Monday 25 November 2013

'EGO' and 'UNFINISHED BUSINESS'

Remember the hit by legendary Australian Rock Band Skyhooks called 'Ego' ? "Ego is not a dirty word"were the lyrics to the chorus, brilliant , and after all these years of playing a game that is 'ego fuelled' , that song makes a lot of sense. Why do you think Lleyton Hewitt keeps playing ? Do you think he enjoys the pain his body goes through after each match now days against younger opponents that run him ragged ? Do you think he needs any more money ?? It's the lime light that he still craves , he loves the big stage even if he doesn't still command the same crowd that he once did when he was the best in the world , he loves the challenge , he still thinks he has 'unfinished business'. What does this mean ? Hewitt is the sort of guy who , despite his arrogant past thinks he still hasn't done something in the game that he should have done when he was younger . Why do you think Bjorn Borg made a comeback after nearly ten years of retirement from a game he was the world's best at for several years before he burnt out at the tender age of 26 ? He craved the lime light once again , the attention , the press conferences , the signing of autographs , the photo sessions , the newspaper articles , the records he was breaking . If Borg had stayed fit and kept playing he may have won the French Open more times than Nadal , after all he retired in 1981 with 6 French Open victories, he was the defending Champion in '82 but he didn't play . His younger countryman , Mats Wilander carried on the Swedish tradition and kept the flag flying at Roland Garros for the 5th straight year , Sweden 'owned' the French Open in that era .
Tennis can do many things to a player , it can bring euphoria with a win , heartbreak and mental anguish with a loss and if you hit the big time  financial reward is simply a bonus .
For those players wanting to test themselves in the competition side of Tennis , make sure you own the following 'necessities' ; A big heart (small or no hearts don't cut it ), the ability to accept defeat , the refusal to lose , the desire to win , a sense of humor , a fit body , a strong mind , technical brilliance, a bank account with plenty of zero's on the end and a lack of fear regarding opponents with reputations and higher rankings .
If you think you have all of the above as a future star of the game then this is definitely the game for you . Tennis in Australia needs you , currently the amount of successful Pro's in this Country resembles quite frankly a needle in a haystack , every now and then you find one . If Lleyton was upstaged by a dozen or so younger Aussies on a regular basis then i doubt he would still be playing , at 31 , apart from Tomic , he is this Country's best , Egotistical and with plenty of 'unfinished Business '. Hewitt knows exactly what he is doing , hanging around until he is overtaken by younger talent , a shame Borg didn't do the same , Fed's 17 Grand Slams may not have been the magic number.......

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