Tennis is a game of streaks, of rallies, of momentum.
When you’re rolling, it’s easy to keep it up. When
you’re doing poorly, it’s difficult to turn things
around.
Unless, of course, you’re Tommy Haas.
Haas, who defeated Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (6), 6-4, in the finals of
yesterday’s Mercedes-Benz Cup at the Los Angeles Tennis
Center, didn’t exactly have the look of a champion early in
the match. But he certainly turned it around in grand fashion.
Down 5-1 at one point in the first set tiebreaker, Haas looked
dejected, a player simply being beaten by a better man.
Though it would have been easy for Haas to pack up and regroup
for the second set, he did nothing of the kind. Instead he went on
to win six of the next seven points, take the tiebreaker, the set,
and effectively steal the momentum that pushed him through to the
championship.
“The tiebreaker was extremely high-quality tennis, and it
was an important first set,” Haas said.
That’s quite an understatement from the German, who won
his second tournament this season after sitting out for 16 months
with shoulder problems.
Sunday’s result was mildly surprising simply because it
was Kiefer who seemed to seize control at the outset. Playing in
the first all-German final in 10 years, Kiefer raced out to the
lead in the tiebreaker. He definitely looked the stronger player,
dictating points and frustrating Haas with his power and
precision.
Then it all changed. Kiefer had his chances, many more chances,
in fact, but he once again walked away winless in a finals
appearance, the sixth consecutive time he has done so.
“I had many, many opportunities,” Kiefer said.
“I just couldn’t make them count.”
It was a day of missed chances for Kiefer, who at one point was
ranked as high as No. 4 in the world in 2000. In the second set he
had a triple-break point, but Haas fought off every one, eventually
winning the game. This championship is the seventh of Haas’
career and the second of his “new” career, he said.
After undergoing two shoulder surgeries and intense
rehabilitation, Haas began this tennis season with what he thought
were reasonable expectations: One was to crack the top-100 in the
world; the other was to win one tournament.
Consider those done and done. And done.
He’s already gone above and beyond, reaching the top 100
weeks ago and emerging victorious in two tournaments so far.
“It’s just proof that if you fight hard, it’s
still possible to have some success,” said Haas, whose
career-high ranking was No. 2 in May 2002.
But the journey certainly wasn’t easy. There were days
when he simply threw in the towel. Frustrated with the pain and an
inability to compete, Haas would step away, travel, and try to
forget about things.
But now he’s back ““ with a vengeance.
Sounds kind of like the Terminator. Or the Governator.
After Sunday’s match Haas was headed to Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s Pacific Palisades home to dine with the
action star because Haas’ father attended grade school with
Schwarzenegger’s father in Austria. He wouldn’t say
whether his invitation was contingent upon a victory in the
final.
“I’m going to have to ask him,” Haas said with
a laugh. “If it is, that’s pretty big
motivation.”
After the match Haas and Kiefer could agree on a lot of things.
They both felt the day was good for German tennis, and each thought
the other deserving of the championship.
“I think it’s sad that you have to say there’s
one winner and one loser,” Kiefer said. “We both
deserved to win.”
Kiefer and Haas, who are friendly off the court, agreed on one
more thing.
Both campaigned for the tournament’s winner to receive a
new Mercedes-Benz, which would mimic the prize awarded to the
winner of the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.
“I just talked to (Tournament Director) Bob (Kramer) and
tried to change it for next year,” Kiefer said with a
smile.
Kiefer also promised to be back, as he has improved in each of
the three years he has played this event ““ first a
quarterfinalist, then a semifinalist and now a finalist.
He seems to be gaining momentum. But he learned Sunday how
quickly it can change.
Just ask Tommy Haas.