Boys Are Like Horses That Need To Be Run

Prodigious performances are not necessarily the result of “natural” psychological superiority: they’re often produced by players under the cultic influence of a parent or coach who provided them with preternatural certainty and self-belief. It isn’t always the positive side of this type of relationship that is relevant, though: by resisting the dominating couch potato influence, some players also develop the inner resources, commonly bred during lonely struggles, that they later call upon when alone on the tennis court. Perhaps today’s players are more sociable and have more disparate interests than those who came before them. We now live in a communicative culture; could this be a breeding ground for new generation of athletes and scholars? Athleticism builds character, a much needed mental and moral distinction in human beings to counteract the screens, negativity and narcissism pervasive in culture. It's always helpful to work out the kinks in the quadriceps and to clear out the lungs.