This week I am focusing on growth. This is exactly what was taking place in 1972. I would be turning 3 years old and both my body and mind would be experiencing growth and awareness. I still don’t recall much, however, at that age, everything I saw was new. As a toddler, we are simply amazed at just seeing our hands and feet or our image in the mirror. Maybe it was the dog passing by or the phone ringing. The tiny world that surrounds us might as well be the vast planet we live on. Everything we see is what’s immediately in front of us, which seems gigantic.
The magnificent beauty of growth is that it never stops. Even when we feel we have a grasp on life, we learn something new. It’s baffling that we act surprised when something new comes along as surely we can’t all believe we know everything. As an athlete, you constantly strive to get better, to reach a new milestone, and ultimately achieve your goals. But it doesn’t stop there. You win and almost immediately you are back to practice to grow even more.
A great example of this in 1972 was Billie Jean King. Billie Jean won the French Open, which is played on red clay. Then just a few weeks later won at Wimbledon, which is played on grass. When you consider she was the best in the world at that time, you might think its no big deal to win two Grand Slams in a row. However, playing on red clay versus grass is like living in two different worlds. The clay is slow, requiring extreme patience and shot tolerance for high, looping shots, and long rallies. Whereas the grass is fast, keeping the ball low, requiring the player to move forward and close shots out at the net. Only a few players in history have been able to achieve winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. It takes an open mind and a lot of practice. One that grows to understand the complexity of both surfaces and make the physical changes to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. What makes Billie Jean even more amazing is a few short months after winning Wimbledon, she won the US Open in NY. At that time, the tournament was played on green clay, which was entirely different than the red clay of the French and certainly different from the green grass of Wimbledon. Again, her mind was open to the challenge ahead and she grew her game to once again hoist the champions trophy.
Tennis is the one sport I absolutely love. I enjoy watching it, coaching it and most certainly playing it. As a child, I wasn’t a gifted player or athlete but my passion was second to none. I practiced as much as I could and while my growth wasn’t by leaps and bounds, it was growth. It helped me to learn so many things on and off the court such as respect, discipline, honor, integrity, and most of all, humility derived by perseverance.
I might not be growing physically with the sport any longer but I do find that my mind has never stopped growing. I see the court and play matches differently than as I did when I was young. I may not win all the matches but I enjoy the sport more today. I’ve grown through tennis and always feel “right as rain” when I am near it. Robert Sharma said, “What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny.” Tennis has always been a focus for me but there so many facets to it from the physical game to the mental. Each part continues to help me today. I don’t focus on the negative aspects such as hitting a bad shot or losing a match but rather all the positives that have come from it. I choose to focus on the goodness that comes from the simple joy of loving it. And that is an extremely powerful thing!
4 of 50 - 1972