Gambill Finds Some Motivation

Jan-Michael Gambill channeled his fury over a two-sentence mention in a column written about Andy Roddick into some positive tennis energy Saturday.

Gambill had just upset the fourth-seeded Roddick, 7-5, 6-3, in the semifinals of the Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA. But this performance, one of controlled intelligence, careful serving from the sunny side of the court, unerring passing shots and tranquil acceptance of some uneven officiating, seemed secondary to Gambill afterward.

He had been dissed.

A witch, Jan-Michael Gambill called me. Twice. And something else too, with a meaning unable to be conveyed in any straightforward way in a paper read by many over breakfast eggs.

“Maybe your career is over too, woman,” Gambill said, his face turning red, his hands twitching.

Gambill was an angry young man. He was furious that someone would write that since he’s ranked No. 53 on the pro tennis computer, that’s the place his talent has taken him.

Not that there’s anything to be ashamed of, being ranked the 53rd-best anything in the world.

But Gambill has higher aspirations.

“My talent took me to No. 3 in the world,” Gambill said. Which was true for a moment in March 2001 in the Champions Race, the points system used to determine entry into the end-of-the-year finale. Gambill missed that finale. Not enough points. And on the computer that seeds players into tournaments, the ATP entry system, Gambill has never been ranked higher than No. 14.

Whether he’s 53rd best, as the computer says now, or 14th, as the computer once said, or an illusory third, Gambill might want to consider thanking me for shaking up his world so thoroughly.

Egos are fragile in this tennis world, where the players are coddled by entourages of coaches, trainers, parents, public relations handlers. They are chauffeured from hotel, to court, to practice, to airport by limos provided by the tournament.

When golfers walk off the practice tee, they will submit to interviews. When tennis players leave the practice court they hustle off in the middle of a pod of frowning protectors making sure no unmannerly journalist stops them to ask a question.

Major League Baseball players, NFL players, NBA players, even most college athletes answer questions after every game and most workouts. They might choose to ignore the interlopers in their locker rooms and clubhouses, but they have to do the ignoring face to face. They must at least say no.

But a tennis player, male or female, is mostly made known to the fans who buy the tickets that pay them their prize money via the postmatch news conference. The player sits in an easy chair surrounded by plants and answers questions asked by anonymous inquisitors. A few moments of private time with a player usually entails some begging.

These athletes aren’t often criticized. They also aren’t often made to be real people. We are allowed only small glimpses into the minds and hearts of these performers. Always describing the forehands and backhands and nothing else is not the way to capture the public interest.

So in a way this outburst of Gambill’s was worthwhile.

We learned that he reads.

Gambill came stomping into the interview room waving a copy of a Times story, demanding to know who wrote those offensive words. He offered an ultimatum that he would answer no questions from the writer. He fumed that there had been the intimation that his career was over. He excused his ranking by saying that injuries, which kept him off the tour earlier this season, were the reason for his ranking. Not his skills.

Despite the promise of being ranked No. 14 last year, Gambill’s career has not been particularly distinguished. In 35 Grand Slam tournament matches, Gambill is 15-20 and he’s gotten past the third round only once.

In the tournament semifinals preview notes, written by ATP staffers, it says, “Gambill has had somewhat inconsistent results this year,” that he “struggled on Europe’s clay courts,” and that he is “looking to redeem himself heading into the summer hard court swing.”

If Gambill finds it too harsh to read about himself that he is ranked No. 53 because that is where his talent takes him, Gambill should be thankful that he is not Dodger third baseman Adrian Beltre, for example.

And if Gambill can be brought to an angry boil so quickly, maybe he is a young man worth keeping an eye on. Gambill is 25. At his age, most tennis pros have produced their highest rankings--and their best tennis.

Gambill’s anger over the two sentences, he told an ATP tour representative, propelled him to Saturday’s win. Maybe a kick in the backside is a good thing.

According to Gambill’s official biography, he enjoys spending time at the beach--he was selected in 2000 as one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World”--and he is “a self-proclaimed Trekkie.”

He has also won two singles titles in six years. Maybe it’s all about the injuries. Gambill did, after all, withdraw during the final against Michael Chang here two years ago because of a bad ankle.

Or maybe it’s all about the talent. Maybe Gambill isn’t quite good enough to win tournaments. And if that makes Gambill mad enough to beat Andre Agassi in today’s final, then your friendly neighborhood motivational columnist will accept Jan-Michael’s hearty postmatch thank you.

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Diane Pucin can be reached at diane.pucin@latimes.com.