Nothing Frustrates

NOTHING FRUSTRATES a top-ranked tennis player more than losing an important first-round match before a hometown crowd. But in the 2002 Australian Open, Lleyton Hewitt compounded his failure with petty gripes.

The 20-year-old native of Adelaide, Australia, had risen to the No. 1 spot in the world rankings prior to the 2002 season. His fellow Aussies hoped Hewitt could claim the Open title for the host country for the first time since 1976.

But two weeks prior to the tournament, Lleyton contracted chicken pox. Although it posed only a minor inconvenience, the illness sapped his strength. In the first round, Hewitt drew Spain’s Alberto Martin. Initially it appeared as if Hewitt would handle the 39th-ranked player easily, as he won the first set 6–1.

Martin rallied, however, by keeping the ball in play for long stretches and wearing down his physically weakened opponent. The Spaniard won the next two sets 6–1, 6–4 as Hewitt committed three unforced errors for every winning shot.

With the decisive fourth set tied 6–6, the match went into a tiebreaker. Leading 5–4, Martin asked the umpire for a time-out due to cramping in his legs. Following three minutes of treatment, he took the next two points and captured a four-set victory.

After the match, Hewitt complained that although the time-out was legal, his opponent should have waited until the game break.

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POINT Did Martin have an outstanding game plan? Yes. Was his plan of wearing down his weakened opponent effective? Yes. Was the official following the rules when he awarded the time-out to Martin? Yes. Should Hewitt have complained about the umpire’s ruling? No.

Nobody likes to lose. Sometimes we want to make excuses and complain instead of congratulating our opponent or examining why we lost. The fact is, maybe we deserved to lose. Perhaps we didn’t work hard enough or were weakened by injury or illness.

The truth is, there are consequences for our actions. When we don’t follow the coach’s plan, we can lose games. Just like when we don’t follow God’s rules, we must accept the consequences.

GOAL! Think of a time you were punished for something you did or said. Did you complain? Instead of complaining, ask God to help you accept the consequences and turn back to him.