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When I played tennis
for the first time, I was 11,
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and I knew, and I'll never forget it,
3
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I knew, at the end of the day,
I had found what I would do with my life.
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00:01:03,875 --> 00:01:06,541
"As you set out for Ithaca,
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hope that your journey is a long one,
6
00:01:09,708 --> 00:01:12,875
full of adventure, full of discoveries.
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Lestrygonians and Cyclops -
do not be afraid of them."
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I told them,
"I wanna be number one tennis player."
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Yeah, I didn't really
think about past or future,
10
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I just took it as it came.
11
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But I certainly was scared.
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"You won't encounter them
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unless you bring them along,
inside your soul."
14
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You've got to overcome your fears.
You've got to overcome your doubts.
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"May there be many summer mornings when,
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with what pleasure, what joy,
17
00:01:44,833 --> 00:01:47,666
you come into harbors
seen for the first time."
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I think one of the most important things
is to believe in yourself.
19
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"And may you visit many Egyptian cities.
20
00:01:54,625 --> 00:01:58,208
Learn and learn again,
from those who know."
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You must step out of your comfort zone.
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00:02:00,541 --> 00:02:02,791
"Keep Ithaca always in your mind.
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00:02:03,625 --> 00:02:06,791
Arriving there
is what you are destined for."
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I dreamt, I believed,
I learnt, I achieved.
25
00:02:10,333 --> 00:02:12,541
"Better if it lasts for years."
26
00:02:12,625 --> 00:02:17,416
I hated to lose more than I love to win,
and that sort of was my motivation.
27
00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,416
I want to be
the number one player in the world.
28
00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:25,000
"Not expecting Ithaca to make you rich."
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I never had anybody say,
"No, you can't do it."
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"Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey..."
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Oh, and I want to stay here
for years if I can.
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"She has nothing left to give you now."
33
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Did I want to follow my feeling?
34
00:02:38,833 --> 00:02:43,208
"And if you find her poor,
Ithaca won't have fooled you."
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Remember, there's only one in the entire
world at that moment who can reach that.
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00:02:47,666 --> 00:02:51,583
"Wise as you will have become,
so full of experience..."
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If you dream very strongly about something
38
00:02:54,750 --> 00:02:58,791
and you give everything you have
in your sight to reach your dream,
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00:02:58,875 --> 00:03:00,541
you can do it.
40
00:03:01,791 --> 00:03:06,833
"You will have understood,
by then, what these Ithacas mean."
41
00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:08,916
I was that story.
42
00:03:09,917 --> 00:03:17,917
Ondertitels door Mister Bee
Bart Besems
43
00:04:14,916 --> 00:04:16,666
I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland,
44
00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:20,208
which is on the Northeast Corridor
of the United States.
45
00:04:20,291 --> 00:04:22,375
I was born in Belarus,
46
00:04:22,458 --> 00:04:28,166
coming from the background
of the USSR that just broke up.
47
00:04:28,250 --> 00:04:30,041
I come from Serbia.
48
00:04:31,041 --> 00:04:33,583
Of my growing up and my childhood,
49
00:04:33,666 --> 00:04:37,875
I think, all of those times have made me
the person I am today.
50
00:04:37,958 --> 00:04:39,416
We talk about that a lot -
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00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:44,500
about how great champions come from places
52
00:04:44,583 --> 00:04:50,166
that are usually in the lowest
stratosphere of nations
53
00:04:50,250 --> 00:04:53,250
because they have to find a way
and claw their way out
54
00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:56,166
to enjoy the pot of gold
at the end of the rainbow.
55
00:04:56,666 --> 00:04:58,583
I think it can have a lot to do with it,
56
00:04:58,666 --> 00:05:02,291
but I don't think geography
is necessarily destiny.
57
00:05:02,375 --> 00:05:04,083
My dad was a firefighter
58
00:05:04,166 --> 00:05:07,500
and my mother was a homemaker,
and then my mother eventually did work.
59
00:05:07,583 --> 00:05:09,750
My dad was, um...
60
00:05:09,833 --> 00:05:11,833
he was like a gun shearer,
61
00:05:11,916 --> 00:05:15,666
meaning he sheered sheep -
over a hundred sheep a day.
62
00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:18,083
My father was a football player.
63
00:05:18,166 --> 00:05:19,833
And my mother was a teacher.
64
00:05:20,791 --> 00:05:25,166
If you're from the US
or from Europe, things are too easy.
65
00:05:25,250 --> 00:05:28,833
I really don't buy it.
I don't think it's true at all.
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00:05:28,916 --> 00:05:32,041
I think that these are individuals
who come from all over the world
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00:05:32,125 --> 00:05:35,041
for a variety of different reasons.
68
00:05:35,125 --> 00:05:37,083
Really had a very extraordinary childhood
69
00:05:37,166 --> 00:05:39,625
because I had two very supportive parents.
70
00:05:39,708 --> 00:05:42,833
I loved going mushroom hunting
with my dad.
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00:05:42,916 --> 00:05:46,500
We would get up at five in the morning
and ride a little moped into the woods
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and look for mushrooms.
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You know, I had that... I had that love.
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00:05:51,291 --> 00:05:52,958
I mean, my dad passed it on to me.
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00:05:53,041 --> 00:05:57,791
They only cared about us
getting an education and being happy.
76
00:05:57,875 --> 00:06:01,166
It is important - that base is important.
77
00:06:01,250 --> 00:06:05,875
Not just if you're an athlete
or you want to become great at something.
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00:06:05,958 --> 00:06:07,750
I always knew it came from love.
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00:06:07,833 --> 00:06:09,916
I think that just gave me
the foundation that,
80
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:11,500
no matter where life took me...
81
00:06:11,583 --> 00:06:14,833
When we're born into this world,
we're born into families.
82
00:06:15,375 --> 00:06:16,916
We don't choose our families,
83
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,791
but we do have an opportunity
to choose our destiny.
84
00:06:20,291 --> 00:06:21,500
I was a good student.
85
00:06:21,583 --> 00:06:26,125
I was very obedient
and I was like a B+ student.
86
00:06:26,208 --> 00:06:27,208
I loved school.
87
00:06:27,250 --> 00:06:30,625
I was the kind of kid
that wanted to do everything perfectly.
88
00:06:31,250 --> 00:06:33,958
So, in school,
I always tried to do my best.
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00:06:34,041 --> 00:06:37,166
It was very important
to have the studies as well,
90
00:06:37,250 --> 00:06:40,791
because, at the end, you can study
a career and make another life as well.
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00:06:40,875 --> 00:06:43,791
The subjects came easy to me
and my parents always pushed me.
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00:06:43,875 --> 00:06:46,291
You have to finish school.
That's the most important thing.
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00:06:46,375 --> 00:06:49,416
It was hard for me to just sit still,
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00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:52,208
you know, in a chair
for the whole day and listen.
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00:06:52,291 --> 00:06:54,416
One thing my parents
actually got me started in
96
00:06:54,500 --> 00:06:56,541
when I was really little
was piano lessons,
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00:06:56,625 --> 00:06:58,541
and... I hated it.
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00:06:59,541 --> 00:07:01,875
I needed to be active and move around.
99
00:07:01,958 --> 00:07:04,583
I liked the breaks -
that's when we did sports.
100
00:07:04,666 --> 00:07:06,375
We played soccer a lot,
101
00:07:06,458 --> 00:07:09,458
with the boys and everything,
but you have to learn to learn.
102
00:07:09,541 --> 00:07:11,458
I mean, that's sometimes something
103
00:07:11,541 --> 00:07:15,166
that teaches you to overcome things
that you don't always enjoy doing,
104
00:07:15,250 --> 00:07:19,083
and then, later in life,
you have the choice to choose.
105
00:07:19,166 --> 00:07:20,916
I grew up in a sporty family,
106
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,750
and I was the little kid
with so much energy.
107
00:07:23,833 --> 00:07:25,750
We swam in the river in the summer,
108
00:07:25,833 --> 00:07:28,375
and skated on it in the winter, or skied.
109
00:07:28,458 --> 00:07:31,333
All the games and everything
was interaction with kids
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and doing stuff outside.
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00:07:33,375 --> 00:07:37,291
My brother and I were always
fascinated with the ball.
112
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Like, the third word we ever learned
in our lives was the word "ball".
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With "mommy," "daddy,"
and "ball" was the third word.
114
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Anything with a ball, I was there.
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00:07:47,375 --> 00:07:50,125
Anything to do with a ball, I loved it.
116
00:07:50,208 --> 00:07:53,750
I didn't play with toys -
I played with a tennis racket and a ball.
117
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Those were my toys.
118
00:07:57,916 --> 00:08:01,666
The journey these women go through
on the way to becoming world champions
119
00:08:02,458 --> 00:08:05,958
is the outer journey,
the one visible to us,
120
00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:09,166
but there's an inner journey
not visible to us,
121
00:08:09,250 --> 00:08:11,500
an even more remarkable one -
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00:08:11,583 --> 00:08:13,500
the journey of her brain.
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00:08:13,583 --> 00:08:15,666
Because all the skills that we see -
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00:08:15,750 --> 00:08:18,958
all the athleticism,
the grace, the strength -
125
00:08:19,041 --> 00:08:21,250
is all governed by the brain.
126
00:08:21,333 --> 00:08:23,500
This is where the real journey happens.
127
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Ball, ball, ball.
128
00:08:31,750 --> 00:08:35,000
We always wanted to play catch
or kick the ball or just...
129
00:08:35,083 --> 00:08:36,791
Ugh, we just loved the ball, OK?
130
00:08:36,875 --> 00:08:41,708
My dad used to try to keep,
you know, all his children -
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there were eight of us - entertained.
132
00:08:44,416 --> 00:08:47,625
So, he made up a racket
133
00:08:47,708 --> 00:08:50,708
out of an apple crate board
very similar to this.
134
00:08:51,208 --> 00:08:53,916
Then one day in fifth grade,
Susan Williams said,
135
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,041
she was sitting next to me and she said,
"Do you want to play tennis?"
136
00:08:57,125 --> 00:08:58,750
And I said, "What's tennis?"
137
00:08:58,833 --> 00:09:01,041
My two cousins, they were playing tennis,
138
00:09:01,125 --> 00:09:04,500
so they took me
to their tennis practice sometimes
139
00:09:04,583 --> 00:09:07,250
and I was just in the back,
picking up the balls.
140
00:09:07,333 --> 00:09:10,500
And he gave it
to my older sister and brother,
141
00:09:10,583 --> 00:09:12,708
and I, being the third youngest,
142
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I went up, took it off them
and I wouldn't give it back.
143
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It started there.
144
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That was the moment
where I didn't stop, yeah.
145
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My parents came home
and I told them, "I want to play tennis."
146
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I just picked up the racket and
began rolling the ball with the racket,
147
00:09:27,833 --> 00:09:30,041
because the racket was a little bit
bigger than me.
148
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I wanted to actually play soccer,
149
00:09:31,875 --> 00:09:34,541
but my dad said,
"No, that's a sport for guys."
150
00:09:34,625 --> 00:09:37,416
As the youngest, you want to follow
what your bigger brothers do.
151
00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:40,208
So he asked my brother
to start playing more tennis
152
00:09:40,291 --> 00:09:44,416
and when I saw him playing, I was like,
"Oh, I need to do this as well."
153
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It's often quite a random thing
that will bring them to it.
154
00:09:48,333 --> 00:09:50,541
And in other cases,
it can be very deliberate.
155
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My mom was like,
"You're going to piano lessons
156
00:09:53,750 --> 00:09:56,125
a couple of times a week
after your school."
157
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And then I said, "Yes, but the other days,
158
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I can go to tennis."
159
00:10:01,208 --> 00:10:05,458
And I even wrote down the number
of the tennis school that was advertising,
160
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because no one in my family played tennis
or knew anything about the sport.
161
00:10:09,500 --> 00:10:11,666
The family may say, "Ah-ha.
162
00:10:11,750 --> 00:10:14,958
We see this as a good sport
for our daughter."
163
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And I think it's something that my dad saw
that little girls could grow up and do,
164
00:10:20,166 --> 00:10:23,333
so I think that was one of the reasons
he put a racket in my hand.
165
00:10:23,416 --> 00:10:25,541
It seems like it was by accident.
166
00:10:25,625 --> 00:10:29,500
My mother never had anything
to do with tennis.
167
00:10:29,583 --> 00:10:31,666
She just started working
in the tennis center
168
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and I came as a kid after school
to just spend time with her.
169
00:10:36,291 --> 00:10:38,083
"Gee, this looks like a lot of fun.
170
00:10:38,166 --> 00:10:41,250
Why don't I try it also?
OK, let me hold a racket."
171
00:10:41,333 --> 00:10:44,500
So my dad enrolled me
in some junior little clinic,
172
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I think, as a seven-year-old kid.
173
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And she gave me a racket
to distract me so she could work.
174
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It's kind of interesting
175
00:10:52,333 --> 00:10:55,333
that when they part
from some of their family,
176
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I believe, inwardly,
177
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the determination
is perhaps a little higher.
178
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Not a guarantee, but a little higher.
179
00:11:03,958 --> 00:11:06,000
My dad played when he was younger,
180
00:11:06,083 --> 00:11:08,958
and my mom played, my grandmother played,
my grandparents played.
181
00:11:10,166 --> 00:11:12,208
And my parents loved to play tennis.
182
00:11:12,291 --> 00:11:16,291
The initial contact
that a young child has with the sport
183
00:11:16,375 --> 00:11:18,250
needs to be a positive one.
184
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If the first experience is positive,
then they will want to naturally continue.
185
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So I used to always really enjoy
going down to the club
186
00:11:27,791 --> 00:11:30,000
and being with them.
187
00:11:30,083 --> 00:11:31,250
I remember that day
188
00:11:31,333 --> 00:11:34,500
when the only thing at that moment
the tennis teacher said was,
189
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"Just bounce the ball off the racket."
190
00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:40,750
Maybe four years old, the club manager...
191
00:11:40,833 --> 00:11:42,875
I was bugging everybody
to play tennis with me.
192
00:11:42,958 --> 00:11:45,625
"Play tennis. Throw some balls to me."
I couldn't get enough of it.
193
00:11:45,708 --> 00:11:48,166
He said,
"OK, kid, go down to the backboard.
194
00:11:48,250 --> 00:11:51,875
If you can hit seven balls in a row,
I'll give you this trophy.
195
00:11:51,958 --> 00:11:54,958
It's an extra trophy that we have
left over from a tournament."
196
00:11:55,041 --> 00:11:58,416
When you see a girl
that is running after every ball,
197
00:11:59,083 --> 00:12:01,458
that wants to get here on time,
198
00:12:01,541 --> 00:12:03,166
wants to hit the last ball,
199
00:12:03,250 --> 00:12:06,375
and if they miss that ball,
they want to hit it again,
200
00:12:06,458 --> 00:12:10,541
it tells you her heart
and the passion for the sport.
201
00:12:10,625 --> 00:12:12,041
I came back running.
202
00:12:12,125 --> 00:12:13,541
I don't know how long it was,
203
00:12:13,625 --> 00:12:15,875
but I came back and said,
"I hit seven times in a row."
204
00:12:15,958 --> 00:12:20,416
So he gave me that trophy
and scratched "7x" right into the metal.
205
00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:22,916
I love to play tennis.
I love to hit the ball.
206
00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,750
The feeling on the strings
when the ball hits the strings,
207
00:12:25,833 --> 00:12:27,208
and you use all of yourself...
208
00:12:27,291 --> 00:12:29,833
Oh, my God, I love it.
It's just, it's fantastic.
209
00:12:29,916 --> 00:12:33,500
The first time you strike a tennis ball
and you hit it cleanly,
210
00:12:34,291 --> 00:12:35,708
and it sounds right
211
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and it feels good,
212
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you want to do that over and over.
213
00:12:42,041 --> 00:12:42,916
That's so true.
214
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,791
My nine-year-old,
even two years ago when she was playing
215
00:12:46,875 --> 00:12:49,041
and she could barely hit the ball,
but she said to me,
216
00:12:49,125 --> 00:12:52,458
"You know, I really like it when
you hit it in the middle of the racket.
217
00:12:52,541 --> 00:12:56,000
You don't even know that you hit the ball.
It feels so nice. I want to do that."
218
00:12:57,416 --> 00:13:00,208
She could barely hit the ball,
but she got that.
219
00:13:00,291 --> 00:13:02,166
So Mary is completely correct in that.
220
00:13:02,250 --> 00:13:05,333
I kept hitting balls against house walls,
221
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water tanks, any wall I could see.
222
00:13:07,541 --> 00:13:11,333
And this was long before
I even saw a tennis court.
223
00:13:11,416 --> 00:13:15,041
At home, I was hitting
on the wall of the kitchen,
224
00:13:15,125 --> 00:13:18,833
and it was maybe only two meters,
but I was hitting all the time.
225
00:13:18,916 --> 00:13:24,125
What's really happening here
is that her brain is learning physics -
226
00:13:24,208 --> 00:13:26,833
physics of the ball,
physics of the racket,
227
00:13:26,916 --> 00:13:29,041
physics of her own body
228
00:13:29,125 --> 00:13:31,416
in interaction
with the racket and the ball.
229
00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:33,666
And I loved that wall.
230
00:13:33,750 --> 00:13:36,875
My mum was saying
that we really need a bigger house
231
00:13:36,958 --> 00:13:38,541
so I could express myself.
232
00:13:38,625 --> 00:13:40,906
My parents sat me down.
"OK, that's enough."
233
00:13:40,958 --> 00:13:44,500
When they weren't looking, I'd run back
and go play against the wall again.
234
00:13:44,583 --> 00:13:46,875
And it's all learned automatically,
235
00:13:46,958 --> 00:13:49,250
naturally, and unconsciously,
236
00:13:49,333 --> 00:13:50,916
like when she learned to walk.
