A Humble Tiger

by Jordan Mamorsky

Contrary to public belief, nice guys can finish first in life. Guts, discipline, and solid strategy have contributed to making Todd Martin the championship player we know him to be. Yet, this ferocious competitor is also exceedingly humble and an active presence in his community. Martin differs from other professional athletes who have been tainted by the money and big business which has infiltrated sports. In fact, Martin believes that professional athletes are overpaid and that they should compete for the love of the game, not the money.

Certainly Martin has an overwhelming love for tennis which drives him to be such an outstanding tennis player. Yet he is modest, even when reminded of the biggest and most spectacular accomplishments of his career. "I don't like to be proud, at least not about myself. But I was really pleased with the 1999 U.S. Open, overcoming a couple of pretty big obstacles during the course of the two weeks - and in the final against Andre, I played a very good match for a very long time. That meant an awful lot to me," he confessed to this TeenSpeak reporter during a recent interview.

Caring and humble best describe this come-back kid. I was struck by how concerned he was about relaying his information during our interview, pausing between words to make sure that he was explaining his exact emotions. Martin is earnest and polite. When speaking with him, it is evident that he is just like anyone else and has a "boy next door" quality about him.

In contrast, this same person can arouse the competitive fire which has won him a multitude of sterling tennis achievements to be overwhelmingly proud of. His magnificent comebacks in the U.S. Open and Davis Cup matches in the twilight of his career has added luster to an already stupendous tennis career, and has given spectators around the world a lot to cheer about. His comebacks have been anything but ordinary, including one where he was so dehydrated that he had to be hooked up to an Iv during a long, grueling five set match.

Martin attributes his success in his amazing comebacks to his strategy. "I think that if a person who is losing shows persistence and constant pressure on his opponent, I think that is felt on the other side of the court. If it's felt, then it can result in nerves for the one who is in the lead. If it's not felt, chances are that the player that is in the lead is taking it for granted a little bit, which also allows the other player to force a comeback."

Todd Martin