Naked Hero - The Journey Away

And anyway - you should be flattered. He might be an idiot at times, but in many people’s eyes he’s quite a catch. Now please, say nothing of this. Lewis would be furious with me if he were to find out I had interfered in this way. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t have said anything if I believed that was the case. So please... be very, very, careful.”
    “ I will. Thank you for telling me.”
    Scott tried to put the conversation with Marie out of his mind before the practice session. He knew he had to help Jim ground Lewis after yesterday’s win. He was the favourite now to reach the final, but Serge Livyenko would not roll over and hand him his place on a plate. Lewis needed to refocus, forget about the win and move on.
    When he arrived at the court, it appeared to Scott that the job had already been done. There was no after match buzz about Lewis, instead he was almost sulking, but determined to get on with things and go over the strategy for tomorrow’s semi-final. Scott was too blinded by Marie’s predictions to appreciate the reason behind Lewis’s mood.
    The main consideration for the semi-final was that Livyenko was left-handed, which would give the rallies a different feel. His serve would also differ from the norm, being particularly tricky on the ‘advantage’ side, where Lewis would be force wide on to his backhand, his weaker side. But Lewis had played enough ‘Lefties’ in his time, and knew how to compensate. They planned to focus on Livyenko’s own backhand, which was susceptible when put under pressure. It would be an interesting encounter, both players trying to force the rallies in opposite directions. Cross court shots, which normally predominate, would heavily favour one player or the other, depending on which side they occurred on. Down the line shots would turn the advantage around, but would have to be executed from the weaker side. The session therefore centred on Lewis’s backhand down the line. He would be playing that shot a lot come tomorrow afternoon.
    Two factors, other than Lewis’s form, were in their favour. Lewis had not been stretched to five sets as yet, and had spent considerably less time on court than Livyenko, who had reached the semi-final after a gruelling five set match in the quarters. The Russian’s legs would be heavier in the afternoon heat, and at twenty-nine, he was giving away six years as well. A long match would work to Lewis’s advantage. Livyenko would prefer to keep the points short, which fitted exactly with Lewis’s natural game. He had a psychological advantage as well. Their head to head record stood at 3-2 in Lewis’s favour, but more importantly, Livyenko had never reached a Grand Slam final. He had choked before at the same stage. It was not something they could rely on, but belief could make all the difference if it came to the crunch. Lewis had belief, he had done it before.
    Scott didn’t get directly involved. Jim had recruited another left-hander for the practice. They had a review once the play had finished, then Lewis left them, explaining that he had plans to distract him for the rest of the afternoon. That suited Scott fine – it was too soon to say anything to Lewis. He needed to think things through before taking any decisions. But an idea was forming and Jim Murdoch was the man he needed to speak to first.
    Once Lewis had gone, they walked back to the complex centre where Scott would soon be commentating on the first of the ladies semi-finals. It was strange that both men had the same subject on their minds, but found it difficult to broach. Scott was the one who eventually raised the pertinent topic.
    “I must say, it’s really rewarding having this sort of involvement. When you’re a player, you don’t get the same sort of rush. You have to keep calm until the end. As a coach, you can get more excited. It must have been a great thrill for you when he played the Wimbledon final.”
    “Thrill!” cried Jim. “It felt like I was on one of those rollercoaster rides - only it lasted for three hours. My heart was pounding. Every point he won was better than Scotland scoring a goal in a World Cup final. There are plenty of down moments as well, but Lewis gives you a lot more ups.”
    “Maybe you were right when you said it’s something I should consider doing. It would be a big commitment, though, taking someone on full time.”
    “Well, perhaps you could do something part time, and see how it went. Of course Lewis