It is easy to be the critic!
Nowhere is this more true than racquetball fans. There are many things fans do not know and fans can be brutal. Here are some examples of what you see may not be what is the total truth.
This happened to me more than once. A few years ago in the college nationals I was working with a well know-player. Let’s call him player A. He was playing another well known player in the finals. A bunch of kids were watching when I got there. I walked over and asked the score-9-9 was in the breaker was the response.
I said, “Oh, two aces and we win!”
They said, “One problem with that coach, Player B is serving. I said, “Oh don’t worry, he will double fault then.”
Now I said this as a joke and did not mean to disparage anyone, certainly not Player B, whom I consider a friend. He hits a short drive serve and hits the side wall first on the second serve and double faults. This causes everyone to go crazy and laugh.
People thought we were making fun of athlete B. This player laughed about it after the match as he was national College champ. But what looks one way to the crowd, may not be that way. We were not disrespecting this guy and I certainly did not think he would double fault. It just happened that way.
Other such things observed and the realities.
Player A has a bad tournament and seems not to care. Imagined view of match
Player A learned a close relative passed away just before the match. Actual truth!
Player A seems aloof when they practice and do not engage in friendly conversations therefore player A is stuck up.
Player A is a pro and time is money. Their children are in day care and they are trying to get some quality time on court. Actual truth!
Player A forfeits match to another player. Player A is scared of that player.
Player A has to have an operation in a week. They have terminal cancer and have been told not to push it. Actual truth.
Now I have observed all of these with people I coach or know. The public never knew any of these things nor should they. Be careful when you jump to conclusions in racquetball. What you see may not be the total picture of what is going on.