Page 104 of Match Point

Dominic chuckled. “So we can taunt him from up close?”

“I’ll go for that,” Tristan said.

I gave both of them a look. “I know you don’t get along with Gabriel. But he’s on the cusp of accomplishing a feat we haven’t seen in the sport since 1969. You will want to be there to witness it.”

Tristan chewed on his lip. “Gabriel was real nice to me after our match. Like, sneaky nice.”

“Maybe he was being sarcastic?” Dominic asked.

Tristan shook his head. “Naw, it wasn’t like that. He was genuine. Been thinking about it all afternoon.”

“Come watch the match,” I insisted. “You’ll have a front row seat for potential history. And if Gabriel loses, well, then you’ll get to bask in it.”

Tristan glanced at Dominic. “She makes a compelling point.”

“All right,” Dominic said. “I’ll be there.”

I smiled to myself. Hopefully this plan didn’t backfire on me.

51

Gabriel

The sport of professional tennis had been around since 1877—over 145 years. In that time, only five players had ever completed a calendar grand slam, the feat of winning all four major tournaments in the same year:

Don Budge, 1938

Maureen Connolly, 1953

Rod Laver, 1962 and 1969

Margaret Court, 1970

Steffi Graf, 1988

Six instances in 145 years. That made this feat rarer than pitching a no-hitter in baseball, or winning the triple crown in horse racing, or hitting an albatross in golf. Some of the greatest names in tennis had never accomplished the feat—not Serena Williams, or Pete Sampras, or Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal.

I woke up Sunday morning with a chance to accomplish this impossible feat. Yet it felt like any other morning. My alarm went off. I ate breakfast while listening to The Daily podcast from the New York Times. I took a shower, and shaved my face with an electric razor.

I texted my parents on the way to the match.

Me: I am scheduled for 8:00 this morning. That should be 2:00 in the afternoon where you are.

Mère: Of course I saw the schedule. I will be watching from the salon.

Père: I will miss the beginning due to a prior engagement, but I will see the later sets.

Père: Good luck.

Me: Thank you.

I didn’t expect more from my parents. They had never been warm or affectionate. I was used to it. At this point in my life, it no longer bothered me.

But that did not stop me from wishing for more.

When I arrived at the US Open facility, I thought about how much was on the line today. The chance at a calendar grand slam. The opportunity to solidify my number one ranking. The possibility of cementing my name as the most successful French tennis player in history.

And there was Miranda. Winning today would catapult myself ahead of her other two lovers. How could they compete with a man who had completed a calendar grand slam?

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