Australian Open marks the beginning of the new tennis year and with this comes the ‘talk’ of the hopefuls of Australia’s tennis future.
The recently completed “December Showdown’ put on display some of the tennis that we can expect from the next generation. The result was a little surprising, with the players you expect to step up didn’t and the evenness of competition, although tight, showed that ‘stand outs’ just didn’t eventuate. Players of similar fitness, speed, skills and unfortunately styles battled for a ‘wildcard’ and the major stepping stone to enhancing careers and greater expectations.
The lessons of the past and generations that have succeeded and generations that have fallen seem to be ignored by this current crop. Whilst not being critical of their energy and passion, questions must be raised about a group of aspiring professionals and equipped with different physical attributes would ‘play’ the same.
The ‘character’ (inner person) is missing from a game that continues, as history reminds, to be for all and many and varied. Play exercised to match the aggressive, or the passive, or the calm, or the volatile, or the planner, or the natural, or the creative, or the courageous ….. in other words ‘be yourself ‘ in order to succeed and turn dreams into reality.
Australia has another new generation to follow the current one and these 16 year old’s have something very different and future modernism to their game / character. Vintage Tennis over 35 years has witnessed many fallen generations, this next one, we hope, has the fortitude and single bloody mindedness to be one of the successful generations.
A thought to some of the past and present generations (current players aged 20 years to 28 years) – seek mentoring to guide a life that is there but needs to change …..too much talent, too much waste.
You must log in to post a comment.