And that develops character!!!

Australian Open 2008 – Two 20 year olds won the men’s and women’s championship finals. Maria Sharapova triumphed over her 3 months younger opponent Ana Ivanovic in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 to clinch her 3rd Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic (20 yrs) defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (22 yrs) after losing the first set (the only set he lost in the entire tournament).

Post match ceremony, Novak – the favorite to win, 3rd seed against the unseeded Frenchman, wins over the crowd with the statement – “I know the crowd wanted him to win more. But it's all right, I still love you guys, don't worry.” The crowd cheers him on as he steps off the podium and poses for photographs with Tsonga.

20 year olds participating in championships and winning it!!! Makes me wonder, if I can ever attain that much in my entire life. These young men and women have probably given up their childhood and focused on their dreams, which would make them icons in this world. They would have been through so much as kids. And not only them, but their parents as well. But now they are living their dreams. They have attained so much maturity and character with their journey…and I believe that’s what has made them champions. To quote from the Maria Sharapova’s blog:

“I know it’s as tough for my fans to handle my losses as it is for me,” she writes. “But let me point something out. I didn’t leave my mom at the age of seven for nothing. I didn’t spend six hours a day practicing in the Florida sun at the age of nine for nothing... I didn’t sleep in little cots for three years, eating oatmeal out of a packet while playing in the middle of nowhere for nothing. All this has helped me build character and there’s no better asset than being able to stand up for yourself.”

Cut to the same country, hosting the Border-Gavasker Trophy, with the Aussies and the Indians sweating it out on the field with not only their cricket talent but also their tongues. Suddenly, cricket doesn’t feel like a gentleman’s game anymore. These players ranging from 19 years to 37 years have left no stone unturned to express their desire to win over each other…but at any cost, even at the cost of the game. Maybe not all of them, but definitely some of the 30+ year olds can take a leaf out of the young Aus Open stars to analyze their own approach to the game.

Is it easier for sports people who play on their own rather than teams to excel in their chosen areas of sports? Does the group mentality affect a sportsperson more than an unsatisfied hunger for individual glory? Or is it just that lone players have developed more character because they have sweated it out by themselves in their triumphs and defeats?

If you look at footballers, they never seem to grow up. The only thing they know is to do their stuff on the field and then have a wild time with the opposite sex soon after the game. If they're not in the newspapers for their on-the-field antics, they'll definitely be there for their exploits off the field with the WAGs. But then, they also have given their best to the game, and no one can blame them for what they deserve.

Come to think of it, tennis has it’s own bad boys – John McEnroe, Goran Ivanisevic et all. And cricket has it’s gentlemen like Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Andy Flower & Stephen Fleming. And all of them had one thing in common – the desire to win against all odds.

In the end, every sport is different & has it's own challenges. And, I guess, you need to have it in you to develop enough character to be competitive in them...to face and overcome those challenges...to excel. It’s just that these sports put you in different stages in your life and instills in you the need to stay afloat when every situation might endeavor to pull you down.

And that develops character!!!