It was the award presentation ceremony of Wimbledon 1993 final. Steffi Graf had won the pinnacle of tennis championships defeating Jana Novotna. Katharine, the Duchess of Kent awarded the trophies to the winner Steffi Graf, as well as the runner up Jana. While accepting the trophy a devastated Jana couldn’t hold back her emotions & burst into tears, crying on the Duchess’ shoulder.
How could she control?
The match was set at one point wherein having won 2nd set, she led 4-1 in the 3rd set. Definitely, she looked to press on the advantage and win the championship. But somehow, almost as if the clock of fortune had turned, she lost the nerve! And Steffi Graf was no amateur to let go of this slip-up & took Jana apart in the last set of the final. If it’s hurting for us to just imagine the pain during this phase of play, then it must have been a real torment for Jana Novotna herself.
The Duchess of Kent, that day could read through every single drop that Jana shed. Hugging Jana tight, she tried to comfort her almost like a mother to her child, absolutely unconditional. Doing so she said, “I know you will win it one day, don’t worry!”
4 years later, in the 1997 Wimbledon Final, playing against Martina Hingis; Jana got a sense of haunting demons again as she lost out again. In fact even more crisply in straight sets. There weren’t tears this time but her face spoke a language that Duchess of Kent could very well understand. Handing over the runner-up trophy she said, “I am sure it will be third time lucky!”
One year down the lane, Wimbledon final 1998. When Jana hit a forehand past Nathalie Tauziat to win the final point of the final, she sat down on her knees with her head in her hands. Letting a loud outburst, she ran into the stands long embracing her mother, kissing her partner and hugging her coach.
She cried but behold, they weren’t the tears of despair or pain anymore, they were the tears of joy and relief! Relief from the mental struggle that ensued for the past 5 years of her life.
We, humans, are mysterious creatures. We created different languages to converse, yet the best we understand is the language we never invented. The language of emotions. That day, not just the people in the stands but the whole world watching the final absolutely perfectly understood every nuance of Jana’s cry of joy!
Most of us are aware of the strict regimes & sacrifices athletes go through to reach the international stage, where we watch them in stadiums or TV screens. Every one of them is capable of winning from this stage. This is where it gets mental, along with the skills.
For the last 5 years, Jana had seen victory slipping out right when she thought it was in her grasp. To believe in yourself especially when you’ve made it all the way & lost it just at the last juncture, twice, is VERY DIFFICULT! The Duchess of Kent, even with just a few subtle words of comfort had provided the needed spark for Jana to keep trying and KEEP BELIEVING!
The winners emerge in the finals only for the spectators. But in truth, the winners are made in those regular training days when they sweat it out & nobody is out there to watch them. To go out and train, day in and day out requires real mental strength. Perhaps, mental strength is not a magical entity that just pops out of the blue sky randomly. It’s based on the belief system of the person.
Even the most precise machines require regular maintenance, they can’t continue to work seamlessly; and we are not machines. A small circumstance or fluctuation can create a massive change in our beliefs and self-esteem. It’s here, where the Duchess’ words kept Jana glued to her goal. She kept battling everyday & kept it strong against the fatigue of time.
We all need just one person, who believes in us. It can create a magical difference in our performances. Generally, we have it in us to make it happen & just need that LITTLE spark to reinvent ourselves, our limits! And even if we don’t possess the required level of skills, we get motivated enough to AQUIRE them!
Oh, you want to say that you don’t have anybody to believe in you? Then BE THE ONE WHO DOES. As they say; what goes around comes around.
49 years of life was more than enough for Jana Novotna to live like a champion she was. The Duchess of Kent knowingly or unknowingly played a big role in the making of her champion.
Be the Duchess to somebody, to be Jana someday!