237
00:13:51,416 --> 00:13:54,416
She learned by watching, by imitating,
238
00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:58,791
by experimenting with her own body,
with the physics of her own body.
239
00:13:59,416 --> 00:14:01,833
And she learns very, very quickly.
240
00:14:02,250 --> 00:14:05,708
I really enjoy it and I think that,
you know, I have fun.
241
00:14:05,791 --> 00:14:08,750
And that's the most important,
to be able to continue doing that.
242
00:14:08,833 --> 00:14:13,500
Yeah, I don't remember my life
without tennis being a big part of it.
243
00:14:13,583 --> 00:14:18,791
Something deep inside of me
was just always calling me to tennis.
244
00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:20,833
It was just fun.
245
00:14:20,916 --> 00:14:25,291
Really, I just fell in love with the sport
from the first ball I hit.
246
00:14:25,375 --> 00:14:29,708
They loved it
and they were hooked as little girls.
247
00:14:29,791 --> 00:14:33,291
A lot of these women
recognize at an early age that...
248
00:14:34,416 --> 00:14:37,833
they can use their body in ways
that the kids around them can't.
249
00:14:37,916 --> 00:14:40,083
Better than their brother or their sister.
250
00:14:40,166 --> 00:14:45,083
So, her play
is very serious brain business indeed.
251
00:14:45,666 --> 00:14:48,708
I think you can get very passionate
about tennis at an early age.
252
00:14:48,791 --> 00:14:51,541
Already from the start,
it was my passion from the beginning
253
00:14:51,625 --> 00:14:53,250
when I first got in touch with it.
254
00:14:53,333 --> 00:14:56,458
I love speed and tennis is a fast sport.
255
00:14:56,541 --> 00:15:00,041
Even at that age, you know,
the ball moves pretty fast.
256
00:15:00,458 --> 00:15:03,416
The one thing that's got to be obvious
257
00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:08,333
is a pure enjoyment
for being on the court.
258
00:15:08,416 --> 00:15:14,333
And a love, that attraction
to immediately being on that tennis court.
259
00:15:14,416 --> 00:15:16,833
That's the first thing
that I've always found -
260
00:15:16,916 --> 00:15:21,291
whatever anyone's story is,
that's always been the common thread.
261
00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:22,458
I never understood,
262
00:15:22,541 --> 00:15:24,916
if you threw the ball at someone,
how can they not catch it?
263
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,125
It's like, you know... It's so easy.
264
00:15:27,208 --> 00:15:31,541
They start asking questions
in their mind already.
265
00:15:32,041 --> 00:15:34,583
"How do I want to hit my backhand
and my forehand?"
266
00:15:34,666 --> 00:15:39,000
The eye-hand coordination
comes from the love of the sport.
267
00:15:39,083 --> 00:15:40,708
It begins with the love, I swear.
268
00:15:40,791 --> 00:15:43,000
And I didn't know I was excellent at it,
269
00:15:43,083 --> 00:15:45,708
but I guess that's why I like it,
because it was easy for me.
270
00:15:45,791 --> 00:15:47,791
She looks at the ball
271
00:15:47,875 --> 00:15:50,500
and in an instant,
much less than a second,
272
00:15:50,583 --> 00:15:52,000
her eye and brain -
273
00:15:52,083 --> 00:15:55,708
the visual part of her brain
here in the occipital cortex -
274
00:15:55,791 --> 00:16:00,833
form a visual map of where the ball is
in three-dimensional space.
275
00:16:00,916 --> 00:16:05,666
The brain must coordinate
the visual map with the motor map
276
00:16:05,750 --> 00:16:07,250
and form an action plan.
277
00:16:07,750 --> 00:16:10,083
And now when she starts playing tennis,
278
00:16:10,791 --> 00:16:13,041
the ball isn't just sitting there
on a table,
279
00:16:13,125 --> 00:16:17,208
it's coming at her, very often,
at 100 miles an hour or even more.
280
00:16:18,291 --> 00:16:21,916
And this adds a fourth dimension
to what her brain has to calculate -
281
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:23,541
the dimension of time.
282
00:16:23,625 --> 00:16:26,333
And now, to make things
even more complicated,
283
00:16:26,916 --> 00:16:29,125
the hand isn't her real hand -
284
00:16:29,958 --> 00:16:34,041
it's the sweet spot of a racket
18 inches away from her hand,
285
00:16:34,125 --> 00:16:39,291
which has now been incorporated
into her body space by her brain.
286
00:16:39,375 --> 00:16:42,291
Um, I didn't know
I had that talent until later,
287
00:16:42,375 --> 00:16:43,791
but I just loved it.
288
00:16:43,875 --> 00:16:45,916
So great hand-eye coordination
289
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,125
means having superior function
in at least four brain areas -
290
00:16:50,708 --> 00:16:56,666
the visual area, decision-making,
motor planning, and motor execution -
291
00:16:57,250 --> 00:17:00,958
all coordinated perfectly
in four dimensions.
292
00:17:03,375 --> 00:17:06,291
Our hand-eye coordination's exceptional.
293
00:17:06,875 --> 00:17:08,166
That I had this blessing,
294
00:17:08,250 --> 00:17:09,875
I wasn't going to waste it
295
00:17:09,958 --> 00:17:11,875
and I was going to give it
everything I had.
296
00:17:22,041 --> 00:17:25,500
The life of a tennis player is one
of great success but great sacrifice.
297
00:17:25,583 --> 00:17:28,875
I was five years old
and I remember feeling very resentful.
298
00:17:28,958 --> 00:17:32,583
It was like, "You're taking me away
from going over to my girlfriend's house,
299
00:17:32,666 --> 00:17:34,750
going swimming, having barbecues,
300
00:17:34,833 --> 00:17:39,791
and now I'm going over with you
and you're throwing tennis balls at me,
301
00:17:39,875 --> 00:17:44,125
um, or to me, from a shopping cart."
302
00:17:44,208 --> 00:17:46,666
As you grow, especially as a young girl,
303
00:17:46,750 --> 00:17:50,625
you go through a lot of stages emotionally
and physically in your life,
304
00:17:50,708 --> 00:17:52,250
and a lot of things change -
305
00:17:52,333 --> 00:17:54,500
the way you think,
the things that you want.
306
00:17:54,583 --> 00:17:57,708
Frustrating even then
because I couldn't speak up and say,
307
00:17:57,791 --> 00:18:00,625
"But can I go over three days a week
308
00:18:00,708 --> 00:18:03,250
and go to my girlfriend's house
three days a week?
309
00:18:03,333 --> 00:18:05,125
I want to have fun, I want to be a kid."
310
00:18:05,208 --> 00:18:06,625
I didn't want tan lines.
311
00:18:06,708 --> 00:18:10,333
I wanted to look pretty
like the other kids in school
312
00:18:10,416 --> 00:18:13,333
and go to school
and have a normal life, also.
313
00:18:13,416 --> 00:18:19,583
You need to leave some things behind
because you want to be with your friends
314
00:18:19,666 --> 00:18:22,541
and sometimes you are in the pool
and suddenly you have to leave,
315
00:18:22,625 --> 00:18:24,875
and it's OK
because you have to go to practice.
316
00:18:24,958 --> 00:18:27,166
And some days, yeah,
I was having fun with my friends
317
00:18:27,250 --> 00:18:30,666
and suddenly I hear the coach say,
"OK, Arantxa, let's go to practice."
318
00:18:30,750 --> 00:18:34,000
I think at that age,
it's not a conscious thing to say,
319
00:18:34,083 --> 00:18:37,875
"Oh, I'm going to say no to my friends
who are doing something different."
320
00:18:37,958 --> 00:18:40,958
I think, there may be an element to that.
321
00:18:41,041 --> 00:18:43,125
There's a moment of,
"Oh, am I going to miss out?
322
00:18:43,208 --> 00:18:45,500
Well, maybe I'll miss out over there
323
00:18:45,583 --> 00:18:48,375
but this thing is more important to me,
this thing's more fun,
324
00:18:48,458 --> 00:18:50,791
so this is where I want to spend my time."
325
00:18:50,875 --> 00:18:56,625
I can see where conflict could be there
if you felt socially you were missing out,
326
00:18:56,708 --> 00:19:00,250
or if you felt tennis was taking you
away from things that you enjoyed.
327
00:19:00,333 --> 00:19:01,375
Really, I can say,
328
00:19:01,458 --> 00:19:04,958
I didn't miss it because I had
a lot of friends from our tennis club.
329
00:19:05,041 --> 00:19:07,291
My social life was at the tennis club.
330
00:19:07,375 --> 00:19:11,833
You don't see it as a sacrifice,
you're doing what you want to do,
331
00:19:11,916 --> 00:19:13,750
and doing what you need to do.
332
00:19:13,833 --> 00:19:17,500
I never felt that I was missing something.
333
00:19:17,583 --> 00:19:20,375
I don't remember once
that there was a time when I said,
334
00:19:20,458 --> 00:19:22,083
"I don't want to go play tennis."
335
00:19:22,750 --> 00:19:23,666
Not once.
336
00:19:23,750 --> 00:19:25,958
And I asked other people,
I asked other players,
337
00:19:26,041 --> 00:19:27,541
a couple of others, like Arantxa.
338
00:19:27,958 --> 00:19:30,125
I had to say,
"OK, I have to leave my friends,"
339
00:19:30,208 --> 00:19:32,416
but I went,
and that's because I wanted to do it.
340
00:19:32,500 --> 00:19:36,666
So it was not difficult for me
to make that step,
341
00:19:36,750 --> 00:19:38,333
because I enjoyed what I was doing.
342
00:19:38,416 --> 00:19:40,708
At the time,
I didn't even see it as a sacrifice -
343
00:19:40,791 --> 00:19:42,458
I saw that as my choice.
344
00:19:42,541 --> 00:19:43,666
Caroline Wozniacki said,
345
00:19:43,750 --> 00:19:46,333
"Was there ever any time
when you didn't want to go play?"
346
00:19:46,416 --> 00:19:48,541
I knew that it would come
with some choices,
347
00:19:48,625 --> 00:19:50,291
and I choose the word "choices"
348
00:19:50,375 --> 00:19:52,875
because I don't want
to use the word "sacrifice,"
349
00:19:52,958 --> 00:19:56,458
because in the end,
you have to decide what you want.
350
00:19:57,083 --> 00:19:58,375
And they all wanted to play.
351
00:19:58,458 --> 00:20:00,958
As you get older and more mature,
352
00:20:01,041 --> 00:20:04,041
you look back and you say,
"Wow, I really sacrificed a lot."
353
00:20:04,125 --> 00:20:05,375
But did I really?
354
00:20:05,458 --> 00:20:07,666
Because I was doing what I wanted to do.
355
00:20:18,208 --> 00:20:20,416
"You can be so much better.
356
00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:21,958
You can be a champion.
357
00:20:22,041 --> 00:20:23,666
I can help take you there.
358
00:20:23,750 --> 00:20:25,333
Here's what you need to do."
359
00:20:25,416 --> 00:20:28,791
If you're a young girl and you hear that
from someone you admire,
360
00:20:29,416 --> 00:20:32,166
someone you trust, someone you respect,
361
00:20:32,250 --> 00:20:35,708
those words have gravitas,
there's so much more weight to them,
362
00:20:35,791 --> 00:20:38,666
because you believe
what they are telling you.
363
00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:40,625
You know it. You know it's true.
364
00:20:40,708 --> 00:20:43,666
I think when you start the journey,
your mentors are your parents,
365
00:20:43,750 --> 00:20:46,250
because they are the ones
that believe in you at all costs,
366
00:20:46,333 --> 00:20:49,250
no matter what you do,
how good you are, how bad you are.
367
00:20:49,333 --> 00:20:53,333
Well, my mentor was always my mother
because she knew me the best.
368
00:20:53,416 --> 00:20:55,083
I mean, she knew my journey
369
00:20:55,166 --> 00:20:58,875
and she was always there
along with me on this journey.
370
00:20:58,958 --> 00:21:01,083
There are many parents
371
00:21:01,166 --> 00:21:05,583
that if it wasn't for them
encouraging their child to keep trying,
372
00:21:06,333 --> 00:21:08,791
many of the children
would have dropped out.
373
00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:11,625
And it was fun
to be able to share it with my mom.
374
00:21:11,708 --> 00:21:15,708
Never had a cross word,
always encouraging, always positive,
375
00:21:15,791 --> 00:21:19,416
and without her,
I would never have made that.
376
00:21:19,500 --> 00:21:22,541
He or she has to be able to criticize
377
00:21:23,250 --> 00:21:28,208
while supporting and not tearing down
a young player's self-confidence.
378
00:21:28,291 --> 00:21:33,375
Because the outer game suffers
if the inner game is plagued with noise.
379
00:21:34,083 --> 00:21:37,791
The noise, in this case,
is excessive self-doubt...
380
00:21:38,375 --> 00:21:40,000
negative inner dialogue...
381
00:21:40,833 --> 00:21:42,750
excessive self-criticism.
382
00:21:43,333 --> 00:21:44,958
And there's a subtlety to that,
383
00:21:45,041 --> 00:21:46,625
and there's an inner peace
384
00:21:46,708 --> 00:21:50,416
to letting go of the things
you can't control
385
00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:54,208
and the drive to push yourself
to be everything you can be.
386
00:21:54,291 --> 00:21:58,333
She inspired me to have fun
at everything you do,
387
00:21:58,416 --> 00:22:01,416
and that's one of the things
388
00:22:01,500 --> 00:22:04,708
that sort of got me through
my whole career.
389
00:22:04,791 --> 00:22:07,541
Brain scientists
have known for a long time,
390
00:22:08,583 --> 00:22:11,708
that this kind of noise
activates the amygdala
391
00:22:11,791 --> 00:22:13,958
or the fear center of the brain.
392
00:22:14,041 --> 00:22:17,958
Just wanted me to be the best I can be.
393
00:22:18,041 --> 00:22:20,500
And she knew how much I love tennis,
394
00:22:20,583 --> 00:22:24,375
so she made sure that anything I do,
395
00:22:24,458 --> 00:22:27,125
I have an opportunity to go there.
396
00:22:27,208 --> 00:22:30,041
And when the amygdala
is sending out fear signals,
397
00:22:30,750 --> 00:22:34,500
it interrupts learning and decision-making
398
00:22:34,583 --> 00:22:36,500
and sabotages the flow of play.
399
00:22:36,583 --> 00:22:39,291
My dad was really important, I think,
400
00:22:39,375 --> 00:22:41,625
psychologically,
that he believed in me so much.
401
00:22:41,708 --> 00:22:45,208
Because in the world,
that's not the way it is,
402
00:22:45,833 --> 00:22:47,541
and I understood that,
403
00:22:47,625 --> 00:22:50,833
but he, my dad, Bill, believed in me.
404
00:22:50,916 --> 00:22:52,166
I'm naturally...
405
00:22:53,541 --> 00:22:55,250
an insecure person.
406
00:22:55,333 --> 00:22:58,583
But he made me confident in my tennis
407
00:22:58,666 --> 00:23:01,583
and he didn't push it on me,
but he was like,
408
00:23:01,666 --> 00:23:05,583
"Yeah, OK, you're good at this.
Do what makes you feel right."
409
00:23:05,666 --> 00:23:07,416
My dad believed in me from the start -
410
00:23:07,500 --> 00:23:11,916
he knew I was exceptionally talented,
athletically anyway.
411
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,500
He was the one
that really had a big dream for me.
412
00:23:21,625 --> 00:23:24,000
The dynamic between
a father and daughter...
413
00:23:24,708 --> 00:23:30,458
that is one of the greatest
forces in humanity, right?
414
00:23:30,541 --> 00:23:33,625
Just how much
you want to please your father.
415
00:23:33,708 --> 00:23:35,083
That has great power.
416
00:23:35,166 --> 00:23:37,375
So, what a good mentor is doing
417
00:23:37,458 --> 00:23:40,125
is helping the young player
calm her inner noise,
418
00:23:40,208 --> 00:23:43,500
which is more than just psychological,
it's physiological.
419
00:23:43,583 --> 00:23:47,833
There's nothing magic in the formula
of a player finding a coach
420
00:23:47,916 --> 00:23:51,208
and a coach wanting to help a player.
421
00:23:51,291 --> 00:23:54,666
There's got to be trust
and there's got to be respect.
422
00:23:54,750 --> 00:23:56,458
And if you don't trust...
423
00:23:57,916 --> 00:24:02,291
it's very difficult for a student
to keep climbing that mountain.
424
00:24:02,916 --> 00:24:06,333
So, trust is a key word,
not only on the athletic field...
425
00:24:07,541 --> 00:24:09,791
but on everything
that happens in your whole life.
426
00:24:09,875 --> 00:24:11,708
In life, you meet people,
427
00:24:12,375 --> 00:24:14,250
and sometimes you stop and you say,
428
00:24:14,333 --> 00:24:16,833
"OK, this person could be very important."
429
00:24:16,916 --> 00:24:19,750
There's a connection
and you have to recognize them.
430
00:24:19,833 --> 00:24:21,875
You need to find the pushers
431
00:24:22,583 --> 00:24:25,166
that will give you their energy
as much as you can.
432
00:24:25,833 --> 00:24:30,125
And then you need to recognize it
and thank them for it, bless them for it.
433
00:24:30,208 --> 00:24:35,500
Biggest day, probably in my life,
was when they brought in a young pro.
434
00:24:35,583 --> 00:24:38,458
He was 27 years old.
His name was Robert Lansdorp.
435
00:24:38,541 --> 00:24:43,000
And perfect time in my life
because I was serious about tennis,
436
00:24:43,083 --> 00:24:47,416
and he was very serious and very demanding
437
00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:50,833
and very tough on his students
and on his pupils.
