[Deuce] Lucas Learns To Live Again
上個月的Deuce寫到了Lucas Arnold Ker，把他的網球生涯作了詳盡的介紹。
或許他沒有什麼傳奇的心路歷程，到現在可能也只是個平凡的雙打選手，
不過他知道當初如果放棄，就沒有今天仍在參加巡迴賽的Lucas。
順遂的網球生涯在中途起了變化 --
先是與老婆和小孩分居，成績開始不若以往，接著在06年要和Nalbandian出發到倫敦打
溫布敦前夕，醫生告知他得了睪丸癌。整個世界對他來說，一切都不對勁了。
但癌症既是危機也是他一生的重要轉戾點。
在作了移除手術之後，他仍舊參加比賽，一切看似無恙的外表下，癌症仍有復發的可能
性。這時他已和老婆孩子復合，06年美網結束，他帶著忐忑的心情和家人去了哥斯大黎加
渡假。果然，癌症在回來作檢查後復發，他必須得接受化療。之後，他甚至覺得要回來打
球，已經是件不可能的事了。
讀了Lance Armstrong的"It's Not About the Bike"給了他很大的鼓舞。讓他下了回到
巡迴賽的決心。復出，一切得從零開始。加上化療讓他的體能不能像以前一樣，因此一開
始的訓練成效很差。家人與阿根廷Davis Cup的隊友們，是支持他度過了四個月化療和許多
艱辛訓練過程的最大力量。終於，他在07年八月回到職業賽場上。
今年一月他的母親過世，這是又一次嚴重的心靈打擊。這樣的傷心難過，卻轉變成網球場
上的暴躁情緒和場下的孤僻個性。巡迴賽上的朋友們都了解他正經歷一段艱苦的過程。
正當場上的成績開始有所進展的時候，又發生了法國波爾多挑戰賽失火事件，
這個可能使他失去老婆孩子的大火，讓他對人生有了更開闊的想法。
最後一部份講到他為了懷念他最大的球迷"媽媽"，在他的全名之後加上了媽媽的姓氏。
(作者的文筆最後讓我快流淚了)
今年溫布頓賽場上，Carlos Ramos喊到"Arnold Ker to serve" 媽媽的姓清楚的傳到他的
耳裡，他閉上眼睛，出現了他小時候在Buenos Aires俱樂部練球時，媽媽總是在旁關心的
畫面。畫面中的媽媽是替他感到驕傲地微笑著。
Lucas今天重新回到他最愛的網球身邊，而網球也是讓他母親最快樂的事。
(我的摘錄非常隨機凌亂，如果有興趣，看原文比較好;
他兒子繼承了他的捲捲金頭髮，官網有Lucas以前金髮翩翩的照片)
http://www.atptennis.com/5/en/deuce/august2008/lucas
By ROBERT DAVIS
Published: August 22, 2008
Lucas Arnold Ker has endured enough tragedy to last a lifetime. But after
fearing that all might be lost, the Argentine has bravely breathed renewed
purpose into his life and career.
Lucas Arnold Ker knows all about losing. As a professional tennis player, he
accepted that losing is a part of the game. However, it was not until he
learned how to channel the pain of sorrow, suffering and loss that Lucas became
a winner again.
Sun-tanned and solidly built, Lucas has always been recognized by his unruly
mop of curly blond hair, devil-take-all grin and flashing dark eyes. Describing
Lucas Arnold's personality proves a greater challenge. He has been called
everything from carefree to careless. Even to his closest friends, Lucas
remains today an enigma.
Some say that Lucas was born to play tennis. His father, Henri, served as
president of the Argentine Davis Cup committee and mother, Lindsay, was a
popular junior national champion.
Older brother, Patricio, former Top 100 singles and doubles player, remembers
when they were growing up.
"Since Lucas was a very little boy, tennis was always his passion," Patricio
begins. "Very early he became a 'mini professional' as he was always extremely
serious, sometimes too much considering his age. He got this from our mom. She
would play with him for hours each week and took us to every possible
tournament around Buenos Aires."
Early in his professional career, Lucas was living the good life. In 1998, he
reached a career high ATP singles ranking of 77, and then in 2004, his ATP
doubles peaked at 21.
Lucas was in the fast lane, but somewhere along the road, he began to lose his
way.
"I did not take tennis and life as serious as I might have," Lucas says
quietly. "There was always another city, another tournament. Another
opportunity."
