The Goals of Rivals

“Thank you for joining us here at Fultz Gardens for our championship match between Dani Ryder and William Armes, in what has been an incredible week of tennis. This year’s Milan Invitational has really brought out the best and the brightest from around the world. From everyone here at Fultz Garden my name is Travis Wellsly, joined as always by my humble companion Chip Falger, and Chip, what is the atmosphere like here on the main stage?” “Oh, Trav the air is positively electric as we are moments away from getting this match underway, and I gotta say what a match to witness, am I right Trav? Two bitter, and I mean really bitter, rivals squaring off on the clay!” “You sure are Chip, one for the history books as these two have shared a storied history themselves. Playing on the same team in university and even so far back as high school. Only to have them both go professional and become the fiercest rivals the sport has ever seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of these athletes didn’t leave the court without some new scars.” “They have gone up against each other multiple times in their tenure with neither of them gaining a clear superiority over the other. Me personally, I’m worried about the ball kids out there on the court with them, Trav. These guys don’t know the meaning of holding back, especially when they play each other.” “True Chip. Their competitiveness knows no bounds. Remember when they last faced each other back in 2022 in the semifinals for the US Open?” “Who could forget, Trav! Dani sneaked out a cheeky win with a bad line call in the 5^th set, sending William into a rage! Before long, both players had their rackets smashed to pieces all over the court and both of them took home a pair of black eyes and a fresh set of bruises. Armes himself ended up with a broken hand ending his season early.” “As well as a fresh set of disqualifications Chip, do you think Dani is seeking some kind of revenge for William taking away a Grand Slam title from him?” “Well, Trav, Dani still would have had to win the championship, but Williams Armes was definitely his toughest competition in that tournament, very similar to the stakes today.” “Right, you are Chip, and with that, I believe I see Dani Ryder coming out to the court, followed right behind by William Armes. Will there be another showdown, or will cooler heads prevail as the sparks fly? Let’s now go to the action!”

The crowd erupted in cheers and screams. The stadium was divided as half of the spectators cheered on Dani, while the other half roared their support for William. Both players sat their gear down at their respective benches. Dani meticulously placed his bag and got out the rest of his gear, water bottles, extra rackets, snacks, in a meticulous method, while William tossed his bag on the bench and yanked out his racket. Dani was lean and tall. A bit muscular with a mop of long curly blonde hair held back by a headband. William was more stout and more muscular than Dani, but had a shaved head, choosing to wear a hat while he played. They said a courteous “Hello” to the announcer and another to each other. A sign of respect, however despite the pleasantries, the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. As Dani and William locked eyes, each were straining to stifle their rage for the other. Dani broke the gaze first and said, “Don’t fly off the handle when you lose this time. I will be holding a trophy, much more solid than my racket.” William grunted, “That call was wrong. You know it, I know it, everyone in the stadium knows it. Besides, when I win, I will have condolence flowers sent to you so you can more your bruised ego.” Dani was about to say something, when the announcer interrupted them, “Warm-ups.”

  William and Dani both looked up to the announcer sitting in his elevated seat, as he shot them both a look of concern. His eyes were kind, but his mouth was curled, as if he was saying “Stop this before it escalates.” William gripped his racket tightly and jogged to the baseline to start the warm-ups. Dani did the same as one of the ball kids ran up to him to give him a set of tennis balls. The warm-ups started like any other match, with the two of them focusing on form instead of strategy or power. However, the competitive buzz of facing off against each other started to pick up, as did the pace of the warm-ups. Soon, the light and easy shots were becoming faster and heavier with each hit. The cross-court angles became tighter and tighter as the crowd started getting swept up in their competitiveness. The solid “THWAK” of their rackets echoed around the stands, every time one of them contacted the ball. Both were already playing like it was the match point, as both had a knowing smile. “This is the best I have played in a while.” They both said to themselves, continuing their warm-up rallies. The crowd loved it as they were on the edge of their seats watching the warm-up.

A few practice serves and a quick rest later and they were ready to start. William won the coin toss and decided to serve first. The announcer’s voice boomed across the stadium, “0-0, Armes to serve.” William served and the match was underway. Both of them trading hits and trying whatever they could to keep the point alive and slam a winning shot. Dani’s shots were unwavering, as William continued to slam the ball deeper and deeper into the backline, until Dani almost touched the wall behind him. But Dani knew this strategy, it was a common one William used against him even in their school days. William always wanted to overpower his opponents. He saw William switch his stance to make his next shot a drop shot and sprinted to the net. William let his drop shot fly, and to his surprise Dani was already halfway to the net and preparing to slam that ball right back at William. Dani connected with the ball before it hit the ground and angled his return for a winner. William looked on as the ball sailed out of his reach. Half of the crowd burst into cheers as the other half threw up their hands in disappointment. The booming voice of the announcer, “0 – 15, Armes to serve.”

Another serve from William and the two were back in the rally fighting with every shot. William’s shot had lost a bit of power, nervous from the previous point, as Dani tried to capitalize on his weak shots. Dani started pushing William deeper back, mirroring the last point but with Dani as the aggressor. However, William would not be moved. He began hitting the ball on the rise from the bounce and maintained his position on the baseline, not letting Dani get any closer to the net. A harder shot, but one William had been practicing during his training. Dani’s powerful shots were being mitigated, eating away at his small advantage, until Dani was forced to play at the net or be stuck out in the middle of the court. William saw his chance and took advantage of Dani’s poor positioning and whipped the ball right down the line for a winner. The other half of the crowd cheered on as they knew they were in for a heated championship match.