438
00:24:50,916 --> 00:24:52,750
It's a very personal relationship,
439
00:24:52,833 --> 00:24:55,500
so there has to be a feeling
between the two.
440
00:24:55,583 --> 00:24:58,458
There has to be an understanding
and a mutual respect.
441
00:24:58,541 --> 00:25:01,416
At 14, I met my coach -
442
00:25:01,500 --> 00:25:04,500
Carlos Rodriguez
has been my coach forever -
443
00:25:04,583 --> 00:25:08,875
and very quickly I felt,
"OK, this guy can help me."
444
00:25:08,958 --> 00:25:11,750
I think a mentor's responsibility...
445
00:25:12,916 --> 00:25:16,083
is far more
than just teaching them how to hit.
446
00:25:17,291 --> 00:25:18,333
How to prepare.
447
00:25:19,125 --> 00:25:20,916
How to accept defeat.
448
00:25:22,125 --> 00:25:24,583
How to accept
that you have to give the extra mile.
449
00:25:24,666 --> 00:25:26,458
He was more than a coach -
450
00:25:26,541 --> 00:25:28,708
he was a bit of a father,
a brother, a friend.
451
00:25:28,791 --> 00:25:30,958
You have to go through the ups and downs -
452
00:25:31,041 --> 00:25:33,125
the emotional part, you know?
453
00:25:33,208 --> 00:25:38,708
Because that's what starts
to put the stones together.
454
00:25:38,791 --> 00:25:40,958
He was the person that when I needed him
455
00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:43,875
or I didn't feel good
or if something happened to me,
456
00:25:43,958 --> 00:25:46,333
"OK, I'll talk to you,
because this is happening to me.
457
00:25:46,416 --> 00:25:48,291
You know me better than anyone,
so help me."
458
00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:50,708
You need somebody who is just telling you,
459
00:25:50,791 --> 00:25:52,458
"Come on, you are good.
460
00:25:53,083 --> 00:25:56,166
We know how good you are,
you just need to believe in yourself."
461
00:25:56,250 --> 00:25:59,166
So, it's essential
to have people that support you,
462
00:25:59,250 --> 00:26:00,833
but also that are realistic.
463
00:26:00,916 --> 00:26:04,666
But most of all,
who are positive, no matter what.
464
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:13,666
I think, in the beginning,
465
00:26:13,750 --> 00:26:19,125
young champions aren't aware
of where they have just taken themselves.
466
00:26:19,208 --> 00:26:22,333
Well, I think to grow
as a player or as a person,
467
00:26:22,416 --> 00:26:24,291
you need to step out of your comfort zone.
468
00:26:24,375 --> 00:26:27,125
Nothing great
ever comes out of comfort zones.
469
00:26:27,208 --> 00:26:28,791
Yeah, when I turned 12,
470
00:26:28,875 --> 00:26:33,416
I went down to Boca Raton, to Florida,
and went to Chris Evert's Tennis Academy.
471
00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:36,083
And I think, actually,
a couple of years before that,
472
00:26:36,166 --> 00:26:41,375
maybe when I was ten,
I came down to Florida for a USTA camp.
473
00:26:41,833 --> 00:26:46,000
The second year,
the coaches saw that I had improved,
474
00:26:46,083 --> 00:26:48,791
so they called the head coach in Sydney,
475
00:26:48,875 --> 00:26:52,416
Vic Edwards, and said,
"I think we've got somebody here."
476
00:26:52,500 --> 00:26:55,000
I didn't know this was happening
at the time, obviously.
477
00:26:55,083 --> 00:26:57,000
So, they gave me the opportunity,
478
00:26:57,083 --> 00:26:58,416
the German Federation.
479
00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:02,708
They have a place to train
in Spain, in Marbella.
480
00:27:03,041 --> 00:27:06,541
In two seconds, I said, "OK, I'm going.
I want to improve, I want to get better."
481
00:27:06,625 --> 00:27:10,625
I appeared there
and I did not speak a word of English.
482
00:27:10,708 --> 00:27:16,333
I... I felt, at the time,
like I was thrown onto another planet.
483
00:27:16,833 --> 00:27:19,208
I didn't know what was going on.
484
00:27:19,291 --> 00:27:21,333
The first three months, I suffered a lot.
485
00:27:21,416 --> 00:27:23,208
It was just a totally different world.
486
00:27:23,291 --> 00:27:25,291
I gotta toughen up here, you know?
487
00:27:25,375 --> 00:27:27,041
I'm competing,
488
00:27:27,125 --> 00:27:29,333
um, practicing day in day out,
489
00:27:29,416 --> 00:27:32,083
and I think that kind of pushed me
even a little bit more
490
00:27:32,166 --> 00:27:35,125
as there really weren't many girls
at the academy in those days.
491
00:27:35,208 --> 00:27:39,416
It was a whole new life
going to Sydney for the first time.
492
00:27:39,500 --> 00:27:41,375
Everything was tennis, tennis, tennis.
493
00:27:41,458 --> 00:27:43,166
You need to be prepared
494
00:27:43,250 --> 00:27:49,166
that her pathway, her journey is heading
towards the top of women's tennis,
495
00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:52,166
and you need to be prepared for that
as her parents.
496
00:27:58,250 --> 00:28:02,416
That's when your world starts to open up,
when you start to leave Los Angeles.
497
00:28:02,500 --> 00:28:05,833
Now, you start to venture out
into national tournaments.
498
00:28:05,916 --> 00:28:09,250
I think they jump on that boat
and take off knowing
499
00:28:09,333 --> 00:28:13,333
that the seas will be kind to them,
the skies will be blue.
500
00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:15,833
I think I cried every night.
501
00:28:16,458 --> 00:28:19,333
I cried myself to sleep
because I was so homesick.
502
00:28:19,833 --> 00:28:22,666
But I never did tell my parents,
I never told my mom,
503
00:28:22,750 --> 00:28:27,375
because I thought she would
probably take me back to Barellan
504
00:28:27,458 --> 00:28:29,416
and never let me travel away again.
505
00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:31,583
They travel around the world,
506
00:28:31,666 --> 00:28:34,166
they have to operate independently,
507
00:28:34,250 --> 00:28:37,166
they have to make
their own decisions, prematurely.
508
00:28:37,250 --> 00:28:39,958
I remember my first
national junior tournament.
509
00:28:40,041 --> 00:28:41,041
I was 11 years old.
510
00:28:41,125 --> 00:28:42,625
I remember sometimes at night
511
00:28:42,708 --> 00:28:45,875
I would lay in my bed and I would cry
because I felt so uncomfortable.
512
00:28:45,958 --> 00:28:49,125
And I stayed with a family
in Little Rock, Arkansas.
513
00:28:49,208 --> 00:28:52,500
I didn't speak French and I remember
going to France for the first time
514
00:28:52,583 --> 00:28:56,500
and we had to eat fish soup
and I didn't like it and I felt so bad.
515
00:28:56,583 --> 00:29:00,458
I didn't want to be rude to the people
and say that I didn't like their food.
516
00:29:00,541 --> 00:29:02,250
I remember when I was ten years old,
517
00:29:02,333 --> 00:29:05,458
I had to fly all the way back
from the United States by myself,
518
00:29:05,541 --> 00:29:07,750
and that's quite an experience
for a ten-year-old.
519
00:29:07,833 --> 00:29:12,833
You enjoy the moment
and you know maybe something can happen,
520
00:29:12,916 --> 00:29:15,041
and you don't understand
521
00:29:15,125 --> 00:29:18,333
how the way is going to be long
and tough and difficult.
522
00:29:18,416 --> 00:29:20,333
I feel really emotional about it.
523
00:29:20,416 --> 00:29:24,750
I don't know how I went through it,
because looking back,
524
00:29:24,833 --> 00:29:29,333
it's pretty extraordinary
to be able to go through that.
525
00:29:29,416 --> 00:29:31,708
Most young girls
who want to be tennis champions
526
00:29:31,791 --> 00:29:34,375
understand what that means,
and they accept that.
527
00:29:34,458 --> 00:29:36,250
They are willing to take that on.
528
00:29:36,333 --> 00:29:39,875
But then once I got through
those first struggles, I loved it.
529
00:29:39,958 --> 00:29:45,208
To me, you know, being at tournaments
was the greatest thing I could do.
530
00:29:45,291 --> 00:29:49,500
I was home for two days and I was like,
"OK, when can we go? When can I go again?"
531
00:29:49,583 --> 00:29:55,583
It was just a question of doing the best
and traveling and trying to live my dream.
532
00:30:04,083 --> 00:30:07,791
I turned eight
and I read this cartoon magazine story
533
00:30:07,875 --> 00:30:10,750
and the story was called
Princess magazine.
534
00:30:10,833 --> 00:30:14,916
And the story that I read
was about a young girl
535
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:19,166
who was found, trained,
and taken to this place called Wimbledon,
536
00:30:19,958 --> 00:30:22,708
where she played
on this magical center court
537
00:30:22,791 --> 00:30:23,916
and she won.
538
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,375
You know, when I was ten years old,
539
00:30:26,458 --> 00:30:29,708
I went to Roland Garros with my mom
and we were watching the final,
540
00:30:29,791 --> 00:30:33,333
Graf against Seles, and I said to her,
541
00:30:33,916 --> 00:30:35,958
"One day,
I'll be on that court, and I'll win."
542
00:30:36,041 --> 00:30:39,208
So, really, that's where my dream started.
543
00:30:39,291 --> 00:30:41,541
At 11,
I said I wanted to be world number one.
544
00:30:41,625 --> 00:30:45,458
I told my mom when she came to pick me up,
and she wasn't too impressed.
545
00:30:45,541 --> 00:30:47,416
And I was ten years old
546
00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:50,000
and she looked at me
and she said, "oh yeah."
547
00:30:50,083 --> 00:30:53,625
Probably thinking,
"She's dreaming. Keep dreaming."
548
00:30:53,708 --> 00:30:56,541
Maybe I was ten, or something like that,
549
00:30:56,625 --> 00:30:59,083
and I say, into the camera,
550
00:30:59,166 --> 00:31:02,791
I'm like, "I want to be
the number one player in the world."
551
00:31:02,875 --> 00:31:09,208
And there's only one in a million
that could be number one in the world.
552
00:31:09,291 --> 00:31:12,791
Even as children -
six, eight or ten years of age -
553
00:31:13,291 --> 00:31:14,291
they have a dream.
554
00:31:14,875 --> 00:31:17,625
The dream is so vivid and so strong
555
00:31:17,708 --> 00:31:23,375
that they are able to maintain focus
and dedication over a long span of time.
556
00:31:31,750 --> 00:31:36,666
It is the dream that fuels the journey
and starts the journey.
557
00:31:37,333 --> 00:31:39,916
You know, I think they have the vision,
558
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:45,750
but they have the internal discipline
to execute the work,
559
00:31:45,833 --> 00:31:49,583
with no hope
that it is really going to happen,
560
00:31:49,666 --> 00:31:52,041
just their mindset, their perseverance,
561
00:31:52,125 --> 00:31:55,375
that they keep working
until they achieve that dream.
562
00:31:55,458 --> 00:31:58,416
These ladies didn't know
they were going to be world number ones.
563
00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:02,583
That was the dream and that was the goal
and that's what they fought every day for,
564
00:32:02,666 --> 00:32:04,416
but there was no guarantee on that.
565
00:32:04,500 --> 00:32:05,750
Now remember,
566
00:32:05,833 --> 00:32:09,791
the child's brain understands time
very differently than we adults do.
567
00:32:10,500 --> 00:32:13,083
To a child, one year is a very long time.
568
00:32:13,833 --> 00:32:15,750
So, this is quite an amazing feat.
569
00:32:16,333 --> 00:32:19,625
And everyone thought
it was crazy to dream like that.
570
00:32:19,708 --> 00:32:23,000
I really talk a lot about the dream
because I feel,
571
00:32:23,083 --> 00:32:25,791
if you dream very strongly about something
572
00:32:25,875 --> 00:32:29,958
and you give everything you have
in your sight to reach your dream,
573
00:32:30,041 --> 00:32:31,750
you can do it.
574
00:33:30,500 --> 00:33:34,041
As you know the tennis game
is a very expensive game.
575
00:33:34,125 --> 00:33:36,458
Really expensive.
576
00:33:36,541 --> 00:33:39,958
You have to be playing, first of all,
the best kids in your area,
577
00:33:40,041 --> 00:33:41,625
then the best kids in your region,
578
00:33:41,708 --> 00:33:43,500
then the best kids in your country,
579
00:33:43,583 --> 00:33:45,666
and then the best kids internationally.
580
00:33:45,750 --> 00:33:48,083
So, you need to buy your material,
581
00:33:48,166 --> 00:33:51,083
you need to go to a tennis academy
or to a tennis club,
582
00:33:51,166 --> 00:33:54,416
so the membership costs money,
the academies cost money.
583
00:33:54,500 --> 00:33:56,416
When a junior player starts,
584
00:33:56,500 --> 00:33:59,750
either they have got some help
from the Federation
585
00:33:59,833 --> 00:34:02,333
or the parents have to sacrifice a lot.
586
00:34:02,416 --> 00:34:06,125
So, you have to be fortunate
to come from a Federation,
587
00:34:06,208 --> 00:34:09,833
from a country
that can also support the players
588
00:34:09,916 --> 00:34:11,583
who are trying to make it on tour.
589
00:34:11,666 --> 00:34:14,333
It's the travel to Asia,
it's the travel to the Middle East,
590
00:34:14,416 --> 00:34:17,458
to South America,
to playing on different surfaces,
591
00:34:17,541 --> 00:34:19,708
and all that requires different equipment.
592
00:34:19,791 --> 00:34:21,500
You need to pay for a coach,
593
00:34:22,291 --> 00:34:24,541
you are staying in different hotels...
594
00:34:24,625 --> 00:34:27,083
- It's a global sport.
- Most people can't afford that.
595
00:34:27,166 --> 00:34:30,708
These people are usually
coming from pretty ordinary families.
596
00:34:30,791 --> 00:34:32,875
I remember not being able to afford it
597
00:34:32,958 --> 00:34:34,625
and crying and my mom saying,
598
00:34:34,708 --> 00:34:37,041
"It's OK.
You know, one day you will play."
599
00:34:37,125 --> 00:34:38,833
Nine years old, my first tournament,
600
00:34:38,916 --> 00:34:41,791
my dad was with me and my mom
had to come and bring us money
601
00:34:41,875 --> 00:34:43,250
because we ran out.
602
00:34:43,333 --> 00:34:47,458
I wouldn't be here today
unless I had that initial support
603
00:34:47,541 --> 00:34:49,625
of the townspeople of Barellan.
604
00:34:49,708 --> 00:34:53,833
I mean, they supported
not just me but the whole family,
605
00:34:53,916 --> 00:34:57,458
and bought my suitcase, my clothes,
everything, because we couldn't afford it.
606
00:34:57,541 --> 00:35:01,833
This is a town 50 kilometers away,
but back then, that was a big trip,
607
00:35:01,916 --> 00:35:04,833
you know, because we didn't have a car -
we rode on the motorcycle.
608
00:35:04,916 --> 00:35:07,750
I don't know, my mom took a bus.
I don't know how she got there.
609
00:35:07,833 --> 00:35:09,666
Tennis wasn't a popular sport in Serbia,
610
00:35:09,750 --> 00:35:12,500
so we didn't have a system,
we didn't have support.
611
00:35:12,583 --> 00:35:14,166
When I was 12 years old,
612
00:35:14,250 --> 00:35:17,083
even before I won
the Spanish National Championship,
613
00:35:17,166 --> 00:35:21,708
I found a company that believed in me -
it's called Pasta La Familia.
614
00:35:21,791 --> 00:35:23,166
They love tennis.
615
00:35:23,250 --> 00:35:26,333
And they sponsored me
and they said, "OK, we're gonna do it."
616
00:35:26,416 --> 00:35:30,916
When I was 14 or 15, my manager,
617
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,750
sort of, stepped in
and was my sponsor at the time,
618
00:35:33,833 --> 00:35:35,875
and it was a very important time for me
619
00:35:35,958 --> 00:35:37,833
because there was someone
outside of Serbia
620
00:35:37,916 --> 00:35:39,833
who actually believed and invested in me.
621
00:35:39,916 --> 00:35:42,791
I have to thank them
because they have always been there
622
00:35:42,875 --> 00:35:45,791
since the first moment, even when
I was not a champion or anything -
623
00:35:45,875 --> 00:35:47,541
you know, just a normal kid -
624
00:35:48,500 --> 00:35:49,750
they were my angels.
625
00:35:49,833 --> 00:35:52,458
They were waiting for me
and helping me in that moment.
626
00:35:52,541 --> 00:35:57,041
And we all went in the same direction
and it became like a happy ending.
627
00:36:03,458 --> 00:36:06,541
So, I had the fun part.
Now it's time for the hard work.
628
00:36:06,625 --> 00:36:09,250
When I left my country,
I was alone for six years.
629
00:36:09,333 --> 00:36:11,041
I didn't have a coach or anybody.
630
00:36:11,708 --> 00:36:13,958
I thought I was doing pretty well.
631
00:36:14,583 --> 00:36:17,833
So, I started training physically,
you know, and never looked back.
632
00:36:17,916 --> 00:36:21,583
I only believed in hard work.
That always pays off.
633
00:36:22,041 --> 00:36:26,583
It is said that it requires
at least 10,000 hours of practice
634
00:36:26,666 --> 00:36:28,541
to become expert at something.
635
00:36:28,625 --> 00:36:30,791
I had to get up,
I had to eat a certain way,
636
00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:34,083
I had to warm up,
I had to train a certain way,
637
00:36:34,166 --> 00:36:37,125
I had to be in the gym for two hours,
I had to practice four hours a day.
