Mental Moment-Emotional Commentary

Did you see the Kerber-Williams second round match on Thursday night? It was a good match. After losing the first set, Venus came back with a vengeance to win the second set but couldn’t quite pull it out in the third. Venus played really well and you could see moments of her old speed, pace, forehand shots, etc. Kerber also played really well and in the end well enough to beat Venus. Mentally & emotionally they both held it together pretty well.

Williams

Yes Venus is a tennis icon. She is beloved by tennis fans. She is also loved by tennis commentators. Of all the years the William’s sisters have been playing tennis, Venus has seemingly been more of ‘cool cat’. She never shows much emotion on the court. Thursday’s match with Kerber was no exception. Through 60 unforced errors and 2:45 Venus kept cool.

Kerber

After winning the first set 6-2 it did seem as though Kerber had a difficult time emotionally in the second set as Venus starting coming on much stronger than she did in the first set. It was apparent. You could see it in Kerber’s body language and facial expressions but here is where the story takes a turn for me. Even though Kerber has proved at #6 that she deserves to be at the US Open playing Venus, the commentators seemed to show so much bias against her that it was a bit frustrating (for me).

Commentary

Much of the commentary was around Venus’s comeback and how strong of a player she’s been throughout the years. For the entire second set and part of the third the commentary turned to Kerber’s display of emotion. At changeovers in the third set, trying to concentrate on her coach’s game plan, Kerber draped a white towel over her head and you would have thought she was doing something illegal under that towel.

I get it! If you live in the USA you probably want USA players to win; whether you are a spectator or commentator. That totally makes sense. However I wonder if the commentators realize how their partiality was coming across? Neither Kerber or Venus heard the conversation so it’s not as though it was effecting their game but it can effect the way people see the game and the way people feel about the players.

Emotions in commentaries

It’s ironic for me to hear this kind of conversation on TV. It’s not been long that commentators have been talking about the emotionality of athletes alongside commentating on the game itself. Having done a quite a bit of writing on commentators and how they talk about men’s (dominant) versus women’s (derogatory) sports I also think there is a fine line in how commentators interpret athletes emotions. With that being said, the commentators did mention that Kerber’s display of increased emotion pushed up her level of play. It did seem to me that Kerber’s way of dealing with her emotions energized her and helped her finish it out in the third set. 🙂

Commentators, bosses, coaches, teachers, leaders, etc. have an impact on how elite performers see themselves (emotionally & physically) and how the rest of the world see’s them. Some censorship in how we talk to about elite performers is important. Even if they don’t hear it when it’s said it can leave a lasting impression.

Happy Saturday!

Dr. Michelle

Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk