Saturday, June 30, 2012

Strung


“We go together like ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong”

Rafael Nadal was wiped out in round two and Roger Federer barely survived his latest match at the All-England Club. The Fed managed to keep it together, but hasn’t won a grand slam championship since 2010. I hope he doesn’t win another Wimbledon because I don’t want Pete Sampras’ record to be challenged. Sampras’ legendary white shorts and wanton shots will reign in my heart for a long time to come.

What keeps you together during a match? Do you reset your mind, restart your wheels or revamp your game? Does it really matter how you string things together as long as you get the job done? In B-school, we are taught all about ethics, so I would argue it does matter for the business world. The same argument could be made for tennis. After all, nobody likes a cheater or unfair opponent. And, is that how you want to be known? Look at what happened to David Nalbandian at the French Open. His flashy off court rant is what may abjectly define the man’s career in the long run.

I find it most intriguing how in life we are joined together with others by the most trivial things. A similar train schedule. A mutual admired hobby. Proximity at a musical concert. The people we call our friends are those who we manage to find and associate with commonalities, but we are joined together with strangers by mere circumstance. Nadal was stunned by a no-name twenty six year old player from the Czech Republic (who has since been eliminated). Who knows what the string will join together next? Will Nadal’s ouster cause another to rise to fame? Will Federer fall and string together another Wimbledon loss? Who will you meet by mere circumstance, or mere fate?

“We’ll always be like one”

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