638
00:36:37,208 --> 00:36:38,708
Well, if you want to play,
639
00:36:38,791 --> 00:36:42,500
and you want to be able to reach balls
and hit half volleys
640
00:36:42,583 --> 00:36:44,291
and get the impossible ball,
641
00:36:44,375 --> 00:36:48,666
yes, you want to stay pretty,
but you gotta work physically, man.
642
00:36:48,750 --> 00:36:50,166
You've got to work physically.
643
00:36:50,250 --> 00:36:53,166
But it's not just physical practice,
644
00:36:53,250 --> 00:36:55,000
it's brain practice.
645
00:36:55,083 --> 00:36:58,125
Your talent might be
that you can be a hard worker,
646
00:36:58,208 --> 00:36:59,250
like unbelievable,
647
00:36:59,333 --> 00:37:01,750
and that's going to take you
to the end of the journey,
648
00:37:01,833 --> 00:37:03,208
you know, to a beautiful one.
649
00:37:03,291 --> 00:37:06,375
The hardest part about tennis
is the preparation,
650
00:37:07,458 --> 00:37:10,000
because you spend so many hours on court,
651
00:37:10,083 --> 00:37:12,458
just preparing for this one moment
652
00:37:12,541 --> 00:37:15,000
when you walk out on that court
to play a match
653
00:37:15,083 --> 00:37:17,541
and knowing that you're 100% prepared.
654
00:37:17,625 --> 00:37:22,000
The painful part
is creating new brain circuits.
655
00:37:22,083 --> 00:37:24,708
This is very difficult work
for the brain to be doing.
656
00:37:24,791 --> 00:37:28,416
Even when I was practicing
and I would have a hard practice,
657
00:37:28,500 --> 00:37:30,250
like really like suffering,
658
00:37:30,333 --> 00:37:33,791
then I would finish the practice
and I would sit in the chair like, "yeah."
659
00:37:33,875 --> 00:37:36,708
Wake up very early, go to school,
660
00:37:36,791 --> 00:37:38,458
or play tennis before my school,
661
00:37:38,541 --> 00:37:41,416
and then come back and do other lessons
662
00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,375
and then come back and sleep.
663
00:37:43,458 --> 00:37:45,708
That's how my days were.
664
00:37:45,791 --> 00:37:47,708
It was more like the army.
665
00:37:47,791 --> 00:37:50,833
It was more like
I was being a little soldier.
666
00:37:50,916 --> 00:37:56,041
What her brain is doing
is it's building a library of patterns -
667
00:37:56,708 --> 00:38:01,666
patterns of ball behavior,
but not only that, patterns of play,
668
00:38:01,750 --> 00:38:04,916
a library she can call on in her own play.
669
00:38:05,833 --> 00:38:09,250
It gives me like a power,
like I've made that step.
670
00:38:09,333 --> 00:38:12,541
Like I know that if it comes in the match,
I can handle it.
671
00:38:12,958 --> 00:38:16,083
You build yourself physically,
emotionally, and mentally.
672
00:38:16,166 --> 00:38:18,750
If you have the two of those things,
673
00:38:19,500 --> 00:38:20,708
that's pretty promising.
674
00:38:21,125 --> 00:38:23,500
It starts to be the world for you.
675
00:38:23,583 --> 00:38:26,250
There's no other world around you -
it's the tennis world.
676
00:38:35,333 --> 00:38:38,000
Rivalry is a must...
677
00:38:38,750 --> 00:38:41,583
in order for students
to reach the top levels.
678
00:38:42,500 --> 00:38:44,625
Part of the process
679
00:38:44,708 --> 00:38:47,666
is getting comfortable
with being uncomfortable.
680
00:38:47,750 --> 00:38:51,583
The rival doesn't suddenly show up
in the middle of your career -
681
00:38:51,666 --> 00:38:54,166
the rival is there
from the first time that you play
682
00:38:54,250 --> 00:38:55,541
and stays with you all along.
683
00:38:55,625 --> 00:38:57,916
My mom was the first one
in the family that I beat.
684
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,375
To beat my grandmother
was a big thing for me.
685
00:39:00,458 --> 00:39:03,708
It's in the nature of tennis
from the minute you pick up a racket.
686
00:39:03,791 --> 00:39:05,791
For me, it's always
687
00:39:05,875 --> 00:39:08,958
that initial walk out on the crowd
when it's just you and your opponent
688
00:39:09,041 --> 00:39:11,000
and everyone's there
to see just you two play.
689
00:39:11,083 --> 00:39:13,166
At the start, everyone's your rival.
690
00:39:13,250 --> 00:39:15,166
When you are 15, you don't know anyone.
691
00:39:15,250 --> 00:39:19,208
You don't understand at that point
who your rivals are -
692
00:39:19,291 --> 00:39:24,000
you're just entering
and just trying to do the best you can.
693
00:39:24,083 --> 00:39:26,125
I don't always know a lot
about my opponents,
694
00:39:26,208 --> 00:39:29,041
so when they rise
and everyone gets to know them,
695
00:39:29,125 --> 00:39:31,041
that's probably when I know
a little bit more.
696
00:39:31,125 --> 00:39:35,833
Otherwise, when I look across the net,
I don't see the name or the face,
697
00:39:35,916 --> 00:39:38,916
I'm just, you know, trying to put
my ball in the court, hopefully.
698
00:39:39,333 --> 00:39:41,666
Definitely you're starting
at the bottom rung,
699
00:39:41,750 --> 00:39:46,875
and you're just trying to win some matches
and get stronger.
700
00:39:46,958 --> 00:39:50,166
Her brain begins to gather
a whole other set of statistics -
701
00:39:50,250 --> 00:39:52,208
learning to read the opponent.
702
00:39:52,625 --> 00:39:54,166
And learning to read the opponent
703
00:39:54,250 --> 00:39:58,041
is literally the first step
in reading the ball.
704
00:39:58,125 --> 00:40:00,416
I call this "body surveillance."
705
00:40:00,500 --> 00:40:02,208
Um, you need to feel uncomfortable,
706
00:40:02,291 --> 00:40:04,875
you have to get some bad beatings
out there on court.
707
00:40:04,958 --> 00:40:08,041
Rivals improve my game.
708
00:40:08,125 --> 00:40:12,000
You know, that was a very important
component of my improving
709
00:40:12,083 --> 00:40:15,500
and my developing
into a better tennis player
710
00:40:15,583 --> 00:40:18,333
was having the Evonne Goolagongs
711
00:40:18,416 --> 00:40:20,916
and Billie Jean Kings
and Martina Navratilovas.
712
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:24,750
Your opponents
help bring the best out of your game.
713
00:40:24,833 --> 00:40:26,875
That's how everybody improves.
714
00:40:26,958 --> 00:40:29,541
It's something that motivates,
715
00:40:30,208 --> 00:40:33,750
that stimulates
to become better in every way -
716
00:40:33,833 --> 00:40:36,291
mentally, physically, emotionally.
717
00:40:36,375 --> 00:40:38,833
You have to push yourself to the limits,
718
00:40:38,916 --> 00:40:41,625
playing your best tennis
because they are pushing you.
719
00:40:41,708 --> 00:40:45,375
Modern neuroscience
has found cells in the brain
720
00:40:45,458 --> 00:40:47,041
that do this body surveillance.
721
00:40:47,125 --> 00:40:49,166
They are called mirror neurons.
722
00:40:49,250 --> 00:40:53,750
So, mirror neurons
help us read another's intentions
723
00:40:53,833 --> 00:40:55,916
and predict what they are about to do.
724
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,375
This means
that she has to predict the shot
725
00:40:58,458 --> 00:40:59,625
before the shot.
726
00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:01,833
So that's part of it -
you have to have a good mind,
727
00:41:01,916 --> 00:41:03,750
you have to have good logic.
728
00:41:03,833 --> 00:41:06,458
Which is one of the reasons I say,
these high level athletes,
729
00:41:06,541 --> 00:41:09,166
if they chose to go into medicine
or any other high level career,
730
00:41:09,250 --> 00:41:12,416
which many of them do,
they are perfectly capable of it,
731
00:41:12,500 --> 00:41:14,833
as they are already functioning
at that high level,
732
00:41:14,916 --> 00:41:16,125
they just don't realize it.
733
00:41:16,208 --> 00:41:19,125
They think it's just a sport.
No, it's a lot more than just a sport.
734
00:41:19,208 --> 00:41:22,750
The top tennis players are able to observe
735
00:41:22,833 --> 00:41:25,208
the smallest gesture of their opponent...
736
00:41:27,291 --> 00:41:28,833
in the critical areas
737
00:41:28,916 --> 00:41:31,625
that telegraph to them
what's about to happen.
738
00:41:33,416 --> 00:41:38,416
And thus, it's quite likely
that championship players
739
00:41:38,500 --> 00:41:40,833
have championship mirror neurons.
740
00:41:40,916 --> 00:41:43,125
I had a big rivalry, I guess,
741
00:41:43,208 --> 00:41:46,458
against my hero growing up
in the beginning,
742
00:41:46,541 --> 00:41:47,666
Margaret Court.
743
00:41:47,750 --> 00:41:49,833
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova,
744
00:41:50,750 --> 00:41:53,833
they made each other cry
like every other weekend.
745
00:41:53,916 --> 00:41:55,958
Someone would be
in that locker room crying.
746
00:41:56,041 --> 00:41:59,500
Perhaps both would have won more titles
had the other not been there,
747
00:41:59,583 --> 00:42:01,663
but we would not have become
as good a tennis player,
748
00:42:01,708 --> 00:42:03,333
had the other not been there.
749
00:42:03,416 --> 00:42:05,416
That rivalry will never be surpassed.
750
00:42:05,500 --> 00:42:08,666
I mean, they played each other
80 times over about 20 years.
751
00:42:08,750 --> 00:42:11,666
She was my big rival
and we had pushed each other.
752
00:42:11,750 --> 00:42:14,000
My first kind of rivalry,
753
00:42:14,083 --> 00:42:17,291
and definitely one that also lasted
through my whole career,
754
00:42:17,375 --> 00:42:18,583
was with Justine Henin.
755
00:42:18,666 --> 00:42:20,208
Of course, with Kim it was special
756
00:42:20,291 --> 00:42:24,416
because we were from the same country
so the attention was so big.
757
00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:28,666
Tracy Austin,
she was my first nemesis, my first rival,
758
00:42:28,750 --> 00:42:32,750
and we played junior tournaments
until we played professional.
759
00:42:32,833 --> 00:42:35,166
I wouldn't say I wanted to be like her,
760
00:42:35,250 --> 00:42:38,583
but I admired her for how she was...
761
00:42:38,666 --> 00:42:41,291
Of course,
there was this great clash in styles,
762
00:42:41,375 --> 00:42:45,125
this contrast in personality,
in looks, in background.
763
00:42:45,208 --> 00:42:48,250
Now that I think back about it,
it always kind of was created
764
00:42:48,333 --> 00:42:53,208
and it was made
to grow into something amazing.
765
00:42:53,291 --> 00:42:55,583
Want to beat the heck
out of each other,
766
00:42:55,666 --> 00:42:57,833
but they also respected each other.
767
00:42:57,916 --> 00:43:00,916
From a young age,
it was already a good one.
768
00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:04,291
It was a healthy one
that helped both of us to become better.
769
00:43:04,375 --> 00:43:08,625
I did not like her
most of my professional career,
770
00:43:08,708 --> 00:43:10,666
but my maturity,
771
00:43:10,750 --> 00:43:15,291
it was me that needed to change
because then, and thank goodness,
772
00:43:15,375 --> 00:43:18,875
we actually have become
really great friends.
773
00:43:18,958 --> 00:43:22,791
To this day,
she's one of my best friends, really.
774
00:43:22,875 --> 00:43:24,333
We've always been very close.
775
00:43:24,416 --> 00:43:26,583
We are emotional as females
776
00:43:26,666 --> 00:43:32,083
and therefore, we are sensitive
and we have sympathy and empathy
777
00:43:32,166 --> 00:43:33,791
and everything else that comes with it.
778
00:43:33,875 --> 00:43:36,041
On court, we're opponents,
779
00:43:36,125 --> 00:43:39,041
and we are trying
not to think about our friendship -
780
00:43:39,125 --> 00:43:42,416
we are just trying to play our best,
win against each other...
781
00:43:42,500 --> 00:43:48,083
And maybe the quality of the people
can make the rivalry that big,
782
00:43:48,916 --> 00:43:53,083
and also the quality of people
allows us to be friends.
783
00:43:54,416 --> 00:43:56,375
That's the first time
I have thought of that.
784
00:43:56,458 --> 00:43:58,500
My most important moment
785
00:43:58,583 --> 00:44:01,916
was receiving a phone call
from Martina Navratilova
786
00:44:02,208 --> 00:44:03,458
to play doubles with her.
787
00:44:03,541 --> 00:44:05,916
We always liked each other as people.
788
00:44:06,500 --> 00:44:08,333
Uh, she makes me laugh.
789
00:44:08,416 --> 00:44:09,416
We had a chemistry,
790
00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:12,750
we had this special,
wonderful chemistry together
791
00:44:12,833 --> 00:44:16,708
that just made us, most people think,
the best doubles team ever.
792
00:44:16,791 --> 00:44:20,500
And it's funny because Pam
was my partner and Chris was my nemesis,
793
00:44:20,583 --> 00:44:24,291
but they are the two people from the tour
that I trust implicitly.
794
00:44:24,375 --> 00:44:28,250
I know I can say anything to them
and it's safe.
795
00:44:28,333 --> 00:44:31,333
I could call either of them at 3 a.m.
and say, "I need you,"
796
00:44:31,416 --> 00:44:33,916
and they would be on the next plane,
no questions asked.
797
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:36,583
Once we're off the court,
we're just friends, we hang out,
798
00:44:36,666 --> 00:44:38,291
we have a good time,
799
00:44:38,375 --> 00:44:42,041
and I think you could be very lonely
if we just...
800
00:44:42,125 --> 00:44:44,000
if no one spoke to each other.
801
00:44:44,083 --> 00:44:46,791
If you start losing
or you feel the crowd's against you,
802
00:44:46,875 --> 00:44:50,958
or things just don't go your way
no matter how hard you try,
803
00:44:51,041 --> 00:44:52,166
then it's lonely.
804
00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:56,625
This is a one-on-one sport.
It's a lonely sport, man.
805
00:44:56,708 --> 00:45:01,333
It attracts people who are good
about taking off on their own
806
00:45:01,416 --> 00:45:04,166
and taking on the journey.
807
00:45:04,250 --> 00:45:06,833
When you are on a mission like that,
808
00:45:06,916 --> 00:45:08,333
it's always lonely.
809
00:45:08,666 --> 00:45:13,166
They are always times you feel like,
"nobody gets this."
810
00:45:13,250 --> 00:45:16,375
You feel like you're on an island
sometimes when you're on the court,
811
00:45:16,458 --> 00:45:19,833
just because you're there by yourself
and your team's off in the distance.
812
00:45:19,916 --> 00:45:22,708
But every person, including myself,
813
00:45:22,791 --> 00:45:27,208
has had a great team that's really,
you know, hoisted them up
814
00:45:27,291 --> 00:45:29,083
and given them confidence
815
00:45:29,166 --> 00:45:31,875
and helped them
through some of the valleys,
816
00:45:31,958 --> 00:45:35,333
and then celebrated at the top
of the mountain with them as well.
817
00:45:35,416 --> 00:45:37,458
You do not succeed alone.
818
00:45:38,125 --> 00:45:42,583
So if anybody thinks they have done it
just by themselves, it doesn't happen.
819
00:45:42,666 --> 00:45:45,583
The whole trick is called a pyramid -
820
00:45:45,666 --> 00:45:49,708
the team, which means the family
and the coach and the student.
821
00:45:49,791 --> 00:45:52,875
Because as individual a sport as it is,
you need a team around you.
822
00:45:52,958 --> 00:45:54,208
Not everybody has a team.
823
00:45:54,291 --> 00:45:57,208
I think they are overdoing it a bit
at an early age.
824
00:45:57,291 --> 00:46:01,833
Your team normally starts out
as your mom or your dad and your coach
825
00:46:02,583 --> 00:46:05,125
and, at some point, that starts to grow.
826
00:46:05,208 --> 00:46:07,708
The structure around that
has to be healthy
827
00:46:07,791 --> 00:46:09,416
in order to nurture that person -
828
00:46:09,500 --> 00:46:14,333
not only the tennis development,
but the person.
829
00:46:14,416 --> 00:46:16,333
It's about the guidance,
830
00:46:16,416 --> 00:46:19,333
and you do find yourself
inside of a bubble.
831
00:46:19,833 --> 00:46:22,916
These are the people they can count on
and that they know they can tell
832
00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:26,083
their good and bad times to
and it stays within the group.
833
00:46:26,166 --> 00:46:28,500
For sure, the entourage
that they have around,
834
00:46:28,583 --> 00:46:30,291
it's very important to them.
835
00:46:30,375 --> 00:46:35,291
But also, it's important
to just have the time for myself
836
00:46:35,375 --> 00:46:38,375
and just leave my team
in the hotel or at home.
837
00:46:38,458 --> 00:46:43,875
If they are living, breathing,
thinking about tennis 24 hours a day,
838
00:46:43,958 --> 00:46:46,208
they will not become champions.
839
00:46:46,291 --> 00:46:47,958
I can guarantee you of that.
840
00:46:48,291 --> 00:46:50,166
It's really important to find the balance
841
00:46:50,250 --> 00:46:54,500
between the professional way
and also your life.
842
00:46:54,583 --> 00:46:58,083
But at the end of the day,
the athlete is the leader.
843
00:46:58,166 --> 00:47:00,958
It's the athlete
that lifts up everybody's spirits.
844
00:47:01,041 --> 00:47:04,500
It's not us -
it's the athlete who shows us the way.
