An Even Match: Federer v. Whitman

An Even Match: Federer v. Whitman

Not many people play tennis and also become a well-known poet; Whitman is part of the majority. Although Walt Whitman, an early American poet, did not play tennis, his style of writing in his poem “Song of Myself” can be related to the game of tennis. The unpredictable changes, the key to crossing a boundary, and the self-centered perspective are all factors of both. And in both Whitman’s poem and tennis, these characteristics are all entwined and work together to create the art and game we know today.

“Song of Myself,” a poem by Walt Whitman, is unpredictable, just like a game of tennis. In cantos 1-6, the way Whitman writes is self-centered, in the first line saying, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself” (canto 1), but all the cantos from 1-6 have a certain innocence and purity about them. He writes, “Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul” (canto 3). These first couple of sections of the poem are all portraying the world as having no “more perfection than there is now” (canto 3) and in canto 6, the sort of innocence a child carries. After reading these first six sections, one would think that the rest of the poem would be around the same topic and tone. However, suddenly in cantos 7-12, the mood changes drastically into something dark. So unexpectedly, in canto 7, Whitman writes, “I hasten to inform him or her it is just as lucky to die” (canto 7), and in canto 8 he writes, “The suicide sprawls on the bloody floor of the bathroom” (canto 8). This sudden, unpredictable change in the mood and subject of the poem is reflected in a tennis match. In tennis, there is no way of telling the outcome of the match--there is no time limit and a minimum of 48 points, or opportunities to make a comeback. Even if a player is down 0-6, 0-5, 0-40 (match point), he or she has the chance to get back on his or her feet and win the match. The outcome of a tennis match can be unpredictable, just like the cantos of Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself.” Not only can both be unpredictable, but they also have boundaries that need to be crossed and keys to cross them.

There is more to tennis than what can be seen on the outside. It is not only about the technique or the physical strength or endurance. The key is a player’s strength of his or her mental game. If there’s even a single thought such as, “I can’t win,” “I can’t do this,” or “She’s better than I am,” the points following will end badly and continue to do so until those thoughts leave the mind. In tennis, the boundary between winning and losing can only be crossed with a strong mental game. That is the key to winning a tennis match, and similarly, in Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself,” imagination is the key to crossing boundaries one cannot cross in reality. In canto 11, a woman is watching “twenty-eight young men bathe by the shore” (canto 11), and since it would be inconceivable to go and join them, that boundary is crossed by her imagination, as Whitman conveys when he writes, “An unseen hand also pass’d over their bodies” (canto 11). Both of these boundaries, though different, need a key to cross it, and in the case of tennis and “Song of Myself,” there are keys to break through that boundary. The boundaries and keys in both tennis and Whitman’s poem link them together, just as the self-centered nature of both do also.

Walt Whitman is considered to be a vulgar, self-centered poet, but though he is not considered to be quite as vulgar as some present day works of art, he is still considered self-centered. This egotistical view of Walt Whitman is shown in his poem, “Song of Myself.” Even before reading the poem, the title already hints at Whitman’s self-centered style. However, if one begins to read the poem, he or she will find even more evidence of the egotistical personality of Walt Whitman. He writes, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume,” (canto 1). The sort of arrogance he portrays in this poem, asserting that even he looks up to himself and that everyone should follow his example is not directly translated into “tennis language,” but like Walt Whitman is always thinking of himself, a tennis player cannot be distracted. During a match, a player requires complete focus on him/herself--Where do I hit the ball? How much height should I give the ball? Should I run up to net?--and cannot be separated from the game at any time during the match. The friends on the sidelines, the teammates cheering, nothing can faze a player. Although this self-centered way of playing a sport is not as extreme as Walt Whitman’s egotistical personality, they are similar.

By watching a game of tennis and skimming over Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself,” there are not any connections between them. However, with boundaries needed to be crossed, keys to be used, the unpredictability of the outcomes, and the self-centered aspect of both, Whitman and Roger Federer might have more in common than one would think.