Cobb: What has Oudin done for us? Oh, so much

By Darby Christopher

A Janet Jackson song asks the question, “What have you done for me lately?”

Melanie Oudin of east Cobb County has done a lot lately for tennis fans and metro Atlantans. In the midst of our often scattered lives, she has shown us what it means to be focused, determined, dedicated and full of joy. For this, we owe her our gratitude.

Many of us in metro Atlanta have some sort of connection to Melanie. Even if it is of the “my child’s friend played at her house one time,” or “my nephew hit with her once four years ago” variety, this connection makes us feel like it is “our girl” we are watching on the television. If Melanie is playing a match in one of the major tournaments, an ordinary day becomes exciting and extraordinary.

Suddenly, the previously unobtainable feels accessible. For many tennis fans, the big names in women’s tennis — Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, to name a few — have always seemed part of the tennis elite. Out of reach. Not like me.

Oudin feels different. She’s from east Cobb? My cousin’s friend knows a friend of hers? What was impossible now seems possible. There is no tennis fairy with a wand anointing the chosen few into the hallowed halls of the majors. Given dedication, hard work and the right combination of circumstances, maybe any one of us could have played at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open!

The level of energy experienced as we gathered together in our homes or public places to watch Melanie play betrayed how easy it is to project our own hopes, dreams and aspirations onto her. Every point won led to whoops, hollers and eruptions of applause. One man watching her play at the Racquet Club of The South could have been preaching a sermon when, each time Melanie hit the ball into the open court for a winner, he proclaimed with passion and conviction, “There ain’t nobody over there!”

Now that the 2009 U.S. Open has passed, the questions before us are: Can we be as good at being fans as Melanie is at being a tennis player? Can we live fully in the moment, appreciating what this experience has brought to our lives, without expecting more?

Perhaps the biggest question is whether we can resolve to take the positive qualities we see in her and apply them to our own lives. If we do this, what Melanie — or any other sports hero — has done for us lately will never be an issue. Once will always be enough.

If any of us are suffering post-Oudin match withdrawals, we can always keep the spirit alive by looking for new ways we might be connected to her. Do you know whether the girl tennis player who lives up the street knows anyone who knows Melanie? Isn’t it time to ask?

And did I mention that I know someone who beats her at ping-pong?

Darby Christopher lives in Dunwoody.