The Power of Compliance in Sports, and American Culture

The Four Slams, via Tennis Ticket News

Every early fall, the world of tennis turns its eyes towards New York City, for the annual United States Open, a professional 'Grand Slam' tennis tournament. The greatest to play tennis have performed on the world stage here.  Some consider the Four Slams, at right, to be almost as momentous as the Olympic Games themselves, which only turn up every four years. This being said, the athletes always give us, the fans, something to think about that really is a lot bigger than just tennis, and in this case it is the sudden retirement of many successful stars.

Roddick playing 2012, Getty

Two of tennis' top players, Kim Clijsters, and Andy Roddick, have both officially announced their retirements from the sport of professional tennis; one day apart from one another, on August 30th and 31st. While critics had known that Clijsters was coming into the Open as her last tournament, Roddick's announcement was quite a surprise. Although Roddick had been thinking about retiring for some time, the Bleacher Report notes that Roddick said in a press conference following the announcement, "When I was playing my first round [at the U.S. Open] I knew." And although Roddick claims that, "walking off at Wimbledon, I felt like I knew then", and had been thinking about retiring for months, I think when he saw how the public and peers positively reacted when Clijsters announced officially her retirement, he thought it would be the perfect time. When he was asked if anything might have influenced his decision, Roddick claimed that it was "just time". Could the power of compliance be bearing its ugly head in the American sports world?

Although it may be the case of Roddick, other seasoned tennis stars, such as Serena Williams, are thinking otherwise for themselves. Ms. Williams said, "so many people are retiring. It's incredibly sad for me to lose a friend on the tour. It's going to be hard." Williams also stated that she has no desire to follow in Roddick's footsteps anytime soon, "I wouldn't have anything to do! I want to stick around for another 20 or 30 years." Despite the apparent hyperbole in her final statement, Williams does definitely defy the common misconception that all Americans and athletes simply follow in each other's footsteps to no avail. As a fan myself, I hope these players stick around for a long time and that Roddick is the last of the modern greats to retire so soon after the loss of another great player. What do you think, is it reverse psychology or just a coincidence?