Little by little, his life began to unravel. It started with the separation
from his longtime love and wife, Yannina, and three-year old son, Ignacio. Now,
not only was he struggling with his future in tennis, but his personal life was
in tatters.
During this difficult time Lucas knew something else was wrong. He felt a pain
in his groin and he scheduled a visit with Dr. Javier Marriquien. It was the
day before he was to fly to London for Wimbledon with friend and doubles
partner, David Nalbandian. The next day, hours before departure, Dr. Marriquien
delivered the news – cancer. Testicular cancer.
Lucas's world was shattered.
Longtime family friend, and radiologist Dr. Roman Rostagno, uncle of former ATP
player Derrick Rostagno, was with Lucas during all this. "When Lucas found out
he had cancer, he was already at a low point in his life," Dr. Rostagno says.
"He was going through so much that I had to wonder how much more could this
young man handle."
Patricio agrees: "The news came at a time in which Lucas was not doing well in
life in general. He had a lot of doubts and he became extremely negative
towards life. This certainly was a turning point in his life since Lucas had to
get back on track if he wanted to keep on living."
Still, Lucas boarded the flight to London but kept the news from his family,
especially his mother.
"She was very sick," Lucas says softly. "Depression." His face tightens and
lips quiver. The nerves are still raw.
Once in Europe, Lucas played well, but he could not concentrate.
"I just could not focus," he admits. "I went home after Umag."
It was then, in August of 2006, that the tumor was diagnosed as malignant and
the next day Lucas had a testicle removed. Chemotherapy was advised, but Lucas
refused treatment. Two weeks later, he left for the US Open.
On the outside, everything seemed to be fine, but beneath the surface, Lucas
was worried. Reunited with Yannina and Ignacio, Lucas took his family to
Costa Rica for a three-week holiday. However, the holiday did not go well.
"I was not very good emotionally," Lucas admits. "There was a forty percent
chance that the cancer could return."
After returning home from Costa Rica, Lucas's greatest fear came true. The
cancer had returned and now he had no choice but to accept the chemotherapy.
Mariano Hood was at Lucas's side from the beginning.
"I was trying to be with him as much as I could," Hood says. "It was such a
shock for him. He was depressed because there were so many things going on in
his life during this period. All of us tried to help keep him up."
"I just wanted to live," Lucas confesses. "You fight more when you have a
family. But I never thought that there was even a possibility to come back to
playing tennis again. In the beginning, I did not even ask the ATP for a
protected ranking. Then I started reading Lance Armstrong's book (It's Not
About the Bike) and it helped me a lot."
If Lucas wanted to come back to professional tennis, he would have to start at
zero.
"We went to hit some balls many times," Mariano Hood says, "but Lucas was
physically in a bad condition due to the chemotherapy. We could only hit for
just a few minutes before he had to stop and take a break."
It was then that the Argentine Davis Cup team began to rally around Lucas.
"All the players wanted Lucas to get better, and I believe that all the support
gave him more strength in that terrible situation," Hood continues.
While Dr. Rostagno mentions the effectiveness of chemotherapy, he is quick to
point out the importance of the love and support of Lucas's family. And his
tennis family.
"The support from his family was incredible. In many ways, Lucas getting sick
brought them closer together," Dr. Rostagno says. "And the way that the Davis
Cup team supported Lucas, and which he did reciprocally was very special to
witness. I was very proud of the team and Lucas for the way that they united."
"Even though I was in Brazil, I became much closer to my brother during all his
chemo treatment," Patricio says. "It was amazing seeing the way Lucas battled
through without once feeling sorry for himself. It is as if something inside
him was sure that he was going to pull it out of this."
After four months of chemotherapy and many weeks of grueling and gut-wrenching
training, Lucas began to regain his strength and stamina. In August of 2007, he
began playing professionally again. The former Argentine Davis Cup player would
have to start at the bottom though, playing doubles in Futures tournaments.
Steadily, things began to return to normal. The wounds of the past 18 months
had begun to heal over, and Lucas was almost able to relax again. Then,
suddenly, tragedy struck a fatal blow, piercing Lucas straight in the heart. In
late January, after a long battle with depression, Lucas's mother died. Once
more, Lucas's world would be rocked, only this time nearly all hope would be
drained from his soul.
It was during this period after his recovery and his mother's death that Lucas
became the most difficult to be around. His grief turned to anger, and he began
to lash out at those closest to him. Not only did he build walls to keep people
away, but he stacked them with razor wire. On the tennis court, he would often
try to intimidate officials, and he became aggressive with opponents; some were
friends that he had grown up playing with.
