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Fish Story: Fitter Mardy Fish Goes The Distance
By Joe McDonald
© Natasha Peterson/Corleve
(August 31, 2010) Every picture tells a story and Mardy Fish's personal scrapbook reveals old images of a bloated Fish who looked like he spent more of his spare time buffet busting than investing time in intensive tennis training. That was then and this is now and today a sleeker, stronger Fish showed how his commitment to physical reinvention continues to create a career revival.
A frustrated Fish slammed his Wilson racquet in frustration shortly before falling into a two-set to one hole then regained his composure and reeled off 12 of the last 13 games in scorching heat to dispatch 82nd-ranked Czech Jan Hajek, 6-0, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 and advance to the US Open second round.
"I won," Fish laughed when asked at what happened today. "No, these guys are good, man. You know, I started out great. I made one unforced error in the first set, entire first set. Played a bad game early in the second and he held, served well, held throughout there. Four‑all in the third set he hit four winners, broke me there, and played a long game the next game and he held.
"Next thing you know, you're down two sets to one thinking, you know, maybe you're going home. That's not where I want to be right now, so I was lucky to turn it around and play a little more aggressive. I was playing a little too defensive. You know, lucky enough to turn it around."
Much has been made of Fish's 30-pound weight loss and the impact of dropping the equivalent of a racquet bag filled to the brim was evident today as Fish consistently ran down wide balls behind the baseline while a Hajek wilted in the withering heat.
It was 11 months ago when Fish, who missed the tournament last year and underwent surgery on his creaky knees, hired a nutritionist to cook all his meals. Eliminating pizza and his favorite junk foods from his diet, Fish did not eat meals after 8 o'clock at night and with the help of wife Stacey Gardner, the former Deal Or No Deal spokes model and an attorney, and nutritionist Christian LoCasio, Fish dropped 30 pounds.
Reducing the strain on his knees, Fish has been healthier this season in producing the best tennis of his career.
"I had my knee surgery because I was too heavy," Fish said. "That was why my knees were hurting. Both knees were hurting. I mean, one needed repair and the other one was just sore all the time.I was just too heavy, flat out too heavy. So that's why I did it."
He's lost weight and gained success in winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time in Newport and Atlanta in producing a career-best 11-match winning streak.
Fish fought back past former high school housemate Andy Roddick in the Cincinnati semifinals before bowing to defending champion Roger Federer. Fish finished third in the US Open Series behind Andy Murray and Federer and entered the Open as arguably America's best hope to go deep in the men's draw.
It's been a remarkable revival for the son of a Vero Beach, Florida teaching pro widely regarded as a talented, but out of shape underachiever in the early years of his career. Fish said when he flips through old photos of himself he's surprised at how out of shape he was.
"I can look at pictures, and some pictures I might look okay and some, you know, not," Fish said. "Even from 2009 Wimbledon, I mean, you know, it's almost embarrassing to think about as a professional athlete or a professional tennis player. I mean, we have to be in such good shape. It's pretty crazy how I kind of got away with it for a little while, at least.
I feel like a completely different person, playing like a completely different player, and able to do things that I've never been able to do before Hopefully it's a career thing."
And he is seeing the results, because in Cincinnati he beat Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco, Richard Gasquet and scored his third straight win over 2008 US Open finalist Murray.
All of this showed today as Fish was on the ropes to Hajek, but with temperatures in the mid-90s, the Czech wilted, while Fish enjoyed the heat, like…well a fish enjoys water.
"Yes, it's hot," he thought. “This is probably the hottest it's gonna be here. But, I mean, from what we went through this summer, what John (Isner) and I went through this summer in Atlanta, I mean, it's just not even ‑‑ I can't tell you. It's not even close. It's not even ‑‑ I mean, it's 50 degrees less, I'm telling you, and no humidity, so it just feels nice. It just feels kind of hot."
And even with the heat, Fish endured. And many a champion has a five set scare in the first round or two. Today, Fish survived the test and the heat.
A US Open quarterfinalist two years ago, Fish is in the same quarter of the draw as Roddick and third-seeded Novak Djokovic and with 16th-seeded Marcos Baghdatis bowing to 32-year-old Arnaud Clement today there is opportunity for Fish to make a second-week run.
Joe McDonald is the publisher of TennisLedger.com where this article originated.
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