A few years ago, John McEnroe was asked what he thought of doubles tennis. Known as one of the great singles players of all time, McEnroe also played doubles during his Hall of Fame career, winning 78 titles along the way. But when asked what he thought about the game today, McEnroe chose to deliver a swift backhand to every professional doubles player out there.
"Doubles are those slow guys who aren't quick enough to play singles," he sniffed.
Doubles players around the world were furious. The comment stung. Not only was it perceived as an act of betrayal, the players knew it would lend legitimacy to all the doubles haters out there.
It's precisely because of the perception McEnroe gave voice to that doubles player have never received the respect they deserve – or maybe the respect they feel they deserve. There is not a better example of this than Canada's 43-year-old Daniel Nestor, who took to the court here Thursday in a men's doubles semi-final match against a Spanish team that included a modern-day legend, Rafael Nadal.
Canada lost 2-0 – a score that in no way reflects just how tight this contest was. Both sets went to a tiebreak. The outcome was determined by a loose shot here, an unforced error there. But it is not entirely a sad story. Nestor and his partner, Vasek Pospisil, still have a chance to leave Rio with a medal. It will just have to be bronze.
"They are a tough team," Nestor said afterward of Nadal and his partner, Marc Lopez. "They made a lot of extra shots and they didn't give us anything. That was probably the difference. We made more unforced errors than they did."
Nestor wasn't even supposed to be here. It was assumed his string of Olympic competitions was over at five. But when Milos Raonic withdrew over Zika concerns, it took Nestor all of two seconds to accept an invitation to fill his spot. His arrival has generated attention, and not simply from Canadian media. This is a guy, after all, with whom The New York Times and Sports Illustrated have been charmed.
Most of that notice has come later in his career and focused on the fact this is a man competing at an extremely high level in what is accepted to be a young man's sport. Nestor was asked once if he ever felt old playing in his 40s. He said only when he looked across the net at his opponents; he never wanted to imagine what they were thinking as they gazed back at him.
Any of his adversaries who have been in the game any length of time would undoubtedly view playing against Nestor an honour. While the doubles game might get dissed outside the realm of the professional circuit, inside players know who has earned veneration. It is a small group, but Nestor is firmly ensconced in it. One look at his remarkable record removes any doubt.
Eight Grand Slam men's doubles titles. Four more in mixed. More than 90 doubles titles worldwide. More than $12-million in career earnings. And a gold medal. He is one of the most-winning doubles players in the history of the modern era. And yet, for all that he has achieved, Nestor plays in the shadows of his sport and consequently has, if not remained unknown in his own country, definitely not become any kind of name.
Part of that is Nestor himself. For a large chunk of his career he was perceived as standoffish. It would later be revealed that his public posture had nothing to do with a high self-regard. No, the answer was far more mundane: He was shy. Painfully so.
Now as he nears the end of his career, Nestor has been able to slip the cloak of timidness that concealed his true personality. The guy who fellow pros say has one of the wickedest senses of humour on tour, finally feels completely comfortable in his own skin.
But before he signs off for good, he has an Olympic medal to compete for. It will be bronze, not gold, and so it won't be quite the feel-good ending for which everyone was hoping. The Canadian duo will face Jack Sock and Steve Johnson of the United States in the bronze-medal match Friday.
Still, Nestor will take any medal knowing what a remarkably fitting cap it would be on his career.
"I came here because I thought we had a chance to win a medal. Otherwise I wouldn't have come," Nestor told reporters. And when he said it, he sounded as serious and focused as he's ever been.
Gary Mason