"After Lucas completed his treatment, there was a period in which he was tough
to relate to," Patricio says. "This was not so good but his friends and family
tolerated it. We knew that he needed some time to adjust his life again to
normal."
In the Hotel Barceló Miramar in Salinas, Ecuador, Lucas Arnold is staring at
the man in the mirror. An electric razor in his hand, he begins to carve odd
patterns in his hair. Lucas walks out of the hotel lobby, across the street,
and onto the beach moving past families enjoying the last days of summer.
Steadily moving into the water and wading far out, he ignores the signs warning
of riptides and dangerous currents, and swims to the Salinas Yacht Club, the
venue of the ATP Challenger.
Marcio Torres, who was in Salinas, says, "Some of the players who did not know
Lucas very well said he was crazy and out of control. But for those of us that
knew what he was going through we could see that he was just, well, tortured.
He seemed very tortured."
Despite the hardships, Lucas was making progress. His fitness was improving,
his game was getting better, and it was with high hopes that he brought his
family to Europe for the clay court season.
It could have been just another typical spring morning in Bordeaux, France,
except for the black smoke that was billowing out of the third floor of the
Quality Hotel. Players and coaches alike are standing in the parking lot,
huddled together, some holding laptops, passports, and racquet bags and trying
to figure out how many rooms might be destroyed.
Standing apart from the group, Lucas is clutching his young family, Yannina and
Ignacio. He is visibly shaken. And with good reason, for only minutes earlier,
his wife and son had narrowly escaped the hotel fire down a hallway filled with
black smoke. The Ratiwatana brothers were there too.
"We were searching for a way out," Sonchat explains, "but we went in the wrong
direction at first, and we were struggling to get back to our room with all the
smoke, and it was very dark so we could not see."
"Then we heard a voice calling out to us for help," Sanchai interjects. "It was
Lucas's wife. She and her son needed help getting out."
"But we needed help too," Sonchat adds. "She let us into her room, and that
gave us all a chance to calm down and regroup. Then we wrapped wet towels
around on all our faces and tried again. We were very lucky to find an exit."
Once again, Lucas is harshly reminded just how fragile life is and how suddenly
it can be taken away.
While the events of the last two years have washed away the boyish grin, a
smile – albeit, a guarded one – has returned to Lucas's face. Life is good
again, and Lucas Arnold realizes what is most important to him.
In the players' lounge beneath Susan Lenglen Stadium at Roland Garros is a
children's playroom. Lucas is lying on the floor with his head propped up on a
beanbag. Ignacio, who inherited his mop of honey blond curls from his father,
is running about the room while watching cartoons. Lucas's dark eyes follow his
son's every movement.
"Now if I lose a match, maybe I have bad mood for like one maybe two minutes,"
Lucas says. "Then when I see my wife and son, I am happy again."
In a gesture to honor the woman who had inspired his tennis so much and who had
helped him to recover from his fight with cancer, Lucas had his mother's last
name legally added to his.
"Lucas has a mission to achieve in the name of his mother, who was and still is
his number one fan," says Patricio. "I also believe he is carrying our mom
inside of him, and that Lucas knows that our mom is taking care of him too."
At Wimbledon this year, few if any of the spectators gathered around Court 9 on
June 25th, knew just how important what was about to happen next was for Lucas.
Walking back to the baseline, Lucas noticed the contrasting colors of the All
England Club; the verdant green of the neatly trimmed lawn court, the polished
maple wood net posts, and a soft powder blue sky with white clouds in drift.
Shifting four balls in his hand, Lucas selected the two that he would use.
Teammate Luis Horna asked him where he would serve, should he cross or cover,
and then turned and jogged towards the net to take up his position. Chair
umpire Carlos Ramos made a note with his pencil, shifted in his seat leaning
forward slightly, and announced, "Arnold Ker to serve."
His mother's name sounded clear and sweet to Lucas, and it filled him with a
long awaited joy. Taking a deep breath, Lucas closed his eyes. For a brief
moment, he was a little boy again, back at the Club Los Olivos in Buenos Aires
hitting against the backboard with his mother looking on, smiling proudly.
Ready now, Lucas opened his eyes, bounced the ball several times, balanced his
weight and relaxed his shoulders. Like a pendulum, Lucas's arms began to dip
and rise and he served the ball.
Once more Lucas was playing the game that he loved, and the game that had made
his mother, Lindsay, so very happy.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
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