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No Perfect Heroes

Dear Mr Abdul Hafiz

I read your comments on ST Home, Pg, H11, 2 February 2006 regarding "Quit? It can make or break your reputation"

I have been an ardent Henin fan. I've seen her victories and her defeats. The only reason why I continued my support is because she has the tenacity to keep going on, be it while in the game or returning to the circuit after a long period of recuperation. She never quits. As a fan I was utterly disappointed that day when she chose not to finish the game. I was hoping for a miracle come back like some other time she had done. I remembered the US Open Final in 2003 with Jennifer Capriati. She fought and she won in front of the American crowd (that jeered at her).

Upon reflection, I came to the conclusion that Henin is human afterall. She is not a robot which can be programmed to respond to situations each and everytime with optimum consistency. Yes, she may have persisted in other matches, other people may have played while they threw up or were nursing soft-tissue tears but this does not mean she has to follow a protocol (unwritten) at the expense of her own health condition. If she would have persisted and given a super lacklustre performance, I wonder if there'll be another set of stories saying that she has no sportmanship because she gave lousy returns knowing that she was outclassed etc.. etc... blah blah blah.... I've seen her played so many matches before and I knew that day she was totally not herself. She is never known to be a quitter and so this time, I believe the pain must have gotton into her, she had to risk her dignity, credibility and reputation. Nobody in a sound mind will do that at a Grand Slam Final. Either way is hard, to carry on or to quit.

For us who stay home and watch the match without a sweat, let's bear in mind our heroes are capable of failing us. It only goes to show that nobody is PERFECT. If we are inconsistent with our response sometimes (non-deliberately), why must we expect others to respond with consistencies known about them?

For me I will continue to support Henin because she has earned my respect in the many other games that she has played.

A setback is never a setback forever.

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