How would you like to be Andrea Hlavackova? You've never made it beyond the 2nd round of a Slam. You hold no singles titles and your WTA ranking is currently in the 80's. But somehow you fight your way into the 4th round of the U.S. Open. And not only that, you do it by beating the tournament's 14th seed, Maria Kirilenko, whose WTA rank is No. 12 and who was just a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon. Thrilling, right? You've finally arrived!
Except that your 4th round opponent turns out to be Serena Williams. And Serena is, as she is so often these days, on a mind-blowing roll. She just won Wimbledon. Singles and doubles. And she just won Olympic gold. Singles and doubles. And so its really no surprise that Serena beats you. What is disheartening, however, is that Serena doesn't just beat you. She thoroughly trounces you – 6-0, 6-0. Yikes.
Here's my glass-is-half-full take on it. How fabulous to be Andrea Hlavackova! You're playing tennis at a level that got you into the 4th round of a Slam. And it took Serena Williams' unreal tennis to knock you out of the tournament. And you're really not out yet – you're still in it in women's doubles where you've had great success, being a finalist in both the London Olympics and Wimbledon.
Andrea Hlavackova – your time is coming. Keep pounding away and you'll get there!
© Kim Selzman 2012 All Rights Reserved
