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The Best Woman Won...
I am happy.
As a big fan of tennis, I am sitting here very happy, indeed, that the champion of the Ladies' Wimbledon Championship Match is:
Petra Kvitova
2014 Wimbledon Ladies' Champion
Read about it here.
I have to admit I had "put my money on" Ms. Eugenie Bouchard, the runner-up in this tournament. All the hype that swirled around Genie over this past year in tennis convinced me that she was up to the challenge. In the end, it was the more experienced Petra Kvitova, who hails from the Czech Republic, who showed just what she is made of - champion material!
Even though I had mentally bet on Genie Bouchard of Canada (I don't actually gamble with real money!), I was rooting for Petra the whole time. I've always loved her as a tennis player but more importantly, I've always loved and respected her as a woman and human being. Her personality is fabulous. She is quite shy, actually, and she exudes a peaceful calmness that you don't see much in big sports these days. All that pumping of the fists, beating of the breasts, screaming throughout the games... that all turns me right off. It seems more and more players are turning this lovely civilized sport into something more resembling a boxing match, or a football game. I don't much like all that, and this is one reason I've always loved watching tennis... it is, or it SHOULD GO BACK TO BEING, a very civilized sport among civilized sportspeople.
Eugenie Bouchard, Canada
Wimbledon Runner-up 2014
So Genie Bouchard will just have to go back to the drawing board now and see where she went wrong, see what part of her game needs improving, etc. However, the one little thing that turned me from rooting for Genie Bouchard to rooting for the ultimate winner, Petra Kvitova, was personality. I thought Bouchard was up for this, and the way she has been hyping herself as well as being hyped by the ever-hyping media, we were to believe there was no stopping her. But the self-hype part of her persona these last two weeks was disturbing to me. Not blaringly disturbing, because I like a woman who believes in herself, but I also love humility in a woman OR a man, for that matter. Petra has humility. Genie does not, it seems.
During the award presentation ceremony, Bouchard was all sour-faced and miserable looking. She could barely manage the faintest smile at all, and it wasn't the type of sadness I've seen on some players at losing where their eyes tear up and they are truly bereft. On Genie, it seemed more like she felt she had been entitled to this championship title - that somehow someone, other than herself, had snatched it away from her and she was more mad than sad. That's just the feeling I got from her. Very lacking in humility. She had only a handful of words to say at the microphone. Didn't she prepare a runner-up speech? I think not. I think she never even entertained the thought that she would be the runner-up. That may seem like self-confidence but it's also a bit like self-absorption. If she had paid attention to the way in which Petra was playing on the other side of the net, she might have done better. As it was, Bouchard lost the championship at 6-3, 6-0, in less than 1 hour of play. Not the most thrilling match I've ever watched!
But I am happy for Petra. They showed Martina Navratilova in the stands wiping back the tears... she also is from the Czech Republic, and she has been a personal hero for Petra for many, many years. I am so happy for both women.
Congratulations Petra! Can't wait for the U.S. Open tennis to begin now in late summer!
Cheers for the Ladies!
Bex-the-tennis-fan
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As a big fan of tennis, I am sitting here very happy, indeed, that the champion of the Ladies' Wimbledon Championship Match is:
2014 Wimbledon Ladies' Champion
Read about it here.
I have to admit I had "put my money on" Ms. Eugenie Bouchard, the runner-up in this tournament. All the hype that swirled around Genie over this past year in tennis convinced me that she was up to the challenge. In the end, it was the more experienced Petra Kvitova, who hails from the Czech Republic, who showed just what she is made of - champion material!
Even though I had mentally bet on Genie Bouchard of Canada (I don't actually gamble with real money!), I was rooting for Petra the whole time. I've always loved her as a tennis player but more importantly, I've always loved and respected her as a woman and human being. Her personality is fabulous. She is quite shy, actually, and she exudes a peaceful calmness that you don't see much in big sports these days. All that pumping of the fists, beating of the breasts, screaming throughout the games... that all turns me right off. It seems more and more players are turning this lovely civilized sport into something more resembling a boxing match, or a football game. I don't much like all that, and this is one reason I've always loved watching tennis... it is, or it SHOULD GO BACK TO BEING, a very civilized sport among civilized sportspeople.
Wimbledon Runner-up 2014
So Genie Bouchard will just have to go back to the drawing board now and see where she went wrong, see what part of her game needs improving, etc. However, the one little thing that turned me from rooting for Genie Bouchard to rooting for the ultimate winner, Petra Kvitova, was personality. I thought Bouchard was up for this, and the way she has been hyping herself as well as being hyped by the ever-hyping media, we were to believe there was no stopping her. But the self-hype part of her persona these last two weeks was disturbing to me. Not blaringly disturbing, because I like a woman who believes in herself, but I also love humility in a woman OR a man, for that matter. Petra has humility. Genie does not, it seems.
During the award presentation ceremony, Bouchard was all sour-faced and miserable looking. She could barely manage the faintest smile at all, and it wasn't the type of sadness I've seen on some players at losing where their eyes tear up and they are truly bereft. On Genie, it seemed more like she felt she had been entitled to this championship title - that somehow someone, other than herself, had snatched it away from her and she was more mad than sad. That's just the feeling I got from her. Very lacking in humility. She had only a handful of words to say at the microphone. Didn't she prepare a runner-up speech? I think not. I think she never even entertained the thought that she would be the runner-up. That may seem like self-confidence but it's also a bit like self-absorption. If she had paid attention to the way in which Petra was playing on the other side of the net, she might have done better. As it was, Bouchard lost the championship at 6-3, 6-0, in less than 1 hour of play. Not the most thrilling match I've ever watched!
But I am happy for Petra. They showed Martina Navratilova in the stands wiping back the tears... she also is from the Czech Republic, and she has been a personal hero for Petra for many, many years. I am so happy for both women.
Congratulations Petra! Can't wait for the U.S. Open tennis to begin now in late summer!
Cheers for the Ladies!
Bex-the-tennis-fan
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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