Those who have known me for a while know that I have been a huge fan of Amelie Mauresmo since she first burst on the scene in 1999 as an unseeded 19 year old who made the finals of the Australian Open. These friends ridiculed me as Mauresmo failed in every Grand Slam since to even make another final, no less win one.
Still ... that one handed backhand! Those athletic instincts at the net! That physique, which I consider one of the most perfect among all current world class female athletes!
Well, my faith in Mauresmo was finally rewarded this past weekend when she won the Australian Open in her first Grand Slam final appearance since that remarkable run back in 1999. As a measure of time, when Mauresmo came out as a lesbian during her first Australian Open final in 1999, it was major news and other players such as Martina Hingis were quoted as calling her "half a man". In 2005, thankfully, her sexual orientation has hardly been mentioned in the coverage of her victory.
When I was a NCAA Division I Head Coach, one of the things I found most rewarding was spotting the potential in a high school player and seeing her blossom at the collegiate level. I imagine this gratification is not much different than what venture capitalists enjoy when their startups make it big, although I will admit that I am too new in the field to know about this firsthand. But in any case, my joy in Mauresmo's victory reminded me of the importance of recognizing potential when no one else sees it, and keeping one's faith when everyone seems to lose it.
Technorati Tags: Amelie Mauresmo, Australian Open
HI!... i´m Yamila and i´m also an Amelie´s fan... nice blog!...i saw the link in the front page of Amelie...
Posted by: Yamila | January 30, 2006 at 07:24 PM