A Tennis Match Isn’t Over

A TENNIS MATCH ISN’T OVER until the final point of the final game of the final set. While this might sound obvious, Lindsay Davenport almost learned this lesson the hard way in the 2000 Australian Open.

The No. 2 seed had blitzed through her preliminary rounds without dropping a single set. The American faced Martina Hingis, the defending three-time champion, in the finals at Melbourne Park. Davenport began her match against Hingis with confidence. After 45 minutes of play, the California native had won the first set 6–1, held a 5–1 in the second, and was up 30–15 in the game. Davenport needed only two points to capture the Grand Slam event.

Unexpectedly, however, things went awry. Davenport lost the game when she netted a backhand, failed to return a Hingis overhand, and misfired on another backhand. Hingis held serve to make the score 5–3, then broke her opponent’s serve to trail by a single game. Davenport’s four errors in the next game brought the set to a 5–5 tie.

But the 23-year-old former Olympic gold medalist regained her confidence. Two spectacular shots—a vicious backhand down the line and a volley—gave Davenport a 6–5 lead.

With the pressure on, Davenport’s Swiss adversary faltered. She double faulted on the first point, then hit two shots long and one wide, giving Davenport her third Grand Slam title.

EXTRA < < < < < < < < < < < < < <

POINT Somewhere in the middle of the seventh game of the second set, Davenport’s confidence faded. She lost her concentration and almost lost the set. But Davenport found her focus again just as Hingis lost hers. In the end, Davenport won.

The Bible reminds us to hold on to our confidence in God from the day we accept Christ as our Savior until the end of our life. Some Bible translators use the word faith for confidence. In other words, we must keep the faith from beginning to end!

GOAL! Identify things that take your mind off of Christ and cause your faith in him to fade. Ask God for firm faith and confidence in him each moment of every day.