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Willstrop: Happy hunting grounds
It is a fascinating notion that sportsmen and women enjoy success in certain places, at certain grounds or in the same venues.
Repeating success in an environment that is familiar or holds good memories is not uncommon, and this explains why pundits, analysts or gamblers are always very interested in the particular history of a sporting match up.
The first thing John Motson reveals as he introduces a football match is the recent results between teams: 'X have only won four times here since the turn of the decade', or: 'the last three meetings between x and y have ended in draws', are typical commentator pre-match comments. These facts don't mean that the same will happen, but there are many cases where trends materialise.
The 'horses for courses' theme holds true particularly in horse racing, unsurprisingly as the sport itself surely coined the very phrase and it applies even more to animals it seems than humans. Horses have the ability to exceed their expectations on a favourite course, and there are abundant reasons for this.
These reasons may correspond to why an athlete such as Rafael Nadal wins at Roland Garros – he clearly feels happy on the surface of the court – but it could also be a certain atmosphere or feel of a place that may influence the record he has. Just as certain racecourses suit certain horses, certain tennis courts suit certain players.
Often for athletes, the revisiting of a place of a past success can often induce a positive feeling. I have found this true in my own career at the Canary Wharf tournament in London; I won the inaugural tournament in 2003, green as grass, beating some of the best in the world, and it has been a happy hunting ground since.
Not only has that win left me with good memories but the tournament is well run and London is somewhere I, like many others, have felt energised.
The most striking example in squash is Amr Shabana, a legend of squash who has won four world titles. Because of his status, it is difficult to understand how in his career he hasn't won even once in England, having played many events here.
Such is his personality I now think the more people mention this the more he doesn't really care.
His achievements are outstanding and this should never be a criticism, more just a statement of how it is and to counteract this English record, he has won five Hong Kong Opens in a row. Hong Kong is a country he must, inexplicably perhaps, feel comfortable in.
There are those who play well in certain places, then there are Roger Federers, or Nicol Davids, who are so mentally balanced and so good, that they win almost everywhere, not needing to feel comfortable or happy, as they can't possibly like every place in which they win. Steadfastly brilliant, hat's off to that.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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