and know what angle and plane to hit the ball on.
However, this would not go on forever. Further into the Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley article, Wallace states that "Midwest junior tennis was also my initiation into true adult sadness" (9). By this, he meant that other players were catching up to his skill and becoming even better than him. A huge factor the affected his game was not hitting puberty when other boys did. While this is something that he couldn't control, it gave a huge advantage to other players because they became bigger and stronger. No longer could Wallace hit the ball as hard as them. Additionally, he was traveling to many other places to play tournaments and was not used to those conditions. These nice tournaments had bug zappers for the mosquitos and no severe winds. Additionally, the courts were in better shape, meaning that the terrain was completely different to the terrain that Wallace was used to. With this combination of a different environment and not growing up like other kids, it really hurt Wallace's career. He wasn't able to keep up with other players and use factors like wind to his favor.
Connecting this article to the article titled Federer Both Flesh and Not, Wallace is a huge fan of Federer. He treats him like a tennis God and compliments all of his amazing shots which he calls Federer Moments. However, a main part of this article also talks about his hatred for Andre Agassi because of how good he controls the court. He says that Agassi hits the ball on another dimension that other players can't even imagine. Like when Wallace was younger, he is also not afraid of straight lines, however, Agassi can hit the ball on angles that opponents would never imagine would stay in. While he does compliment Agassi by saying "One of the things that makes Agassi so good is that he's capable of hitting winners from anywhere on the court..." (Wallace 20), he also constantly compliments Federer by saying "He is, at twenty-five, the best tennis player currently alive. Maybe the best ever" (Wallace 2). As you can see, he has a love-hate relationship with Agassi, but adores Federer for this tennis skills and being so physically fit.
However, this would not go on forever. Further into the Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley article, Wallace states that "Midwest junior tennis was also my initiation into true adult sadness" (9). By this, he meant that other players were catching up to his skill and becoming even better than him. A huge factor the affected his game was not hitting puberty when other boys did. While this is something that he couldn't control, it gave a huge advantage to other players because they became bigger and stronger. No longer could Wallace hit the ball as hard as them. Additionally, he was traveling to many other places to play tournaments and was not used to those conditions. These nice tournaments had bug zappers for the mosquitos and no severe winds. Additionally, the courts were in better shape, meaning that the terrain was completely different to the terrain that Wallace was used to. With this combination of a different environment and not growing up like other kids, it really hurt Wallace's career. He wasn't able to keep up with other players and use factors like wind to his favor.
Connecting this article to the article titled Federer Both Flesh and Not, Wallace is a huge fan of Federer. He treats him like a tennis God and compliments all of his amazing shots which he calls Federer Moments. However, a main part of this article also talks about his hatred for Andre Agassi because of how good he controls the court. He says that Agassi hits the ball on another dimension that other players can't even imagine. Like when Wallace was younger, he is also not afraid of straight lines, however, Agassi can hit the ball on angles that opponents would never imagine would stay in. While he does compliment Agassi by saying "One of the things that makes Agassi so good is that he's capable of hitting winners from anywhere on the court..." (Wallace 20), he also constantly compliments Federer by saying "He is, at twenty-five, the best tennis player currently alive. Maybe the best ever" (Wallace 2). As you can see, he has a love-hate relationship with Agassi, but adores Federer for this tennis skills and being so physically fit.
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