Why Men's Tennis Needs To Lose Its Cool

“Who is this guy, with the hair?” she asked.
“That’s Rafael Nadal, Grandma, he’s the best player in the world right now.”

“Oh, well, he doesn’t seem very excited about playing. He’s so quiet.”

“He’s focused!” I retorted.

“This other guy, with the teeth, he’s getting killed and he’s just standing there!”
“That’s Andy Murray, and he’s probably concentrating.”

Here is where she did the thing that many a grandmother has done before her—she pulled the dreaded “in my day” card.

“I remember when I used to watch tennis—when it was good. Everyone would watch it, only to see John McEnroe lose his mind. That was when tennis was exciting.”

She is 73 years old and it’s safe to say that she knows something about everything. I hate this about her, but it’s the truth. My grandmother is a fountain of eternal sports knowledge, overflowing with countless facts and stats. The woman doesn’t even like tennis, but she does make a valid point.

It has been said that tennis is a gentleman's sport, rigid with decorum and strict rules. This may explain its lack of viewer popularity over the years.

Tantrums, fits, rages—whatever you want to call it—these small acts are a demonstration of passion and adrenaline, all reasons people are drawn to sports in the first place.

In a game that is difficult to gauge its merits without much technical knowledge, how do you get people interested, and more importantly, invested? You give them someone to root for, and in tennis, that is the guy with the biggest spectacle.

The closest thing to this in today's modern game is a pair of rivals who aren’t afraid to stir the pot both on and off court. Andy Roddick is known for his belittling of empires on a habitual basis, contesting most calls thrown his way. He is a true American in the way the rest of the world thinks of us; loud, brash, and self-absorbed. 

In John McEnroe's time, such behavior was often looked down upon, jeered, and booed. Now, that “you get yours” mentality fills the stadium with supportive cheers and applause.

Often portrayed as a villain, Novak Djokovic is better known for his physical meltdowns and clever, biting impersonations than for his game. He and Roddick made the headlines during last year's US Open, with Roddick calling out Djokovic for his “bird flu” and “SARS."

Novak dished back to the mostly American crowd after defeating Roddick in four sets; “Andy was saying that I have 16 injuries in the last match, so obviously I don't, right?” He received an outcry of jeers and both incidents made front-page news. The match itself barely made the sports pages.

Even tennis fans get a kick out of a little discord. “The Racket Smash Heard Round The World”, Roger Federer’s inevitable breaking point at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami was a welcome change from the ordinarily icy former world No. 1. 

Fan favorite Marat Safin does more losing than winning these days, but you can hear in the crowd a serious lament over his imminent retirement—if only for the fact there will be less shrapnel on the court when he’s gone.

Current tennis stars, please, consider this a call—let some of that emotion out! Roger may have set the precedent for on court cool, but does he have a catch phrase? I don’t think he does, and, yes, I’m being serious.