845
00:47:04,583 --> 00:47:07,666
Again, it goes back to the fact
that it's an individual sport.
846
00:47:07,750 --> 00:47:10,416
So, there is only you
on court playing the match.
847
00:47:10,500 --> 00:47:12,708
It's not your mom or your dad
or your coach.
848
00:47:12,791 --> 00:47:15,434
You are alone on that court
and you need to figure out a way to win.
849
00:47:15,458 --> 00:47:18,791
You win, you get the credit.
You lose, you get all the blame.
850
00:47:18,875 --> 00:47:21,666
I mean, it's on you.
You can't blame anybody else.
851
00:47:21,750 --> 00:47:24,125
There are no substitutions
852
00:47:24,208 --> 00:47:26,916
and you're not allowed to have
your coach around you all the time.
853
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:28,541
The clock doesn't run out.
854
00:47:29,125 --> 00:47:30,458
It's just you out there.
855
00:47:48,166 --> 00:47:52,166
I want to win
and losing's the kiss of death.
856
00:47:55,541 --> 00:47:56,541
I want to win.
857
00:47:57,666 --> 00:47:59,125
I remember that I hated to lose.
858
00:47:59,208 --> 00:48:02,125
Even if I played tennis or soccer,
I always wanted to win.
859
00:48:03,166 --> 00:48:07,375
The only reason I kept playing piano was
I had to be better than my sister.
860
00:48:09,708 --> 00:48:11,583
Whatever it was, I was very competitive.
861
00:48:12,541 --> 00:48:14,083
Maybe that was an early sign
862
00:48:14,166 --> 00:48:19,000
that I would have some competitive fire
that was different from most others.
863
00:48:20,583 --> 00:48:21,583
I just wanna win.
864
00:48:22,375 --> 00:48:24,541
Just because it was a challenge, I think.
865
00:48:25,208 --> 00:48:27,125
I used to compete against myself.
866
00:48:27,208 --> 00:48:30,791
I used to ride my bicycle around our yard,
867
00:48:30,875 --> 00:48:34,125
ride around and time myself,
see how fast I could go,
868
00:48:34,208 --> 00:48:36,125
and then I would try to go faster.
869
00:48:36,625 --> 00:48:38,333
And there was nobody there, just me.
870
00:48:38,958 --> 00:48:41,708
But it's almost like a hunger
for something, or a need.
871
00:48:41,791 --> 00:48:42,916
You need it.
872
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:47,583
You need it because
you give everything of yourself.
873
00:48:48,416 --> 00:48:51,875
Older or younger, I don't care.
It's... it's about winning.
874
00:48:52,750 --> 00:48:56,458
I don't know if it sounds good
on camera or not, but it was like drugs.
875
00:48:56,875 --> 00:48:57,875
I enjoyed that.
876
00:48:57,958 --> 00:49:00,291
I enjoyed winning
and I enjoyed that feeling
877
00:49:00,375 --> 00:49:02,500
and that high when you win a match.
878
00:49:02,583 --> 00:49:04,250
You get hooked on it right away.
879
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:06,500
It is addictive.
880
00:49:06,583 --> 00:49:09,083
All top athletes will tell you,
in a sense,
881
00:49:09,166 --> 00:49:12,291
that they are addicted
to the positive feelings.
882
00:49:12,791 --> 00:49:16,583
The nucleus accumbens
is packed with neurons
883
00:49:16,666 --> 00:49:20,666
that release so-called
"good feeling" hormones,
884
00:49:20,750 --> 00:49:24,458
endogenous opiates called endorphins,
as well as dopamine.
885
00:49:24,541 --> 00:49:27,875
In order to be a champion in anything -
886
00:49:27,958 --> 00:49:31,333
in business, in life, as a mother,
whatever it is -
887
00:49:31,416 --> 00:49:33,416
you have to fail sometimes.
888
00:49:33,500 --> 00:49:35,375
Now, how do I react to that?
889
00:49:35,458 --> 00:49:39,291
I need the time to get calm, to relax,
890
00:49:39,375 --> 00:49:42,583
to calm down,
and then after like a few hours,
891
00:49:42,666 --> 00:49:46,416
then I can speak with my coach,
with my team sitting down together,
892
00:49:46,500 --> 00:49:51,750
but I'm the person who just goes
and plays the next tournament.
893
00:49:51,833 --> 00:49:54,750
Tennis is such a complex game.
894
00:49:54,833 --> 00:49:59,750
You have to have the head for it,
not just the physical part of it.
895
00:49:59,833 --> 00:50:02,125
So, it's about
being mentally strong as well,
896
00:50:02,208 --> 00:50:06,458
and figuring out
how to have that one last push.
897
00:50:06,541 --> 00:50:11,291
And that starts and ends with a drive
from the inside out -
898
00:50:11,375 --> 00:50:12,791
mentally, emotionally.
899
00:50:12,875 --> 00:50:15,166
Being a champion at the mental game
900
00:50:15,250 --> 00:50:17,875
means being a champion at three things -
901
00:50:17,958 --> 00:50:21,291
self-awareness, emotional resilience,
902
00:50:21,375 --> 00:50:24,500
and being able to maintain
a positive outlook.
903
00:50:24,583 --> 00:50:28,333
Self-awareness
is absolutely vital in being great,
904
00:50:28,416 --> 00:50:30,375
and also to know about your strengths.
905
00:50:30,458 --> 00:50:33,416
Always, always practice your strengths.
906
00:50:33,500 --> 00:50:36,791
What I like about all athletes,
what I like about all sports
907
00:50:36,875 --> 00:50:41,000
is watching champions reset.
908
00:50:41,083 --> 00:50:43,833
I mean,
it's a great life lesson for anybody.
909
00:50:43,916 --> 00:50:48,500
The top players have to have
incredible emotional resilience.
910
00:50:49,166 --> 00:50:52,125
You don't have two or three weeks
to feel sorry for yourself.
911
00:50:52,208 --> 00:50:55,541
You have to bounce back
and come back and compete the next day.
912
00:50:55,625 --> 00:50:58,250
You learn more when you lose
than when you win.
913
00:50:58,333 --> 00:51:00,666
When you lose, it's sort of like,
914
00:51:00,750 --> 00:51:04,666
"Whoa, I better work on my volley
and I better work on my moving,
915
00:51:04,750 --> 00:51:06,250
because I don't like to lose."
916
00:51:06,333 --> 00:51:08,166
But my daddy said to me,
917
00:51:08,250 --> 00:51:10,333
"Son, it's not how you fail,
918
00:51:10,416 --> 00:51:13,666
but how you get up, and keep getting up."
919
00:51:15,500 --> 00:51:18,666
I always get better when I lose,
so as much as I don't like it,
920
00:51:18,750 --> 00:51:22,708
it helps me to get better
and not do it as much.
921
00:51:23,291 --> 00:51:25,958
Maybe sometimes the losses,
you know, make you better.
922
00:51:26,041 --> 00:51:29,750
But also, it is important
to learn from your wins.
923
00:51:29,833 --> 00:51:33,250
It made me more hungry,
and it made me realize, like,
924
00:51:33,333 --> 00:51:38,833
"OK, I have to try and work harder
to become better so that I don't lose."
925
00:51:38,916 --> 00:51:41,083
Learn from the things that you did well,
926
00:51:41,166 --> 00:51:43,000
how you feel in that moment,
927
00:51:43,083 --> 00:51:46,041
and just find the way
to learn from the wins,
928
00:51:46,125 --> 00:51:49,333
but also trying, of course,
to learn from the losses.
929
00:51:49,416 --> 00:51:51,458
There are certain players
930
00:51:51,541 --> 00:51:57,250
who are able to go forward without
any concern for what has happened,
931
00:51:57,333 --> 00:52:00,541
and I admire those players tremendously.
932
00:52:01,166 --> 00:52:06,166
And they are going to keep going back
to the drawing board every day
933
00:52:06,250 --> 00:52:09,958
to get better, physically,
mentally, and emotionally.
934
00:52:10,041 --> 00:52:12,708
All the champions are self-motivated.
935
00:52:12,791 --> 00:52:16,375
It's an insuppressible desire
to win and compete.
936
00:52:16,458 --> 00:52:18,750
Second place is just not acceptable.
937
00:52:18,833 --> 00:52:20,000
I have to win.
938
00:52:20,083 --> 00:52:23,291
I hated losing,
so winning was the only option.
939
00:52:23,375 --> 00:52:25,958
It is the ultimate sporting experience
940
00:52:26,041 --> 00:52:31,125
to watch somebody out
in a tough match against a great opponent
941
00:52:31,208 --> 00:52:32,666
losing and thinking,
942
00:52:32,750 --> 00:52:35,708
"Wait, there has got to be a way
I can win this match."
943
00:52:38,916 --> 00:52:41,583
I'm gonna die,
but I'm not gonna lose to you.
944
00:52:43,666 --> 00:52:47,291
That's when you see
if you have a real champion.
945
00:52:47,375 --> 00:52:49,916
Nobody actually dies in this war,
946
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:52,666
but the brain is in a war state
nevertheless.
947
00:53:01,708 --> 00:53:03,625
Oh, my goodness!
948
00:53:05,916 --> 00:53:06,791
Being competitive,
949
00:53:06,875 --> 00:53:09,708
it's funny because I think people say,
"Oh, you're so competitive."
950
00:53:09,791 --> 00:53:11,750
And it's almost like a putdown,
951
00:53:12,708 --> 00:53:13,958
but only with women.
952
00:53:14,041 --> 00:53:17,083
They don't ever say it about a guy,
"Oh, he's so competitive."
953
00:53:17,166 --> 00:53:18,583
Well, it goes without saying.
954
00:53:18,666 --> 00:53:21,583
Guys are supposed to be competitive,
but women, not so much.
955
00:53:22,250 --> 00:53:23,833
As a girl in those days,
956
00:53:23,916 --> 00:53:26,666
I already knew things were different
for a girl than a boy.
957
00:53:26,750 --> 00:53:28,916
I knew that people listened to boys,
958
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:31,833
and that boys had more opportunity
by then.
959
00:53:31,916 --> 00:53:33,791
So, I knew that my road would be different
960
00:53:33,875 --> 00:53:37,666
and that it would be probably
more difficult than if I were a boy.
961
00:53:42,291 --> 00:53:46,291
So, ideally, I wanted the men
and women together to own everything.
962
00:53:46,875 --> 00:53:48,833
OK? Own everything.
All of the tournaments.
963
00:53:48,916 --> 00:53:51,708
The men rejected us, the women,
and they kept rejecting.
964
00:53:51,791 --> 00:53:52,833
I kept going back.
965
00:53:52,916 --> 00:53:54,666
These are my friends,
the guys I dance with,
966
00:53:54,750 --> 00:53:57,833
go to dinner with, who I adore,
and they said, "get lost."
967
00:53:57,916 --> 00:54:01,041
They are just laughing at us,
like, "you must be joking."
968
00:54:01,125 --> 00:54:05,791
Billie has always been about getting
the men and the women together.
969
00:54:05,875 --> 00:54:09,250
She was just trying to say,
"This is how the world should be.
970
00:54:09,875 --> 00:54:13,416
This is how girls should be treated,
the same way as boys.
971
00:54:13,500 --> 00:54:15,541
Everyone should have
the same opportunity."
972
00:54:15,625 --> 00:54:17,041
I believed her as a little girl.
973
00:54:17,125 --> 00:54:20,416
Plan B for me was, "OK,
we will have to figure something out."
974
00:54:20,500 --> 00:54:25,208
So, Billie called a woman,
her name was Gladys Heldman,
975
00:54:25,291 --> 00:54:27,791
and Gladys was the publisher
of Tennis Magazine.
976
00:54:27,875 --> 00:54:31,291
Would you do a tournament for us?
Can we try to think of what we can do?
977
00:54:31,375 --> 00:54:33,083
Gladys did find a sponsor,
978
00:54:33,166 --> 00:54:37,583
and they held their first
professional event, women's only,
979
00:54:37,666 --> 00:54:41,291
outside of the establishment
for $5,000 in Houston.
980
00:54:41,375 --> 00:54:44,250
We always look at it
when we look back in history,
981
00:54:44,333 --> 00:54:46,291
that in 1970,
982
00:54:46,375 --> 00:54:50,541
the original nine and Gladys Heldman
really started the tour.
983
00:54:51,208 --> 00:54:53,041
And those nine women
984
00:54:53,625 --> 00:54:57,875
who had the courage
to stand up to the establishment
985
00:54:57,958 --> 00:55:01,208
had to sign a $1 contract to play.
986
00:55:01,291 --> 00:55:03,583
That moment
when we signed that $1 contract
987
00:55:03,666 --> 00:55:06,583
is the birth
of women's professional tennis.
988
00:55:08,708 --> 00:55:12,791
Title IX was approved in 1972.
989
00:55:12,875 --> 00:55:15,125
It says no sex discrimination.
990
00:55:15,208 --> 00:55:17,958
So, that means, if you get federal money,
991
00:55:18,041 --> 00:55:22,708
that men or women have to be given
money equally for the first time.
992
00:55:22,791 --> 00:55:26,541
So, I think that, sort of,
opened the door at that time
993
00:55:26,625 --> 00:55:31,291
for women to begin to get scholarships
throughout our country
994
00:55:31,375 --> 00:55:33,833
in all sports, not just in tennis.
995
00:55:36,041 --> 00:55:38,458
Nineteen seventy-three
was really a pivotal year
996
00:55:38,541 --> 00:55:40,791
in women's sports and for women,
997
00:55:40,875 --> 00:55:43,208
because so much happened in that year.
998
00:55:43,291 --> 00:55:45,833
Billie Jean founded the WTA.
999
00:55:45,916 --> 00:55:48,125
It was at Wimbledon in 1973.
1000
00:55:48,208 --> 00:55:51,250
They were in the Gloucester Hotel,
63 women,
1001
00:55:51,333 --> 00:55:55,166
Billie said we are not leaving this room
1002
00:55:55,666 --> 00:56:00,208
until we all agree that we are going
to form our own association.
1003
00:56:00,291 --> 00:56:06,125
And it was started on a basic premise
of trying to create a better future.
1004
00:56:07,541 --> 00:56:11,500
I played this guy, Bobby Riggs, in 1973,
which was humongous in the States,
1005
00:56:11,583 --> 00:56:14,541
and to a certain degree
outside the States,
1006
00:56:14,625 --> 00:56:16,958
but it was madness.
1007
00:56:17,041 --> 00:56:19,833
It was something similar to the moment
1008
00:56:19,916 --> 00:56:23,166
when we watched Neil Armstrong
land on the moon.
1009
00:56:23,250 --> 00:56:26,041
And it was a big, big deal.
1010
00:56:26,125 --> 00:56:27,625
I just had to beat him,
1011
00:56:27,708 --> 00:56:30,208
because if I hadn't,
I think it would have hurt the tour.
1012
00:56:30,291 --> 00:56:33,375
I felt like it was going
to set women back another 50 years.
1013
00:56:33,458 --> 00:56:35,666
We're already not even even anyway.
1014
00:56:35,750 --> 00:56:38,833
So, I was like...
God, there was so much pressure.
1015
00:56:38,916 --> 00:56:42,000
That was real pressure -
it's one match, that's it.
1016
00:56:42,583 --> 00:56:45,541
It wasn't about women's tennis at all.
1017
00:56:45,625 --> 00:56:48,541
It was about the advancement of women,
1018
00:56:48,625 --> 00:56:52,875
and how that match changed the world
1019
00:56:52,958 --> 00:56:55,958
for so many little girls and women
1020
00:56:56,041 --> 00:56:58,625
in the United States and around the world.
1021
00:56:59,333 --> 00:57:04,458
I think... I really think that match
put women's tennis out there.
1022
00:57:05,833 --> 00:57:08,375
So, you know, Billie's just incredible.
1023
00:57:08,458 --> 00:57:10,250
She did it all in 1973 -
1024
00:57:10,333 --> 00:57:11,541
forms the WTA,
1025
00:57:11,625 --> 00:57:13,791
does the Battle of the Sexes,
wins Grand Slams,
1026
00:57:13,875 --> 00:57:15,375
and lest we forget,
1027
00:57:15,458 --> 00:57:18,458
advocated for equal prize money
at the US Open,
1028
00:57:18,541 --> 00:57:23,458
and 1973 was the first year
that the US Open paid equal prize money.
1029
00:57:23,541 --> 00:57:26,333
I wasn't going there just asking,
and "please, please."
1030
00:57:26,416 --> 00:57:29,625
We actually brought
extra money to the table.
1031
00:57:29,708 --> 00:57:33,166
The board of the USTA said,
"we'll do equal prize money" in 1973.
1032
00:57:33,250 --> 00:57:35,083
Billie Jean King was unbelievable.
1033
00:57:35,166 --> 00:57:37,208
She really was a fighter.
1034
00:57:37,291 --> 00:57:40,083
That's why,
when she was still playing tennis,
1035
00:57:40,166 --> 00:57:43,666
she became so successful
in running the game
1036
00:57:43,750 --> 00:57:46,125
and helping day after day.
1037
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:49,000
We're now at a place
1038
00:57:49,041 --> 00:57:52,708
where we're going to be in 56 events
around the world,
1039
00:57:52,791 --> 00:57:54,041
not just the United States,
1040
00:57:54,791 --> 00:57:56,916
and including the four Grand Slams,
1041
00:57:57,000 --> 00:58:00,166
playing for over
$150 million in prize money,
1042
00:58:00,250 --> 00:58:02,625
so the growth has been tremendous.
1043
00:58:02,708 --> 00:58:06,375
You know,
this whole industry of women's tennis,
1044
00:58:06,458 --> 00:58:08,166
it transcends...
1045
00:58:08,958 --> 00:58:10,916
uh... the court,
1046
00:58:11,583 --> 00:58:16,375
and it really has been about
empowering women through the sport
1047
00:58:16,458 --> 00:58:18,833
on and off the court.
