When the underdog Houston Rockets completed a 4-0 sweep of the powerful Orlando Magic to repeat as 1995 National Basketball League world champions, head coach Rudy Tomjanovich uttered a simple, yet profound phrase.
“Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”
I was thinking about Rudy T.’s quote last Sunday when Serena Williams trailed No. 1 seed Victoria Azarenka 5-3 in the third set of the finals of the U.S. Open.
Although I was thinking about it, I hate to admit I was not believing it at that time. I even called my brother-in-law and told him, “Man, Serena is getting ready to lose this match.”
What happened in the next twenty minutes or so was truly remarkable. Somehow, Serena reached down for a little extra and won the next four games to win her fourth U.S. Open title and 15th Grand Slam championship in truly improbable fashion.
In those final four games, Serena displayed why she may be the greatest women’s tennis player of all time; or, at the very least, be in that serious conversation. She was two points away from defeat, yet she showed true championship heart and grit in coming back.
In wresting that championship away from Azarenka, Serena hit some wonderful shots and broke her serve twice in the final four games, including the final game of the match. Williams, 31, also became the first women 30 or older to win the U.S. Open in 25 years.
It was truly a great display of what being a champion is all about. Although I have marveled at how easily Serena won the Wimbledon title and Olympic gold medal earlier this summer, but what she did in New York last weekend may have been her finest hour.
It it quite easy to extol the virtues of a champion when they are blowing out their opposition without a challenge. However, the true test comes when that person or team faces true adversity and their feet are held to the fire. And Serena’s feet were burning.
After dropping the first set, Azarenka was really taking it Serena and she appeared to be knuckling under to the onslaught. To the point where Serena admitted that she was mentally thinking about her runner-up speech after the match.
But somehow, the girl found a way to get it done. And it was a beautiful thing to watch.
