There are a lot of traditions in sport - in events as far reaching as the Olympics to the World Series there are elements that are particular to each sport and the way that the game is conducted that make us feel strongly about the uniqueness of the event and the winners that it produces . And as special as each of these events are, the Wimbledon All England tennis tournament, is not only the “queen” of all tennis matches, it is arguably one of the most memorable and remarkable sporting events that happen on an annual basis. Since 1877 elite conditioned people on ALL fronts (diet, mental, physical etc) have come together over a two week period in late June / early July to crown a tennis champion. To play in the matches, let alone the finals, requires, a life time of hard work, incredible mental toughness, the ability to adapt to playing on grass (this does not happen often during the year so you have to adjust), and playing on a truly global stage with a billion people tracking you every step of the way. (It thus it is easy to consider how THPL comes into play during the tournament)
There are a few unique and special Wimbledon traditions; they include a strict dress code for competitors, the eating of strawberries and cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage. And even though the British are know for their “reserve nature” to say pressure cooker might be the biggest understatement in sports. Which leads us to today; It started with Andy Murray, a Britt of 26 years old, in the finals again, making an attempt, on behalf of the entire country, to be crowned the first British men’s champion after a drought of 77 years. He had a formidable competitor but this year was to be different, he brought to the court experience from last years loss, his most recent US Open championship win, a set of contemporary practices (Murray has five coaches) and what he called the difference maker, the local crowd. He brought them all together in a magical moment when he was crowned the men’s champion I am confident that Andy never explicitly thought of THPL today but I can confidently say that what he demonstrated, in his win, are a whole set of attributes that we can learn from as we chart our own course towards THPL. Perseverance, tenacity, spirit and determination, Andy proved that, it is indeed possible to reset history even if it takes more than one try.
Loving life but maybe not as much as Andy Murray
Ciao
Joe