1048
00:58:28,916 --> 00:58:30,458
This was our goal in the end.
1049
00:58:30,541 --> 00:58:34,041
Any girl in the world that's born,
if she's good enough,
1050
00:58:34,833 --> 00:58:36,750
there will be a place
for her to compete...
1051
00:58:38,375 --> 00:58:43,125
and she'll be recognized
and appreciated for her accomplishments,
1052
00:58:43,208 --> 00:58:44,625
not just her looks...
1053
00:58:45,958 --> 00:58:48,041
and that she will be able
to make a living.
1054
00:58:53,583 --> 00:58:55,250
You know, you're building something,
1055
00:58:55,333 --> 00:58:58,583
and when you're a young junior
and you start to play well,
1056
00:58:58,666 --> 00:59:00,666
and you start to win many titles,
1057
00:59:00,750 --> 00:59:03,708
I mean, I think that's just
gradually the next step.
1058
00:59:03,791 --> 00:59:08,000
Just about to turn 15,
going to my father and saying,
1059
00:59:08,083 --> 00:59:10,791
"Dad, I need to talk to you.
I want to turn professional."
1060
00:59:10,875 --> 00:59:13,083
And my dad, like, sat me down and says...
1061
00:59:13,166 --> 00:59:14,958
"You will have a lot of heartbreak,
1062
00:59:15,041 --> 00:59:18,416
you're not going to win all the time,
it's going to be very difficult.
1063
00:59:18,500 --> 00:59:21,458
Are you sure that you want to do this?"
1064
00:59:21,958 --> 00:59:23,541
I go, "Yes, Daddy. Yes."
1065
00:59:23,625 --> 00:59:26,833
I'm like, "No problem, yes.
I'm willing to pay that price."
1066
00:59:26,916 --> 00:59:29,083
You're doing something
that you've always done,
1067
00:59:29,166 --> 00:59:32,375
now you're just doing it in a different
arena, and you're getting paid to do it.
1068
00:59:32,458 --> 00:59:35,791
Honestly, you don't even think about it.
It's really step by step.
1069
00:59:35,875 --> 00:59:40,458
I wanted to be a professional,
but I didn't plan it at the time.
1070
00:59:40,541 --> 00:59:44,541
It was, "OK, now it's the time
to go to the next step."
1071
00:59:45,250 --> 00:59:46,708
It was just the right timing,
1072
00:59:46,791 --> 00:59:52,250
and it was always going to be about
becoming a professional tennis player.
1073
00:59:52,333 --> 00:59:54,791
It was a very natural progression.
1074
00:59:54,875 --> 00:59:58,208
There was no, "I'm going to turn pro
next year or next month."
1075
00:59:58,291 --> 01:00:01,083
It was, "OK, I'm on the tour now,
and I can compete,
1076
01:00:01,166 --> 01:00:04,125
and I can make a living at it,
because now there's prize money."
1077
01:00:04,208 --> 01:00:05,458
I kind of like the fact
1078
01:00:05,541 --> 01:00:08,375
that it just kind of happened organically
and wasn't planned.
1079
01:00:08,458 --> 01:00:10,541
When you're young
and you first come on tour
1080
01:00:10,625 --> 01:00:12,083
and you're excited to play
1081
01:00:12,166 --> 01:00:15,958
and you want to play the top players
to see kind of where your game is...
1082
01:00:16,041 --> 01:00:17,583
It's nice when you first come on tour,
1083
01:00:17,666 --> 01:00:21,208
because you think less, and I think that's
also an advantage and a disadvantage.
1084
01:00:21,291 --> 01:00:24,958
I felt there was much more pressure
in junior tennis for me
1085
01:00:25,041 --> 01:00:27,791
because I was playing my best friends,
and I was playing my sister,
1086
01:00:27,875 --> 01:00:31,125
and I was playing my peers,
I was playing girls my own age,
1087
01:00:31,208 --> 01:00:33,333
and that's where the pressure was.
1088
01:00:33,416 --> 01:00:39,875
So, you have to start
to make adult decisions all of a sudden,
1089
01:00:39,958 --> 01:00:42,666
and I was still a baby -
I was 14 years old, I was a kid.
1090
01:00:42,750 --> 01:00:44,250
They were turning pro...
1091
01:00:44,333 --> 01:00:46,666
They were still in diapers
and they were turning pro.
1092
01:00:46,750 --> 01:00:50,375
At 16 or 17,
I started playing 25 to 30-year-olds.
1093
01:00:51,125 --> 01:00:52,583
I felt no pressure at all,
1094
01:00:52,666 --> 01:00:54,833
and I could sense
that they were feeling it all.
1095
01:00:54,916 --> 01:00:58,208
When I had to play older people,
exactly what Chris was saying,
1096
01:00:58,291 --> 01:01:00,791
they had the pressure to beat me,
not vice versa.
1097
01:01:00,875 --> 01:01:03,000
Yeah, like Chris said,
you don't have pressure,
1098
01:01:03,083 --> 01:01:05,625
because you think,
"OK, I'm just beginning my journey."
1099
01:01:05,708 --> 01:01:09,250
There's a moment of time
where you cross over from,
1100
01:01:09,333 --> 01:01:12,250
this is what you're doing
because you love the sport
1101
01:01:12,333 --> 01:01:14,541
and this is your dream and your pursuit,
1102
01:01:14,625 --> 01:01:19,875
to where that road meets with sponsors
and the business world.
1103
01:01:19,958 --> 01:01:22,291
Agents are going to find you, you know?
1104
01:01:22,375 --> 01:01:24,083
Coaches are going to want you,
1105
01:01:24,166 --> 01:01:27,083
Federations are going
to claim you for their own,
1106
01:01:27,166 --> 01:01:31,083
so you cannot be naïve any longer.
1107
01:01:31,166 --> 01:01:34,583
I kind of knew that I was a pretty good
tennis player when I was 11,
1108
01:01:34,666 --> 01:01:36,875
when I had a couple of agents
1109
01:01:36,958 --> 01:01:39,375
come to my former country
and try to sign me.
1110
01:01:39,458 --> 01:01:41,333
So, you know, there was already a buzz,
1111
01:01:41,416 --> 01:01:45,458
and, you know, at 11, you're like,
"Wow, I'm that good that I need an agent?"
1112
01:01:45,541 --> 01:01:46,875
Things like that.
1113
01:01:46,958 --> 01:01:48,458
The player has a goal,
1114
01:01:48,541 --> 01:01:53,125
and that goal, most of the time, is to be
the number one tennis player in the world.
1115
01:01:53,208 --> 01:01:57,000
So, my job is to help the player
achieve that goal,
1116
01:01:57,083 --> 01:01:58,833
both on the court and off the court.
1117
01:01:58,916 --> 01:02:01,666
There is now an awareness,
if you are good...
1118
01:02:01,750 --> 01:02:03,375
You're an investment.
1119
01:02:03,458 --> 01:02:09,458
I would estimate that it's upwards
of a $350 to $400 million enterprise.
1120
01:02:09,541 --> 01:02:13,250
Without the sponsors
and the business, the dream doesn't exist.
1121
01:02:13,333 --> 01:02:15,875
If you're the greatest person
in the world and you look great,
1122
01:02:15,958 --> 01:02:18,541
but you don't win,
you're not going to get paid either.
1123
01:02:18,625 --> 01:02:23,250
The player needs to give more
than just perform on court.
1124
01:02:23,333 --> 01:02:25,333
That drives everything,
1125
01:02:25,416 --> 01:02:28,000
but there's all sorts
of auxiliary benefits as well,
1126
01:02:28,083 --> 01:02:29,791
and they also have to be available.
1127
01:02:29,875 --> 01:02:33,041
I can't tell you the importance
of maintaining
1128
01:02:33,125 --> 01:02:36,083
your own ability to decide for yourself
1129
01:02:36,166 --> 01:02:41,791
not to sell any rights
or to take away your power to progress
1130
01:02:41,875 --> 01:02:48,500
because you accepted financial aid
that is much more than financial aid.
1131
01:02:48,583 --> 01:02:51,000
So, that adds a whole new dimension
1132
01:02:51,083 --> 01:02:53,500
and much more complications
for a young girl.
1133
01:02:53,583 --> 01:02:56,833
I mortgaged my house, I borrowed money.
1134
01:02:57,500 --> 01:02:59,708
Why are you doing this? You got to win.
1135
01:02:59,791 --> 01:03:05,375
You know, my dad, kind of
being the strong person in my life
1136
01:03:05,458 --> 01:03:09,375
that really kind of saw this dream for me,
saw this future for me,
1137
01:03:09,458 --> 01:03:14,000
you know, he really instilled
a lot of these beliefs in me,
1138
01:03:14,083 --> 01:03:15,208
but at the same time,
1139
01:03:15,291 --> 01:03:18,000
I don't know if he saw
how much pressure it put on me.
1140
01:03:19,125 --> 01:03:21,541
You realize the pressure
on that young girl?
1141
01:03:21,625 --> 01:03:26,250
That's a critical piece about the pushing
1142
01:03:26,333 --> 01:03:30,291
versus the allowing it to unfold
1143
01:03:30,375 --> 01:03:33,166
with positive encouragement and support.
1144
01:03:33,250 --> 01:03:36,416
Remember that
we are in the business of entertainment.
1145
01:03:56,875 --> 01:03:58,000
I remember that
1146
01:03:58,083 --> 01:04:01,750
even when I got to the press conference
after I got to the final
1147
01:04:01,833 --> 01:04:03,250
that I was so excited and all that.
1148
01:04:03,333 --> 01:04:04,166
Boom.
1149
01:04:04,250 --> 01:04:07,458
"How many games do you think
you're gonna win against Steffi tomorrow?"
1150
01:04:07,541 --> 01:04:11,250
So, you cannot ask me that question.
Why don't you ask me if I'm happy?
1151
01:04:11,333 --> 01:04:15,708
Or "What are you going to do tomorrow?
How do you think you're going to play?"
1152
01:04:15,791 --> 01:04:17,250
But don't ask that question.
1153
01:04:17,333 --> 01:04:20,083
So, I looked at him and I said,
"OK, let's talk tomorrow."
1154
01:04:20,166 --> 01:04:25,541
What tennis players,
like many performers have to learn to do
1155
01:04:25,625 --> 01:04:28,291
is to have a game face,
1156
01:04:28,375 --> 01:04:31,208
where they show people
what they want them to see.
1157
01:04:31,750 --> 01:04:34,000
And that is also a skill
that they need to learn
1158
01:04:34,083 --> 01:04:36,333
in order to survive out there.
1159
01:04:36,416 --> 01:04:38,708
So, the next morning,
I went to play the final,
1160
01:04:38,791 --> 01:04:41,166
and I won the game and I won the match.
1161
01:04:41,250 --> 01:04:43,125
I threw the racket away, you know?
1162
01:04:43,208 --> 01:04:46,750
I was, like, the happiest ever and crying.
1163
01:04:46,833 --> 01:04:50,208
After I took a shower and got the trophy,
I had to go to the press room.
1164
01:04:50,291 --> 01:04:53,375
I looked at the Spanish journalist,
and then I said,
1165
01:04:53,458 --> 01:04:55,458
"Well, what do you have to say now?"
1166
01:04:55,958 --> 01:04:58,750
There are people writing
all about them, good and bad.
1167
01:04:58,833 --> 01:05:04,291
They all are experiencing
the same life, the same experience.
1168
01:05:04,375 --> 01:05:06,916
You know, all the same things
are happening to them.
1169
01:05:07,000 --> 01:05:08,416
I wasn't ready for it.
1170
01:05:08,500 --> 01:05:11,416
And all these other things
come with the job,
1171
01:05:11,500 --> 01:05:16,500
and that just gives you
so much more on your plate
1172
01:05:16,583 --> 01:05:19,375
that it's sometimes overwhelming.
1173
01:05:19,458 --> 01:05:22,791
It's a journey that I go through,
1174
01:05:22,875 --> 01:05:25,291
and it's completely different
1175
01:05:25,375 --> 01:05:28,333
than ten years ago,
when I start playing tennis, of course.
1176
01:05:28,416 --> 01:05:30,916
The problem is
that you get linked up with people
1177
01:05:31,916 --> 01:05:34,708
that want to suck
your emotional energy dry,
1178
01:05:35,708 --> 01:05:38,041
and there are takers all over the place.
1179
01:05:38,458 --> 01:05:40,541
I played tennis because I loved it,
1180
01:05:40,625 --> 01:05:43,958
not because it would give me a living,
and I think if I was growing up now,
1181
01:05:44,041 --> 01:05:46,958
I would still want to play
because I love hitting that ball,
1182
01:05:47,041 --> 01:05:48,875
not because there is fame and fortune.
1183
01:05:49,458 --> 01:05:52,583
The only person
that you have any control over is you.
1184
01:05:53,166 --> 01:05:54,500
And once you realize,
1185
01:05:54,583 --> 01:05:57,458
"I have no control
over this other sea of people,
1186
01:05:58,041 --> 01:06:00,142
and they are constantly
going to be nibbling at me..."
1187
01:06:00,166 --> 01:06:02,208
There are times
when you have to protect yourself.
1188
01:06:02,291 --> 01:06:03,750
So much negativity.
1189
01:06:03,833 --> 01:06:06,250
It's amazing how it's so positive
on the way up,
1190
01:06:06,333 --> 01:06:09,791
and any time you have bumps in the road,
it's amazing how quickly
1191
01:06:09,875 --> 01:06:13,333
people are willing to push you down,
to be negative.
1192
01:06:13,416 --> 01:06:18,583
That's when all the drama starts
and the difficult things might begin.
1193
01:06:18,666 --> 01:06:21,541
I'm just gonna do what I want to do.
1194
01:06:21,625 --> 01:06:24,083
I'm not going to think
about everybody else
1195
01:06:24,166 --> 01:06:26,458
and what the media is going to say
or write,
1196
01:06:26,541 --> 01:06:29,625
because I know that I'm doing things
that I like,
1197
01:06:29,708 --> 01:06:32,291
and I'm not doing anything
to hurt anybody.
1198
01:06:32,375 --> 01:06:34,750
And if there's a camera somewhere,
then so be it -
1199
01:06:34,833 --> 01:06:36,041
I'm not going to change.
1200
01:06:36,125 --> 01:06:37,750
No, this is the wall,
1201
01:06:37,833 --> 01:06:40,208
this is the seawall,
and you can't come past this.
1202
01:06:40,291 --> 01:06:41,208
This is me.
1203
01:06:41,291 --> 01:06:45,125
If I want to talk in the press conferences
about my private life, I will talk.
1204
01:06:45,208 --> 01:06:47,291
If I don't feel like it, then I won't.
1205
01:06:47,375 --> 01:06:50,916
I realized that my life
was no longer my own,
1206
01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:54,083
that everything
I did was going to be documented,
1207
01:06:54,166 --> 01:06:56,666
and the whole world
would know the next day.
1208
01:06:56,750 --> 01:06:59,333
So, that sense of privacy left,
1209
01:06:59,416 --> 01:07:02,333
and I had to give up
some of that for fame.
1210
01:07:02,416 --> 01:07:04,083
Me as a shy, young girl,
1211
01:07:04,166 --> 01:07:07,625
I really found it difficult to deal
with all the things that came with it -
1212
01:07:07,708 --> 01:07:10,833
all of a sudden, all the eyes on me,
the fame and everything.
1213
01:07:10,916 --> 01:07:12,875
And I sort of wanted
to run away from that.
1214
01:07:12,958 --> 01:07:15,583
I wanted to be a kid
and have a normal life.
1215
01:07:15,666 --> 01:07:18,625
Sometimes, you can't put
as much as you would like
1216
01:07:18,708 --> 01:07:22,166
into relationships with people
because you have to think about yourself,
1217
01:07:23,291 --> 01:07:27,958
and friendships,
you know, marriages, privacy...
1218
01:07:28,041 --> 01:07:31,083
There's a lot of things
that get affected by success
1219
01:07:31,166 --> 01:07:34,041
and by putting all your eggs
into one basket.
1220
01:07:34,708 --> 01:07:39,000
And, so, I feel like
I missed out on a lot of that.
1221
01:07:45,291 --> 01:07:47,958
The road, the process is very scary.
1222
01:07:48,041 --> 01:07:50,958
Am I doing the right thing?
Is it going to happen for me?
1223
01:07:51,041 --> 01:07:53,416
You go along with all your doubts,
you know?
1224
01:07:53,500 --> 01:07:57,750
Maybe I'm not that good,
maybe I can't do it.
1225
01:07:57,833 --> 01:08:01,833
But I certainly was scared
that I wouldn't make it,
1226
01:08:01,916 --> 01:08:04,166
and had a tremendous amount of fear.
1227
01:08:04,708 --> 01:08:08,458
Fear of what people would think, you know?
Fear of being judged.
1228
01:08:08,541 --> 01:08:12,750
There were times when I had doubts.
Maybe I made a big mistake.
1229
01:08:20,250 --> 01:08:22,708
Sometimes,
having that insecurity and that fear
1230
01:08:22,791 --> 01:08:24,541
is what drives us as well.
1231
01:08:24,625 --> 01:08:26,875
I've been through
a lot of stuff in my life,
1232
01:08:26,958 --> 01:08:28,625
but I've never been through this -
1233
01:08:28,708 --> 01:08:30,500
having a baby
and dealing with the emotions,
1234
01:08:30,583 --> 01:08:32,416
and the ups and down, and the fears,
1235
01:08:32,500 --> 01:08:34,375
and the excitement.
1236
01:08:34,875 --> 01:08:37,791
The player's insecure.
You know how that can escalate everything.
1237
01:08:37,875 --> 01:08:41,166
It's almost an inner battle of,
1238
01:08:41,250 --> 01:08:43,458
"Do I want to be playing
another tournament?"
