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David Foster Wallace, Tennis, and the Next Great Generation of Players

By Harry Floyd

BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 06: Kyle Edmund of Great Britain hits a return against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia during his Men's Singles Semifinals match in the 2018 China Open at the China National Tennis Center on October 6, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Di Yin/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 06: Kyle Edmund of Great Britain hits a return against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia during his Men's Singles Semifinals match in the 2018 China Open at the China National Tennis Center on October 6, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Di Yin/Getty Images) /
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David Foster Wallace
SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 12: Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts against Kyle Edmund of Great Britain during the 2018 Rolex Shanghai Masters Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals match at Qi Zhong Tennis Centre on October 12, 2018 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) /

We near the end of the 2018 WTA Tour and ATP World Tour and the words of David Foster Wallace cannot help but come to mind.

Tennis was once fortunate enough to have one of the great writers of the last century in David Foster Wallace. His personal experience with the game made him an even more profound voice for the sport. As the tour nears its close for the year, we take a moment to reflect on the words of Wallace and the countless players who are among the best in the world.

Even the casual sports fan knows the names Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. With the ATP Finals right around the corner, these are the names garnering headlines in men’s singles tennis. There are dozens of others in both men’s and women’s tennis who are elite, battling day in and day out to compete at the highest level of sport.

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Wallace, once a ranked junior tennis player and the author of one of the most notable works of fiction in recent history in Infinite Jest, wrote the following in an Esquire article entitle “The String Theory.”

"“You are invited to try to imagine what it would be like to be among the hundred best in the world at something. At anything. I have tried to imagine; it’s hard.” – David Foster Wallace"

At one point, Wallace was one of the greatest young players in men’s tennis. His life would eventually take a different turn but his love for the sport remained. Wallace’s words ring true today when we think beyond those players who have qualified for the WTA Finals or the ATP Finals.

There are countless others among the ATP or WTA Top 100 who are capable of brilliance at any given moment. Both men’s and women’s tennis are seeing new generations of players have an impact on the sport. There are names that we did not know yesterday who are household names today.

Naomi Osaka comes to mind. Sloane Stephens and Elina Svitolina. Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Kyle Edmund and so many others. And these are just the best of the best. Dozens lie in wait just on the verge of greatness, seemingly one major tournament away from the headlines. They are the hundred best in the world and yes, Wallace, it is hard to imagine. We are, however, attempting to realize what they’re capable of as we watch them impress us before our eyes.

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