One of my favourite sport events which I look forward to watching every summer is the Wimbledon Tennis Championship. The two weeks are always full of drama, upsets,  controversies and a showcase of unbelievable talents and skills. The anticipation and expectations for the tournament add to the thrill. In all of the matches played this year, my favourite was the third round between Serena Williams (World number one and defending champion) and Heather Watson (British number one, and world number 51 at the time)

 

Most people, if not all, expected Serena to win. Except, Heather was in very good form. Heather grew up watching Serena as her tennis hero. A clip of Heather’s interview granted 10 years ago was played before the match where teenager Heather confirmed Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova as her heroes.  Fast forward to 2015 – when asked if she will be able to defeat Serena, Heather said, “Serena is only human, I am not daunted”

 

 

Surprisingly, Heather nearly defeated Serena in a 3 set epic face off. She was 2 points away from an unbelievable victory before Serena dug deeper to find a way to recover and defeat Heather. Heather may have lost the match, but she gained huge experience and confidence that she can play any of the top seeds and win. Serena was full of praise for her bravery and determination. Losing a match in life does not necessarily mean you actually lost. Some losses can be  huge gains. I believe Heather gained more from losing to Serena than she would have if she had won.

Below are my reflections on their unbelievable match.

 

1. Every point is a match point

From the start to the end of the game, every point matters. Never take any point for granted. One of the differences between a champion and the rest is how they treat every point of the match. Never take anything for granted in life. Everything counts, everything matters.

 

2. No match is ever won or lost until the last point is won or lost

Don’t ever think you have won a match because you are a point or two ahead. Watson was practically two points away from the biggest win of her career, but she lost the match. I was celebrating her victory at this point and I watched the victory slip away from her.

 

3. You have a chance to win

Everyone has a chance to win in life if you put in the effort. Don’t be scared or intimidated by the statistics or history of your opponent. Rather, it should challenge you to give your best. Many of the top seeds in the tournament were knocked out by unseeded players. After all, they had nothing to lose.

 

4. Focus on your game; don’t be scared to change your game strategy if it’s not working

Serena was on the verge of being knocked out and not achieving the grand slam record of the year she was pursuing. She had to dig deep and change her approach to the rest of the game. Like the popular saying, it would be insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. If it’s not working, change your strategy, not the goal.

 

5. Every loss in life has an element of gain

Some losses are huge gains in life. As far as I’m concerned, Watson was a winner in that match as well. She is a step closer to achieving her dream of winning a grand slam.‎

Tagged: Match Point, Serena Williams, Tennis. Heather Watson, Wimbledon