1239
01:08:43,541 --> 01:08:46,625
And it kind of comes out physically.
1240
01:08:50,250 --> 01:08:52,291
Oh!
1241
01:08:58,041 --> 01:09:02,125
We're punishing our bodies,
and, you know, it's not normal like this,
1242
01:09:02,208 --> 01:09:04,875
all your life,
to put yourself through this.
1243
01:09:04,958 --> 01:09:06,875
You have to walk through pain.
1244
01:09:06,958 --> 01:09:09,833
You have to say,
"The goal is the most important thing."
1245
01:09:09,916 --> 01:09:13,041
I snapped my knee while playing the match,
1246
01:09:13,125 --> 01:09:15,333
and I literally went into surgery.
1247
01:09:15,416 --> 01:09:17,833
Two days later,
I flew back and I had surgery.
1248
01:09:18,500 --> 01:09:20,333
It was a really big setback for me.
1249
01:09:20,416 --> 01:09:23,791
What I have to walk through
to get to that goal is irrelevant.
1250
01:09:24,750 --> 01:09:27,541
And it's the people
that can shove away the irrelevant
1251
01:09:27,625 --> 01:09:30,958
and stay focused on the end point
that make it.
1252
01:09:31,541 --> 01:09:34,791
It was such an emotional and mental fight.
1253
01:09:34,875 --> 01:09:36,208
Like, I wasn't out there.
1254
01:09:36,291 --> 01:09:38,875
I would do anything
to get back as quick as I could.
1255
01:09:38,958 --> 01:09:40,416
I think coming back from surgery,
1256
01:09:40,500 --> 01:09:42,583
people don't realize
how tough it is for athletes.
1257
01:09:42,666 --> 01:09:45,333
I mean, not physically, but emotionally.
1258
01:09:45,416 --> 01:09:47,916
I need to do this for my life.
1259
01:09:48,000 --> 01:09:51,541
I need to do this for my tennis,
for my ambition.
1260
01:09:51,625 --> 01:09:55,458
I know how expensive
this proposition can be -
1261
01:09:55,541 --> 01:09:57,458
I am willing to do it anyway.
1262
01:09:57,541 --> 01:10:00,583
You don't say the words, "I can't,"
1263
01:10:01,083 --> 01:10:04,500
you say the words, "I will, I will."
1264
01:10:04,583 --> 01:10:07,416
A lot of people don't realize
that when it's the toughest,
1265
01:10:07,500 --> 01:10:11,625
you're so close to reaching something
and getting through that,
1266
01:10:11,708 --> 01:10:14,791
and if you get through that,
all of a sudden, you make one huge jump,
1267
01:10:14,875 --> 01:10:17,083
and things are gonna start
going your way again.
1268
01:10:22,708 --> 01:10:26,208
I thought about stopping tennis
when I lost my mom.
1269
01:10:26,291 --> 01:10:27,291
I was 12.
1270
01:10:27,333 --> 01:10:30,250
Yeah, I had a really tough moment in 2011.
1271
01:10:30,833 --> 01:10:35,541
And there was a time that I needed
to make sense of what I did,
1272
01:10:35,625 --> 01:10:40,250
and when she passed away,
for a year or two, it was very difficult.
1273
01:10:40,333 --> 01:10:43,625
I was losing, I think,
every single tournament.
1274
01:10:43,708 --> 01:10:47,208
In the end, I lost 11 tournaments
in a row within the first round.
1275
01:10:47,291 --> 01:10:52,583
When there was a bombing in my country,
when my parents couldn't travel...
1276
01:10:52,666 --> 01:10:55,916
There was a time as well when I wanted
to go back and quit the sport.
1277
01:10:56,000 --> 01:10:57,791
I just... I...
1278
01:10:57,875 --> 01:10:59,958
Tennis was not important anymore
at the time.
1279
01:11:00,041 --> 01:11:03,000
I just wanted them to be safe.
1280
01:11:03,083 --> 01:11:07,083
Well, I decided actually
to just put the racket in the corner,
1281
01:11:07,166 --> 01:11:10,833
and just, yeah, think,
"What can I do now?"
1282
01:11:10,916 --> 01:11:13,291
Because, to lose, it's not always fun.
1283
01:11:13,375 --> 01:11:15,125
Martina Navratilova,
1284
01:11:15,208 --> 01:11:17,625
she had to decide to defect,
1285
01:11:17,708 --> 01:11:20,375
knowing that she might
never see her parents again,
1286
01:11:20,458 --> 01:11:23,083
she might never
go back to Czechoslovakia again.
1287
01:11:23,166 --> 01:11:24,375
You know, knowing that...
1288
01:11:24,458 --> 01:11:27,708
I mean, what she put on the line
at a young age...
1289
01:11:27,791 --> 01:11:30,375
Looking back, it was like,
1290
01:11:30,458 --> 01:11:32,875
"How did I have the courage to do that?"
1291
01:11:33,458 --> 01:11:37,375
That, to me, is the biggest example
of somebody saying,
1292
01:11:37,458 --> 01:11:39,500
"This is how badly I want this."
1293
01:11:39,583 --> 01:11:41,833
I knew what I wanted was to play tennis,
1294
01:11:41,916 --> 01:11:44,333
and I knew I couldn't do that
if I stayed behind.
1295
01:11:45,125 --> 01:11:47,750
Eventually, they would not
let me get out of the country at all.
1296
01:11:47,833 --> 01:11:50,416
And at that point, you know,
1297
01:11:50,500 --> 01:11:54,666
I couldn't become the player
that I knew I could become.
1298
01:11:54,750 --> 01:11:59,916
To find the demons is very easy,
because they are everywhere.
1299
01:12:00,583 --> 01:12:03,916
Now, the problem is,
how do you overcome the demons?
1300
01:12:04,000 --> 01:12:06,875
A lot of them are your own demons
that you make up.
1301
01:12:07,708 --> 01:12:11,625
If you can go through the storm,
you're solid, you can go through anything.
1302
01:12:11,708 --> 01:12:15,166
My lowest point
was when I was outed in 1981.
1303
01:12:15,666 --> 01:12:18,375
That was my lowest point probably
because I had to start over.
1304
01:12:18,458 --> 01:12:20,500
I had to completely start over
financially.
1305
01:12:20,583 --> 01:12:25,583
In 24 hours, I lost all my contracts,
so I had to start my financial life over.
1306
01:12:25,666 --> 01:12:27,333
So, it was very, very difficult.
1307
01:12:27,416 --> 01:12:32,333
So, when I came out in '81 as a gay woman,
1308
01:12:32,416 --> 01:12:34,458
people said,
"Oh, you're so brave. So brave."
1309
01:12:34,541 --> 01:12:36,000
No, no, no, after...
1310
01:12:36,583 --> 01:12:39,833
The tough part was leaving my family.
After that, everything is a piece of cake.
1311
01:12:39,916 --> 01:12:43,250
Mentally, for me, I was always
a pretty strong personality,
1312
01:12:43,333 --> 01:12:44,958
so I like to compete,
1313
01:12:45,625 --> 01:12:48,166
and unfortunately, kind of,
when my stabbing came in,
1314
01:12:48,250 --> 01:12:50,875
that's when it really changed
and shifted for me,
1315
01:12:50,958 --> 01:12:54,458
because, like, ugh, now a whole
new set of challenges came in.
1316
01:12:54,541 --> 01:12:57,583
None of us, probably, in our daily lives,
1317
01:12:57,666 --> 01:13:02,208
are able to recover and settle down
as fast as these players are
1318
01:13:02,291 --> 01:13:05,625
at some of the most critical moments
in their lives.
1319
01:13:05,708 --> 01:13:08,541
I think that's what we all have in common,
that we never give up.
1320
01:13:08,625 --> 01:13:12,333
No matter if we face the wall,
we find a way to break through that wall.
1321
01:13:27,458 --> 01:13:28,583
Don't think.
1322
01:13:28,666 --> 01:13:33,458
I just wanted to play, play every week.
Go. Keep going. I was young, I was active.
1323
01:13:33,541 --> 01:13:38,708
And enjoying it, that was the key.
I was enjoying it, I was having fun.
1324
01:13:38,791 --> 01:13:41,583
I just start winning tournaments,
I moved up the ranking.
1325
01:13:41,666 --> 01:13:45,500
I don't know, I was feeling
that everything was clicking.
1326
01:13:45,583 --> 01:13:47,291
That's, again, where the penny drops.
1327
01:13:47,375 --> 01:13:49,541
Suddenly, you're beating
the top players in the world,
1328
01:13:49,625 --> 01:13:53,166
and now you're thinking,
"OK, I could not only play on this tour,
1329
01:13:53,250 --> 01:13:55,416
I think I can really do well,
1330
01:13:55,500 --> 01:13:59,958
and possibly, possibly
win a Grand Slam title."
1331
01:14:00,041 --> 01:14:02,416
The origin, of course, of its success
1332
01:14:02,500 --> 01:14:04,375
goes back to the Grand Slams -
1333
01:14:04,458 --> 01:14:07,750
these wonderful events,
these wonderful cathedrals.
1334
01:14:07,833 --> 01:14:09,291
French Open, big deal.
1335
01:14:09,375 --> 01:14:12,333
I won my first French Open
when I was only 17 years old.
1336
01:14:12,416 --> 01:14:16,000
Winning my first US Open, because
that was the game changer in my life.
1337
01:14:16,083 --> 01:14:17,958
Wimbledon was always special.
1338
01:14:18,041 --> 01:14:21,958
I know they call Wimbledon
"the cathedral of tennis," which it is.
1339
01:14:22,041 --> 01:14:25,500
Australia was always
my favorite Grand Slam.
1340
01:14:25,583 --> 01:14:28,916
That was always my Grand Slam
1341
01:14:29,000 --> 01:14:31,500
where I would like to win a Grand Slam.
1342
01:14:31,583 --> 01:14:33,263
You start to enjoy
playing on center court,
1343
01:14:33,333 --> 01:14:34,750
you want to play more there,
1344
01:14:34,833 --> 01:14:37,541
so to play on center court,
you have to be higher ranked,
1345
01:14:37,625 --> 01:14:39,750
so to be higher ranked,
you have to work hard.
1346
01:14:39,833 --> 01:14:43,000
So, it's like a chain, you know?
It's one after another.
1347
01:14:43,083 --> 01:14:46,625
Like, to go up, you have to go,
like, with the stairs, step by step,
1348
01:14:46,708 --> 01:14:48,208
step by step to go to the top.
1349
01:14:48,291 --> 01:14:50,291
It was really just one step at a time.
1350
01:14:50,375 --> 01:14:54,458
The good result will follow
if you stick to what you're good at,
1351
01:14:54,541 --> 01:14:56,541
you know, with your full focus.
1352
01:14:56,625 --> 01:15:01,333
I can do it, I can do it,
and I can reach the top.
1353
01:15:01,416 --> 01:15:02,916
Yeah, I can do it.
1354
01:15:03,000 --> 01:15:05,458
I know how good I can be.
1355
01:15:05,541 --> 01:15:09,083
So, it's the one that can find
the right path to navigate
1356
01:15:09,166 --> 01:15:12,083
to get to the top
that makes them the champion.
1357
01:15:12,166 --> 01:15:15,750
When you're in the top five,
you don't pick out big things,
1358
01:15:15,833 --> 01:15:17,708
you pick out little things.
1359
01:15:17,791 --> 01:15:20,041
Somebody told me at the beginning
of the tournament,
1360
01:15:20,125 --> 01:15:23,583
"If you win this tournament,
then you may be number one in the world."
1361
01:15:23,666 --> 01:15:27,541
And it felt so weird to say that
or to think that,
1362
01:15:27,625 --> 01:15:29,875
that I was like,
"Whew, don't think about it."
1363
01:15:29,958 --> 01:15:33,333
You know, up until, probably,
those couple of matches,
1364
01:15:33,416 --> 01:15:36,750
I actually didn't even think about
how close I was to the top.
1365
01:15:36,833 --> 01:15:39,166
It never really...
1366
01:15:39,875 --> 01:15:42,458
dawned on me to think any more about it.
1367
01:15:42,958 --> 01:15:46,125
If you ever become number one
in the world at anything,
1368
01:15:46,208 --> 01:15:47,750
you've got my attention.
1369
01:15:48,958 --> 01:15:52,541
It means that you've put in
an incredible amount of work.
1370
01:15:53,041 --> 01:15:55,083
I think every player
who reaches number one,
1371
01:15:55,166 --> 01:15:59,500
it sounds like a cliché,
but it in and of itself is inspirational.
1372
01:15:59,583 --> 01:16:02,083
Do you want to stay
number five all your career
1373
01:16:02,166 --> 01:16:03,875
or do you want to become number one?
1374
01:16:03,958 --> 01:16:06,166
Because if you want to become number one,
1375
01:16:06,250 --> 01:16:09,458
there are things in your head, mentally,
that you will have to change
1376
01:16:09,541 --> 01:16:10,875
and have to improve.
1377
01:16:10,958 --> 01:16:14,541
Under immense pressures
on and off the court -
1378
01:16:15,125 --> 01:16:17,458
that is incredibly inspiring.
1379
01:17:21,791 --> 01:17:22,708
March 31st.
1380
01:17:22,791 --> 01:17:23,708
August 11th.
1381
01:17:23,791 --> 01:17:24,791
February 5th.
1382
01:17:25,083 --> 01:17:28,791
It's been tough,
it's been long, but I did it.
1383
01:17:28,875 --> 01:17:32,375
This is my dream come true.
I can't believe that I'm world number one.
1384
01:17:32,458 --> 01:17:35,875
Because I put my will,
my mind to it, and I did it.
1385
01:17:35,958 --> 01:17:38,666
That was always a dream,
yeah, to become number one.
1386
01:17:38,750 --> 01:17:41,291
It's something
no one can take away from you.
1387
01:17:41,375 --> 01:17:43,815
I knew it would happen,
I just didn't know when.
1388
01:17:43,875 --> 01:17:46,208
I wasn't prepared for this,
as no one prepared me
1389
01:17:46,291 --> 01:17:48,411
how it would look,
no one prepared me for that moment.
1390
01:17:48,458 --> 01:17:50,750
My mom came over,
someone must have told her,
1391
01:17:50,833 --> 01:17:53,125
and said,
"You're now number one in the world."
1392
01:17:53,208 --> 01:17:55,250
What? Excuse me. What did you say?
1393
01:17:55,333 --> 01:17:56,791
And that's how I found out.
1394
01:17:56,875 --> 01:18:01,375
I actually realized that,
yeah, it so happens that in a few days,
1395
01:18:01,458 --> 01:18:04,000
I will be at the top of the rankings.
1396
01:18:04,083 --> 01:18:06,916
And I saw that, you know, on the rankings,
1397
01:18:07,000 --> 01:18:08,750
that my name was on the top.
1398
01:18:08,833 --> 01:18:11,583
It can't be expressed in words.
It's very surreal.
1399
01:18:11,666 --> 01:18:14,000
Coming from where I came from,
it took me a couple of days
1400
01:18:14,083 --> 01:18:15,833
before, you know, it really sunk in.
1401
01:18:15,916 --> 01:18:18,083
You're like,
"OK, the dream has come true."
1402
01:18:18,166 --> 01:18:19,833
Very difficult, how you feel.
1403
01:18:19,916 --> 01:18:22,541
I don't think
there's an explanation in words
1404
01:18:23,208 --> 01:18:24,666
that can explain that.
1405
01:18:24,750 --> 01:18:28,083
I remember, I was crying, and I was, uh...
1406
01:18:28,166 --> 01:18:29,500
It was...
1407
01:18:29,583 --> 01:18:30,500
Crazy.
1408
01:18:30,583 --> 01:18:36,083
It's hard not to celebrate
and cry over moments like that.
1409
01:18:36,750 --> 01:18:39,791
I'm going to stop crying right now.
Adam, say something funny.
1410
01:18:40,708 --> 01:18:42,583
I don't know. I was speechless.
1411
01:18:42,666 --> 01:18:44,791
La marimorena!
1412
01:18:44,875 --> 01:18:47,583
Your parents are proud,
and you know, my grandfather,
1413
01:18:47,666 --> 01:18:49,875
he was, like, "whoa,"
like, "amazing," you know?
1414
01:18:49,958 --> 01:18:52,166
"My granddaughter
is number one in the world."
1415
01:18:52,250 --> 01:18:54,833
What went through my head was,
1416
01:18:54,916 --> 01:18:59,958
OK, the journey behind it,
when I was a kid in that little gym.
1417
01:19:00,541 --> 01:19:02,750
You think, like, your whole life
1418
01:19:02,833 --> 01:19:05,000
is accumulating to this point,
1419
01:19:05,666 --> 01:19:08,666
and it comes and goes in a few seconds...
1420
01:19:09,750 --> 01:19:11,541
and there's another tournament
to be played.
1421
01:19:11,625 --> 01:19:13,666
It's not a moment, it's a journey.
1422
01:19:44,041 --> 01:19:45,708
When you are number one...
1423
01:19:47,458 --> 01:19:51,041
you must understand the penalty
of being number one.
1424
01:19:51,583 --> 01:19:53,458
There is a penalty.
1425
01:19:53,541 --> 01:19:55,958
OK, I won a Grand Slam,
I went to number one.
1426
01:19:56,041 --> 01:19:58,625
Whatever happens from now is good.
1427
01:19:58,708 --> 01:20:00,666
I want to stay here
for as long as possible.
1428
01:20:00,750 --> 01:20:03,083
I'm not satisfied
by just reaching number one,
1429
01:20:03,166 --> 01:20:06,000
I want to stay her for years if I can.
1430
01:20:06,083 --> 01:20:09,916
I think, getting there, you don't know
what you're getting yourself into.
