{"id":2671,"date":"2021-06-30T23:54:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T06:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2021-07-01T15:02:05","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T22:02:05","slug":"thoughts-on-serenas-first-round-wimbledon-pull-out-losing-in-general","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/30\/thoughts-on-serenas-first-round-wimbledon-pull-out-losing-in-general\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on Serena\u2019s First Round Wimbledon Pull-Out & Losing in General"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Experience is a good teacher. It takes someone like me to know.<\/em> \u2013 Miki Howard, Love Under New Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last night, I had just gotten in about an hour or so prior from my long drive back from Las Vegas, when I turned on the TV to see Coco Gauff was playing, up a set and winning the second set, when the Tennis Channel broke into her game to show Serena\u2019s match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m always nervous and excited before watching Serena play, thinking that she\u2019ll probably win, but knowing she could very well lose. Especially nowadays, because it\u2019s a new day for the superstar where she\u2019s simply not as dominant as she used to be. But I wasn\u2019t prepared for this. Not only are younger players, lower-ranked players or just players in general not really intimidated by her any more, but she\u2019s been plagued with injuries too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, we call her the GOAT, and rightly so. And yes, she has 23 Grand Slam titles, four gold medals, and the list could go on. But she\u2019s also human. People can say the Wimbledon people should take better care of the grass so that it\u2019s not as slippery, but when you\u2019re 39, playing with a heavily taped up leg, playing an opponent who\u2019s exploiting your weakness by making you move,  if it wasn\u2019t the wet grass, it could have very well been something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I once heard it said, in regards to great athletes, that father time is undefeated. Of course, that simply means, that no matter how great an athlete is, no matter how good they are at their sport, the older you get, you just can\u2019t keep up the way you did when you were younger. Kobe even said, when he retired, his mind wants to keep going but his body won\u2019t let him\u2014or something to that effect, you get the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is, at some point, you have to stop. Only Serena can decide when that point is for her. And whenever that is, while she may be old in the sport, she\u2019ll still be young in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I think the question that she\u2019s dealing with now\u2014and let me preface this by saying I don\u2019t know her, but I like to give my two cents and psychoanalyze people, so here I go\u2014is who am I if I\u2019m not playing tennis? But not only that, it\u2019s who am I if I\u2019m not winning, if I don\u2019t at least meet, but more importantly exceed Margaret Court\u2019s record of 24 grand slam wins?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recently got HBO Max, well I\u2019ve had it for a minute now, but I\u2019ve only watched the channel, never logged in to watch the internet version, but when \u201cIn the Heights\u201d came out I just had to see it, so there you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But anyway, on HBO Max they have this docuseries Serena did a few years ago called \u201cBeing Serena.\u201d I watched the whole thing, and on there she seemed to indicate she defined herself by winning. Like she doesn\u2019t know who she is if she\u2019s not winning. Of course, this is my interpretation of it, I didn\u2019t really study it, I was just watching it late night, early morning and was intrigued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m always intrigued by winners, because winning is something that I haven\u2019t often done. My L\u2019s completely dwarf my W\u2019s, a fucking needle in a haystack type shit. Okay needles, because self-deprecation doesn\u2019t become her, but hey. And I\u2019m only talking career wise, because I think I\u2019m a fabulous human. But anyway, I often watch sports not just for the play, but to see the anatomy of a winner\u2014like their perseverance, the effort that they give, their resilience, and sometimes you can see all that in the matter of one match or one game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, I just  went to the bathroom and almost completely lost my train of thought. I guess what I\u2019m trying to say is that I\u2019ve noticed a lot of winners don\u2019t know how to lose. Now, you might be saying, of course they know how to lose that\u2019s why they\u2019re winners. I guess what I mean is they have defined themselves, and others have defined them so much by winning, they lose themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was watching another HBO, I think it was, documentary, some time ago, where Michael Phelps and a bunch of other athletes were talking about how they went into depression after their winning season or moment was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I just find it interesting, how we are all\u2014whether we do it or not\u2014always pushed to win in life, be it by your parents, a teacher, society or yourself, winning above all else is the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be wondering why I have the lyrics from a Miki Howard love song quoted above, because this post has nothing to do with being in love under new management. But I do so love that song, especially when those first couple of lines come in after the horns. And the message from those first to lines (the quote above) can be extrapolated to this situation here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I added that quote above because in those two lines I was referring to myself. Like I said, I\u2019ve racked up a lot of losses, and the thing about not winning is that it teaches you to value yourself for who you are, or as Mr. Rogers would say, just you\u2019re being you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that\u2019s not to say that winning isn\u2019t a good thing and that people should strive to lose. Oh, no! Nor is that to say that I don\u2019t want to win, or that I won\u2019t work toward winning, and like I said, I have a few, I definitely have a few. But even if none of that ever comes, there is still a part of me that will always believe that I\u2019m all that and then some, and nobody can tell me different, and I think everyone else should feel the same way too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So anyway, this whole idea of losing and failure is really something I want to talk about more here. So look out for hat, but that\u2019s all for now, \u2018cause ya girl is still pooped from that Vegas drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Added 7\/1\/2021* I wrote this late night when I was sleepy and tired. It’s all over the place. I should have probably rewritten it, but hey, no one’s perfect. But make no mistake, I’m rooting for Serena to win, not just 24, but 25. I really think she can do it. I guess my point is winning, or losing is just a subset of you, it’s not the entirety of who a person is. And I just think it’s unfortunate when people are reduced to just their wins or their loses, especially their loses, but definitely both–we are so much more than either. Hope that’s a bit of clarification. Talk soon. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experience is a good teacher. It takes someone like me to know. \u2013 Miki Howard, Love Under New Management. Last night, I had just gotten in about an hour or so prior from my long drive back from Las Vegas,…<\/p>\n

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