There's an article on the Tennis Australia website about the December showdown and how important it has been for the juniors in Australian tennis to be out watching the playoff. It often seems like it is the juniors of Australia who are playing the playoff, but no - there are even more junior ones out there. Tomic and Rogowska aren't the only hope for the future of Australian tennis.
The article quotes from Scott Draper, former pro and now coach of a whole bunch of these juniors, and he had this to say, which I thought was really good:
"The challenge is in trying to give those kids a lightbulb moment. You can say something over and over again, but until it makes sense to them and makes them want to buy in, nothing's going to happen.
"You've got to be a passionate, self-motivated, hungry competitor; you've got to know how to affect your opponent and what you've got to do tactically to get the job done."
There's a lot to talk about in that quote, but on today, being Christmas, I just want to celebrate the fact that the wildcards are inspiring the kids - and it's working. Jason Kubler is, I believe, a perfect example of this, and I'm looking forward to seeing his Open performance.
Merry Christmas!
Afterthoughts (a.k.a therapy)
5 years ago
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