Love in Adelaide

I’ve just come from the Adelaide International, a WTA 500/ATP 250 tennis tournament that is one of the lead ups to the Australian Open.

It was great.

Very intimate setting - the “drive” where it is held is maybe equivalent in size to court 17 at the US Open. Everyone in the place has a great vantage point. And the setting can’t be beat. Along the river, a 15 minute walk from my hotel in the center of Adelaide. And today was the first day since I’ve been here that it was super sunny and warm. No hoodie required!

And the matches were terrific. Tomas Machac beat Ugo Humbert in 3 to take the men’s title, and Mirra Andreeva beat Victoria Mbako, who was not 100%, in 2. I saw the semis yesterday as well, so 2 excellent days of tennis.

A couple of things really stuck with me.

First, before the finals today, they had an Aboriginal elder bless the tournament and the trophies. He honored his ancestors and the ancestors of all those in attendance, and asked them to remove any negative energy from the court and the trophies. Very interesting.

Second, Mirra Andreeva’s winner speech. Before the trophy ceremony, she put on a jacket that said “I’d like to thank me” - Andreeva. Of course I had to google what that was all about. Turns out she has made it a point to thank herself in any tournament win since her first big win at Indian Wells. Today, after thanking her opponent, the tournament, her team etc, she said something like and “finally, because this is what I do, I want to thank myself. For my determination. For my hard work. For my willingness to work through the pain and persevere”

Wow what a concept. And such a great reminder that you should always be your own biggest cheerleader. Hopefully, others in your life will cheer you on, but it’s up to you to see and appreciate your own value. To recognize and be grateful for what you accomplish, To appreciate your gifts and your hard work.

I hope that I can continue to do this.

More Adelaide tomorrow!