Champion Losing It

Serena Williams is still on top of her game, yet looked down and out in her Aussie Open Quarter when four-love adrift to Victoria Azarenka in the second set, having also lost the opener.

But somehow she turned it around to triumph  4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.

As she walked towards the dressing room upon victory, Todd Woodbridge asked her what she was thinking at four-nil down.

Her first admission was, “oh well, at least I’m still in the doubles“, before astonishingly going on with, “I was actually thinking ‘If I lose today and I lose in doubles I think I can catch a flight on Friday’. That’s not what a champion is supposed to think, but that’s what I was thinking“.

I subsequently read that at 0-4, she shook herself up. Literally. The turnaround was incredible. It just goes to show, even when you think you’re history, a renewed attitude and starting over can heave you all the way back and lead to being perched on top of the podium.

As a footnote, it’s a shame that Jim Courier wasn’t on duty courtside (it looks like he only interviews the men) as his performances with the mic have been revelatory and often hilarious, and one of his mantras during his rise to world number one was that ‘it’s never over until it’s over’. They could have riffed together on that for a while I bet.