NEW YORK—I don’t want to make light of the recent heart-related scare Mardy Fish experienced or his ongoing struggle with it, but it occurs to me that adversity is bringing out the best in the 30-year-old Floridian, who plays his third-round match against No. 16 seed Gilles Simon tonight in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
You remember the Mardy Fish of yore, don’t you? He was the laid-back, well-fed, conspicuously talented but not always fully dedicated player. The country-music fan who specialized in losing matches he should have won, but popped up every once in a while to win those nobody thought he’d survive. That Mardy Fish had a lot of trouble cracking the U.S. Open code.
In his first seven trips to Flushing Meadows, Fish won a grand total of five matches. He lost to the likes of Fernando Vincente and Michael Tabara, who were ranked Nos. 51 and 149 (respectively) at the time. Some of this undoubtedly had to do with the pressure he felt here in the crucible of the American game. But at that stage in his career, he seemed content to live the good life of a pro successful enough to have no fear about where his next meal—or convertible—was coming from.
Fish began to turn it around in New York in 2008, when he beat James Blake and Gael Monfils in successive matches to make the quarterfinals, where he lost to No. 1 ranked Rafael Nadal. He missed the tournament in 2009, but his gradual makeover ramped up in 2010 because of his decision to finally adopt the discipline and work ethic of a model pro. Fish shed 30 pounds and inexorably rose to his career high ranking of No. 7 just over a year ago. In the past two years here, he’s lost to Novak Djokovic (2010) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The other day, Fish added to the credibility of his conversion with an excellent fightback against two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko, who won the first two sets of their battle on Ashe. Fish didn’t give up, though. He dialed in his returns and began to play with great patience and focus, as if he were willing to stay out there on that skillet of a court all day. He began to slowly pull away from his Ukrainian opponent. By the end, Fish was dominant: The final score was 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
The slow start might have worried or even irritated anyone who fears that Fish might be inclined to backslide. But he had a good explanation for the slow start, and after he won he tried to explain to the crowd, clearly groping for words and even repeating himself as he said: “It’s hard to explain, you come out here and you want to do so well, you’re eager, and maybe that makes you come up flat. . .”
Mardy Fish, wanting it to much. Who knew?
But there were other factors at play in this comeback, too. Back in early April, Fish suffered what appeared to be an anxiety attack, but turned out to be a severe arrhythmia of the heart. In late May, he underwent a cardiac catheter ablation in Los Angeles to alleviate the condition. He’s been dealing with that condition—and its after effects—ever since.
There were times in that three-hour and 26-minute match with Davydenko when, given the brutal heat and physical toll, Fish must have thought about his unruly heart. When I asked him about it, he just smiled and agreed that the potential risk—real or imagined—did go through his mind. He elaborated later:
“You’re just not quite sure how you’re going to turn up. The first match back (from the procedure) was Wimbledon. It was a three-set match (Fish defeated Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo). You sort of freak yourself out. That part’s been really hard for me. But I feel fine right now. Hopefully, you can draw on that type of confidence. But that’s been the toughest thing by far with me right now. It comes (the doubt and/or anxiety). Sometimes your mind can put you in bad spots.”
But your mind can put you in good spots, too, which has been the more dominant theme in this late stage of Fish’s career. The Davydenko match was, after all, the type that in years past Fish might have led Fish to fold his hand.
“I’d like to think I wouldn’t have just given up. . . but (the mental game) is certainly stronger now than it was before. It’s something we’ve worked on a lot.”
That work, combined with the challenges Fish has faced and stared down, seem to have produced what no amount of natural talent could: A tough, determined competitor saving his best tennis for last.