The points continued, their rallies got longer and longer as each point became more of a chess match than a tennis match. Both players looking for holes in their opponents moves, pushing them back and forward, from side to side, hoping to catch the other off balance or on the back foot. Neither was wanning in their defense. The score reflected their determination as they were neck and neck all throughout the 1^st set. The announcer’s voice boomed, “0-1”, “3-2”, “4-5” Set Ryder.”

Dani took the first set on a down the line shot winner, and with a roar of triumph he pumped his fists celebrating. The two walked to their respective benches and began ferociously drinking water and wiping the sweat from their head and arms. The cool crisp morning air had slowly dwindled away as the sun rose higher and higher. Many of the spectators had already broken out their fans and sun hats, some even getting out an umbrella for the shade. William and Dani didn’t exchange words or glances.

Their rallies grew even longer as they continued. A thin layer of clay coated their shoes. Small drag marks peppered the court as the two of them tried to find easy points. Through a few mistakes and a couple of questionable calls from the line judge, William was able to take the second set, ensuring this match would not be over in straight sets. As the two of them sat on their respective benches resting, William mentioned to Dani, “God your endurance is still the same as it ever was. Those two line calls that went my way were wrong, you should have challenged them. The set could be 3-5 and we could still be playing it out.” Dani chuckled, “Yeah? I tend to never use my challenges.” William scoffed and chuckled as Dani continued, “Besides, my mistakes pale in comparison to yours. Where is the power? You keep going for accuracy over power. That’s not William’s game is it?” William stood up and shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe it is. Getting older and whatnot, right?” The two walked off without another word.

The third and fourth set were the same as the previous two, with both of them taking one each. The only exception being a broken string on William’s racket deep into the third set. Fatigue was setting in as their towels were drenched in sweat. By the middle of the fourth set the two of them were grunting with every hit. Both players were drained as their movements were sluggish. Their serves were now barely reaching triple digits. The match had been going on for two and a half hours now. The clouds gave little to no reprieve from the sun’s rays, as William poured water over his head, attempting to get any kind of relief from the heat. As he sat back down, Dani couldn’t help but mention, “I am so tired, man.” William leaned back in his chair, “Same brother, same.” Dani finished the last bit of his water and said, “I don’t know who is going to win. I was hoping to stand up to your shots this time and wear you down with my better stamina, but I can barely keep up.” William laughed, “Don’t sell yourself short. Those lanky arms of yours are stopping every single one of my moves to take you out of position. My idea was to come in here today with more accuracy and better setups, but your too damn tall.” The two exchanged a glance and then laughed. Dani looked at William and blurted out the question he has been asking himself since their last match, “Why didn’t you just let it go and let me have the win, last time?” William looked to the ground with a disappointed look on his face. “I wanted to win. I wanted to win so badly. Just like I do right now. I thought that if there was even a shred of hope in me winning then I have to hold on to it…no matter what. Guess I haven’t aged a bit since we played at James High. When it was all over, I had a broken thumb and two black eyes, and I had lost the respect of a great tennis player. I really don’t know how it got so bad.” William got up and walked to his spot on the court ready to start the 5^th set. Dani was unsatisfied with his answer. William’s anger cost him a Grand Slam title. Dani was also partially to blame but he would never admit it. However, the drive to win, Dani could relate to. 

Now with the sets tied at 2-2, they stared across the court to each other and gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. Dani with a bit more understanding and William with a bit more determination. Dani served the ball and their last set had begun. Hit after hit the two were battling through their fatigue. Like watching two boxers go head-to-head, each of them leaving everything out on the court. Pushing through the pain and fatigue, reaching deep down to pull out every last ounce of strength to move to the ball and get it over the net. Their grunts were pained as they sent the ball flying back. Both had expended so much and had been running on empty since the fourth set. Every step, every slide on the clay, every thwack with the racket could be their last before they collapse. Sweat dripped from their ears, arms, chin, hair, fingers, everywhere. Every rally a new torture.

However, in the midst of all this, both noticed something. Though their bodies felt heavy and slow, their power in their hits never faltered. Their accuracy and power were still going strong. Better than strong, they were at their peak. Their minds were only focused on the singular goal of winning the point. The world around them almost fell silent as the ‘thwack’ from their rackets hitting the ball and their own breath were the only noises they heard. As the point continued both of them came to the realization, “This is the best tennis I have played, ever. How?” Both had spent months training for the day they could face each other again, yet neither had pushed themselves this hard before. Through the grunts and the pain, they both looked at the person across the court and knew the answer. “It was you. Without you pushing me to be better. Without you as a constant barricade for me to jump over. Without you being my rival, I never would have reached my peak.

The ball slammed into the net for the final point as the announcer’s voice boomed, “Game, Set, Match William Armes.” Both watched the ball fall to the ground, and both shared a long look. Almost like they were stunned that it was over, the two just stood in place and stared at each other. Cheers and screams of celebrations roared over the crowd at William’s victory. The administrative crew for the tournament were starting to rush onto the court, trophy in hand. William was the first to regain his composure. He wasn’t happy, or sad, more like lost in thought, as he walked towards the net. Dani matched his pace to meet him there for the obligatory good sportsmanship handshake. We shook hands and locked eyes. Through tears William said, “I’m sorry. For everything.” With a warm smile a responded, “I know. Me too. Next time.”