From Beckett to Dostoyevsky, David Packman looks at some literary tennis ink, starting with recent Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka’s “Fail Better”
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Last Sunday in Paris, Stan Wawrinka played the match of his life to capture the French Open title, coming from a set down to unexpectedly overcome world No.1 Novak Djokovic in just over three grinding hours.
At age 30, Wawrinka is only now coming into his own. After being heralded as an immensely talented teenager and even winning the junior title at Roland Garros back in 2003, Wawrinka’s tennis journey has taken some sweet time to reach it’s current peak. Until his breakthrough Grand Slam victory in Australia last year, the man with arguably the best backhand in the world had just hovered around the world’s best 25, living largely in the footsteps of his Swiss counterpart, Roger Federer.
His is a story of perseverance – and you need look no further than his left forearm to understand his own philosophy on that front. There you will find a tattoo quoting postmodern Irish novelist Samuel Beckett, which reads, “Ever tried. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
This quote has been oft-hyped, and I urge you to read Mark O’Connell’s piece The Stunning Success of “Fail Better” – if not for the accompanying image alone – in which he neatly sums it up as one of the most “tersely oblique things Beckett ever wrote.”
Beckett, a spectacular wordsmith, was somewhat of a malcontent with a pretty dismal outlook on humanity, and in the context of its original placement in his work “Worstward Ho”, the phrase is far from motivational.
However, as O’Connell puts it: “a small shard of a fragmentary and difficult work of literature has been salvaged from the darkness of its setting” to become a “literary takeaway par excellence”.
It’s updated definition is totally befitting for Wawrinka, who even this year was having a wretched run prior to his victory in Paris.
“It’s how I see life and tennis,” Wawrinka says. “The meaning of the quote doesn’t change no matter how well you do. There is always disappointment, heartache. You need to just accept it.”
‘Stan the Man’ may well continue to have ups and downs throughout his tennis career, but his best – probably proceeding a failure or two – will always prove to be nothing short of sensational.
As for his tattoo, it led me to consider what other life lessons can be gleaned from the inked extremities of our tennis heroes:
“Beauty will save the world”
Janko Tipsarevic is well known on the ATP Tour for being somewhat of a deep thinker. He became famous for his tattoos and love of literature long before he broke into the world’s top 10 in 2012. Currently on the comeback trail from a significant injury, the Serb has this tattooed on his left arm, based on a Fyodor Dostoyevsky quote from his classic, “The Idiot”.
“Pain doesn’t kill me, I kill the pain”
Svetlana Kuznetsova is one of the most interesting and much-loved characters in the women’s game. The veteran two-time Grand Slam champion has a tattoo which leaves us wondering whether she is commenting on her training regime or something far more existential.
“Time is running out”
While time may be relative, young gun Nick Kyrgios is in a hurry. The precocious Aussie’s rise up the rankings has been remarkable; in fact, he had already notched up two Grand Slam quarterfinals before his twentieth birthday. With a longing to perform on the biggest of stages as soon as possible – if not before – it’s pretty clear the tattoo on his right forearm is extremely apt.
“There is nothing worse in life than being ordinary”
New sensation Borna Coric has this motif tattooed on the inside of his left bicep. The talented Croat is one of only four teenagers in the ATP Top 100 at the moment and looks destined for stardom. Ordinary is the last thing he will ever be.
“In trying times, there’s always love and hope”
Doubles specialist Robert Lindstedt joked that the Latin tattoo on his torso could be translated as “The Bryan brothers ruined my career.” Not quite, however the American identical twins are the most successful duo in tennis history and while they’re still around, there may well be a more subtle connection to the Swede’s ink work.
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Editor’s Note: This is piece is part of our ‘Sports Ink’ collection, a new feature focused on sharing the stories behind tattoos of our readers, contributors, as well as those of professional athletes. We are looking to collect the stories behind your tattoo(s) and what they mean to you, why you got them, and whether there is any connection between the tattoos you have and the sports you play. If you’d like to contribute, please see our Call For Contributions.
For more Sports Ink, click here.
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Photo Credit: Scott Barbour
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