Compatriots - 20091013

Yesterday night a Russian, Marat Safin was playing against a Chinese, M Gong, in the first round of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000. Safin won, as expected, nonetheless not that easy, in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

With several glances to the game, I was once again moved by the hospitality we Chinese served to our guest. Safin, "the Tsar", a 2-time grand slam champion who would retire by the end of 2009, played his last professional tennis competition in China. As the curtain was closing, I witnessed the Chinese lady fans grasped the final chance to chant for their hero, Marat. Some of the Chinese girls even exhibited the Russia flag. With that enormous backup, Safin eventually sent his opponent packed up and for a moment or two, I thought I was in Moscow.

It was so poor for Gong.

Gong, awarded a wild card to join this competition owing to nothing but his nationality, could have no chance to play the game in the same level elsewhere. Though tried his best, as the close scoreline could tell, Gong seemed to have won little claps among his compatriots.

When you watch matches held in other countries, usually fans would yell for their compatriot, even the player over the net is Federer. Surely, nobody would be so naive to misinterpret the general picture, that renowned players would still get support of the lion's share. However, being compatriots, either to patronize or else, westerners are more generous to back up the minnows of the same origin.

Though Chinese people always bicker for patriotism, the code "boost enemy's strength, dampen self morale" is still deep inside our DNA.