1431
01:20:10,000 --> 01:20:14,166
You go from being the hunter
to being the hunted one,
1432
01:20:14,250 --> 01:20:16,916
and now everybody wants
to come and get you.
1433
01:20:17,000 --> 01:20:21,708
You must play the best every single day.
1434
01:20:22,708 --> 01:20:25,166
I don't know,
you have to figure out how to win still.
1435
01:20:25,250 --> 01:20:29,083
It's a different mentality,
but also, you never want to lose a match.
1436
01:20:29,166 --> 01:20:31,625
You only make headlines when you lose,
not when you win,
1437
01:20:31,708 --> 01:20:33,625
because you're meant to win,
you're number one.
1438
01:20:33,708 --> 01:20:37,958
There are two sides to the coin.
One, you're the best. "Yes, I'm the best."
1439
01:20:38,041 --> 01:20:40,541
But the rest of the people,
they all want to get you.
1440
01:20:40,625 --> 01:20:43,083
You never become complacent,
1441
01:20:43,166 --> 01:20:46,333
because the whole world wants to beat you,
1442
01:20:46,416 --> 01:20:49,333
not just one person, but the whole world.
1443
01:20:49,416 --> 01:20:51,416
You're the scalp, you're the big prize.
1444
01:20:51,500 --> 01:20:55,708
Now I know that the players behind me,
they have a target on my back.
1445
01:20:55,791 --> 01:20:58,208
So, you don't want
to let anybody get there.
1446
01:20:58,291 --> 01:21:00,291
"I'm king of the hill. Stay down there."
1447
01:21:00,375 --> 01:21:04,125
It took, yeah,
actually a few months to get used to it -
1448
01:21:04,208 --> 01:21:07,583
to get used to it
and to find the new motivation.
1449
01:21:07,666 --> 01:21:12,583
And that's where the self-motivation,
and all that, again, comes in handy.
1450
01:21:13,000 --> 01:21:15,416
Staying there takes a special person,
1451
01:21:15,500 --> 01:21:18,875
a special team, and an attitude that says,
1452
01:21:18,958 --> 01:21:22,375
"Baby, my team and I worked to get here,
1453
01:21:22,458 --> 01:21:24,416
and I ain't giving it up.
1454
01:21:24,500 --> 01:21:26,125
It's not for sale."
1455
01:21:26,208 --> 01:21:28,333
You have the pressure of always defending,
1456
01:21:28,416 --> 01:21:31,708
you have the pressure of the media,
you have the pressure of expectations,
1457
01:21:31,791 --> 01:21:36,458
you have the pressure of your management,
of your sponsor deals, etc.
1458
01:21:36,541 --> 01:21:39,416
You have many more things
to do off the court,
1459
01:21:39,500 --> 01:21:41,875
you have a lot more media things,
1460
01:21:41,958 --> 01:21:45,708
many more, yeah, sponsor activities.
1461
01:21:45,791 --> 01:21:49,916
So, it's not just more
about hitting forehands and backhands,
1462
01:21:50,000 --> 01:21:51,625
there's much more to the business.
1463
01:21:51,708 --> 01:21:54,000
Everybody wants the fame, the money,
1464
01:21:54,083 --> 01:21:57,500
and remember, there's only one
in the entire world at that moment
1465
01:21:57,583 --> 01:21:58,708
who can reach that.
1466
01:21:58,791 --> 01:22:00,875
But these number one players,
1467
01:22:00,958 --> 01:22:04,458
they can be down 6-0, 3-0,
and they will come back,
1468
01:22:04,541 --> 01:22:05,916
you can count on it.
1469
01:22:06,000 --> 01:22:10,166
I've seen examples of players
that have lost many matches in a row,
1470
01:22:10,250 --> 01:22:13,000
and they still turned it around
to become world number one.
1471
01:22:13,083 --> 01:22:16,000
Then when you start to play players
ten years younger than you
1472
01:22:16,083 --> 01:22:17,750
and 12 years, they start beating you,
1473
01:22:18,333 --> 01:22:20,166
and you doubt yourself -
1474
01:22:20,250 --> 01:22:21,750
you know, that's adversity.
1475
01:22:21,833 --> 01:22:24,083
And then to come through that,
1476
01:22:24,166 --> 01:22:27,125
and then once again
regain your superiority,
1477
01:22:27,208 --> 01:22:28,833
regain the number one,
1478
01:22:28,916 --> 01:22:30,666
find that...
1479
01:22:30,750 --> 01:22:34,291
that thing that you felt
that you lost inside of you,
1480
01:22:34,375 --> 01:22:38,708
um, you make it happen,
and that's the most wonderful.
1481
01:22:46,916 --> 01:22:49,583
You can't play professional tennis
your whole life.
1482
01:22:49,666 --> 01:22:52,458
I think, at a certain point,
you recognize,
1483
01:22:52,541 --> 01:22:55,958
"Alright, this is the time
for me to leave.
1484
01:22:59,250 --> 01:23:01,041
Well, it's interesting. I had...
1485
01:23:01,125 --> 01:23:03,875
I started to feel,
like two years earlier than I retired,
1486
01:23:03,958 --> 01:23:08,666
I started to feel, sort of, moments
when I didn't want to be on the court.
1487
01:23:08,750 --> 01:23:12,458
I was just beat up,
physically and mentally.
1488
01:23:12,541 --> 01:23:14,708
I would cry after my matches.
1489
01:23:14,791 --> 01:23:16,958
I wasn't happy anymore
being a tennis player.
1490
01:23:17,375 --> 01:23:18,500
I was getting older.
1491
01:23:18,583 --> 01:23:20,625
I didn't want to practice,
1492
01:23:20,708 --> 01:23:22,250
I had matches
1493
01:23:22,333 --> 01:23:25,875
where I'd play one great match
and then, the next morning,
1494
01:23:25,958 --> 01:23:27,878
I didn't want to get out of bed
to play the next.
1495
01:23:27,916 --> 01:23:29,583
Mentally, I was feeling burned out.
1496
01:23:29,666 --> 01:23:30,875
I wasn't winning as much,
1497
01:23:30,958 --> 01:23:33,708
and it was hard to stay motivated
when the results weren't there.
1498
01:23:33,791 --> 01:23:35,958
I've done it, I'm number one -
1499
01:23:36,041 --> 01:23:37,875
I'm number one in doubles,
1500
01:23:37,958 --> 01:23:40,666
Grand Slam champion in doubles,
Grand Slam in singles.
1501
01:23:41,166 --> 01:23:44,291
OK. What... What now?
1502
01:23:44,375 --> 01:23:46,500
I always had a philosophy in my mind
1503
01:23:46,583 --> 01:23:50,208
that I would rather retire
when I was at the top than to go down.
1504
01:23:50,291 --> 01:23:53,291
It's very difficult
if there's a career-ending injury
1505
01:23:53,375 --> 01:23:59,083
or some other kind of traumatic event
that prematurely truncates their career.
1506
01:23:59,166 --> 01:24:04,666
And by basically 21,
I was out of the game because of injuries.
1507
01:24:04,750 --> 01:24:09,541
I'm 25, and I cannot bend forward.
1508
01:24:10,791 --> 01:24:12,041
My legs get numb.
1509
01:24:12,125 --> 01:24:14,541
Then it came back,
and it was a shoulder, then a foot.
1510
01:24:14,625 --> 01:24:17,625
It was just non-stop, this circle.
1511
01:24:17,708 --> 01:24:20,875
Then I went to the doctor in Austria.
He was like, "Turn this side.
1512
01:24:21,375 --> 01:24:24,250
Does it hurt?" "Yeah."
"Turn that side. Does it hurt?" "Yeah."
1513
01:24:24,333 --> 01:24:30,791
This was the circle that I just couldn't
seem to be healthy for any length of time.
1514
01:24:30,875 --> 01:24:33,041
That day, I realized that is it, yes.
1515
01:24:33,625 --> 01:24:36,083
The day when I closed the door
from the doctor
1516
01:24:36,166 --> 01:24:38,333
and said, "I cannot bend anymore."
1517
01:24:38,416 --> 01:24:40,875
The clear, biggest disappointment for me
1518
01:24:40,958 --> 01:24:43,791
is that I didn't get to play
as long as I wanted to.
1519
01:24:43,875 --> 01:24:46,375
It's not even a decision,
it's a recognition.
1520
01:24:46,458 --> 01:24:49,458
An athlete,
what they want to do in retirement
1521
01:24:49,541 --> 01:24:51,833
is they want to fulfill
all their expectations,
1522
01:24:51,916 --> 01:24:54,916
all their potential,
play as long as they want,
1523
01:24:55,000 --> 01:24:59,000
whether that's 24 years old,
31 years old, whatever that is,
1524
01:24:59,083 --> 01:25:02,208
and be able to walk away from the game
and say, "I got everything out of it."
1525
01:25:02,291 --> 01:25:03,666
Sometimes you see them come back
1526
01:25:03,750 --> 01:25:06,458
because they realize,
"Wait a minute, I still have more to say."
1527
01:25:06,541 --> 01:25:12,166
We go to the States,
and crazy, I win the US Open, and...
1528
01:25:12,666 --> 01:25:16,791
It felt like there was more game in me,
so I started playing doubles again.
1529
01:25:16,875 --> 01:25:19,541
But Martina played
until she won a mixed doubles title
1530
01:25:19,625 --> 01:25:21,250
at the US Open when she was 50.
1531
01:25:21,333 --> 01:25:24,041
It was at that point,
I knew I didn't have anything to prove.
1532
01:25:24,125 --> 01:25:26,791
It's a difficult time to go back home,
and I went back home,
1533
01:25:26,875 --> 01:25:29,291
and then I started to come back to tennis,
1534
01:25:29,375 --> 01:25:32,125
and I understood
that tennis wasn't for me anymore.
1535
01:25:32,208 --> 01:25:36,666
One of the things
that I didn't believe when I was younger
1536
01:25:36,750 --> 01:25:38,958
was that I could do anything
but play tennis.
1537
01:25:43,375 --> 01:25:48,791
You ask these questions to yourself,
"How am I going to exist without tennis?"
1538
01:25:49,625 --> 01:25:50,625
And...
1539
01:25:51,708 --> 01:25:53,583
We're not ready for them to leave.
1540
01:25:53,666 --> 01:25:55,375
They might be ready to move on,
1541
01:25:55,458 --> 01:25:58,125
but we're not always ready
to move on without them.
1542
01:25:58,208 --> 01:26:00,500
Looking back now,
I would have kept it private.
1543
01:26:00,583 --> 01:26:03,041
I wouldn't have said,
"Everybody, this is my last year."
1544
01:26:03,125 --> 01:26:06,875
It just underscores
what an impact they have had on our lives.
1545
01:26:08,000 --> 01:26:09,000
Yeah.
1546
01:26:09,166 --> 01:26:11,208
It was like the longest goodbye.
1547
01:26:11,291 --> 01:26:14,250
So, looking back,
I would keep my mouth shut and then retire
1548
01:26:14,333 --> 01:26:17,625
and say,
"OK, after the last tournament, I'm done."
1549
01:26:17,708 --> 01:26:22,625
Uh... I'd achieve my dreams,
and that's all that mattered to me.
1550
01:26:22,708 --> 01:26:25,833
I'm very happy
that I've been able to live my dream.
1551
01:26:25,916 --> 01:26:29,625
I'm happy that I've, hopefully,
been able to represent myself
1552
01:26:29,708 --> 01:26:34,458
in a way that is upbuilding
and unembarrassing.
1553
01:26:34,541 --> 01:26:37,208
All those things.
And I don't really need more than that.
1554
01:26:37,291 --> 01:26:41,125
I have emotions,
sometimes they are actually happy tears,
1555
01:26:41,208 --> 01:26:45,625
the tears of emotion,
because something has come to an end.
1556
01:26:45,708 --> 01:26:49,291
I was crying, because I cry,
I said goodbye to everyone.
1557
01:26:49,375 --> 01:26:54,750
Tennis life can be an amazing experience,
but there's also life after tennis.
1558
01:26:54,833 --> 01:26:57,166
Who am I? What do I want to do now?
1559
01:26:57,250 --> 01:27:00,041
Maybe I want to go skiing,
maybe I want to open myself.
1560
01:27:00,125 --> 01:27:02,791
Having some fun in life
a little bit, you know,
1561
01:27:02,875 --> 01:27:06,208
go to parties, go out,
like every teenager would do,
1562
01:27:06,291 --> 01:27:08,750
but I didn't have time to do it
when I was a teenager.
1563
01:27:08,833 --> 01:27:11,166
I could go to a movie
at nine o'clock at night,
1564
01:27:11,250 --> 01:27:12,625
I could have a glass of wine...
1565
01:27:12,708 --> 01:27:17,708
I mean, all these little things
that don't seem little were huge for me.
1566
01:27:17,791 --> 01:27:21,125
I can do whatever I want.
I cannot believe it.
1567
01:27:21,208 --> 01:27:22,208
OK...
1568
01:27:22,875 --> 01:27:24,666
I can go fishing a little bit more now.
1569
01:27:25,666 --> 01:27:29,083
Being a champion
or winning big tournaments,
1570
01:27:29,833 --> 01:27:31,916
it's important, but build yourself.
1571
01:27:32,000 --> 01:27:33,875
I think it's very important.
1572
01:27:33,958 --> 01:27:38,708
A lot of them want to be a mother someday
and have a balanced life.
1573
01:27:38,791 --> 01:27:43,750
Then I became a mother,
and at that time, really, life changed.
1574
01:27:43,833 --> 01:27:46,333
And I feel, yeah, happier than ever.
1575
01:27:46,416 --> 01:27:50,833
Family life,
which was even more meaningful for me.
1576
01:27:50,916 --> 01:27:53,250
If there's anything
that I'm most proud of,
1577
01:27:53,333 --> 01:27:57,875
it's having that beautiful family
and the way my three boys have turned out.
1578
01:27:58,375 --> 01:28:01,750
Very happy to be a mother,
and take the whole time for them,
1579
01:28:01,833 --> 01:28:03,666
and spend time with them,
1580
01:28:03,750 --> 01:28:06,375
because I didn't have much of a childhood
when I was playing.
1581
01:28:06,458 --> 01:28:10,875
Preparing "what do I want to do next?"
is also important.
1582
01:28:10,958 --> 01:28:12,875
I knew what I would do when I retired.
1583
01:28:12,958 --> 01:28:15,125
A lot of players
don't know what they will do,
1584
01:28:15,208 --> 01:28:18,625
and actually, the rest of their life
sometimes, they just get lost.
1585
01:28:18,708 --> 01:28:21,625
And that's where depression
and all that may come in.
1586
01:28:21,708 --> 01:28:23,458
I wasn't lost that way, ever.
1587
01:28:23,541 --> 01:28:29,291
Ending an athletic career
is a difficult journey for most people.
1588
01:28:29,375 --> 01:28:31,083
It's a big adjustment.
1589
01:28:31,166 --> 01:28:34,791
I was involved in many things
besides playing professional tennis.
1590
01:28:34,875 --> 01:28:37,416
I love being a tennis commentator.
1591
01:28:37,500 --> 01:28:39,375
I like sharing my knowledge.
1592
01:28:39,458 --> 01:28:42,541
I love dissecting a match.
1593
01:28:42,625 --> 01:28:45,125
I love people saying,
"I love listening to you."
1594
01:28:45,208 --> 01:28:46,041
"Great!"
1595
01:28:46,125 --> 01:28:48,166
"I learned something today."
I'm like, "Great!"
1596
01:28:50,625 --> 01:28:53,208
Your relationship with tennis
just changes,
1597
01:28:54,125 --> 01:28:55,375
it doesn't end.
1598
01:28:57,708 --> 01:28:59,250
Take your time.
1599
01:29:08,541 --> 01:29:10,333
So, I really believe they become champions
1600
01:29:10,416 --> 01:29:13,458
when they use their gifts
to make the world a better place.
1601
01:29:13,541 --> 01:29:16,333
The real people will give back...
1602
01:29:18,166 --> 01:29:21,416
and give opportunities to children
because they were given.
1603
01:29:21,500 --> 01:29:24,958
But I also like to help change the world
to be a better place.
1604
01:29:25,041 --> 01:29:26,958
Being a tennis player
gave me that platform.
1605
01:29:27,041 --> 01:29:31,458
I didn't like being famous,
but for those things, I love it.
1606
01:29:31,541 --> 01:29:32,875
There are some athletes
1607
01:29:32,958 --> 01:29:36,708
that don't do a lot of talking about
their charitable work, but they do it.
1608
01:29:36,791 --> 01:29:40,875
A big responsibility they have,
and the ones that embrace that,
1609
01:29:40,958 --> 01:29:43,541
I think that's when
they really are the heroes because...
1610
01:29:43,625 --> 01:29:47,333
An obligation, a desire,
and an easy desire to give...
1611
01:29:47,916 --> 01:29:49,083
to give back.
1612
01:29:49,625 --> 01:29:50,625
Giving back.
1613
01:29:50,666 --> 01:29:53,875
Giving back what my journey was,
1614
01:29:53,958 --> 01:29:57,000
my experience to kids also,
1615
01:29:57,083 --> 01:30:00,416
to women, and to young tennis players.
1616
01:30:00,500 --> 01:30:03,833
I think the tennis players
have done a wonderful job of giving back,
1617
01:30:03,916 --> 01:30:06,375
and that's just a slam dunk, it's easy.
1618
01:30:06,458 --> 01:30:08,791
To me, it's just easy-peasy.
1619
01:30:10,291 --> 01:30:13,541
I want to introduce tennis more,
you know, the values for the sport,
1620
01:30:13,625 --> 01:30:14,958
the values in life,
1621
01:30:15,041 --> 01:30:17,416
and I think the sport helps you
in a lot of ways.
1622
01:30:17,500 --> 01:30:19,083
To give something to the kids,
1623
01:30:19,166 --> 01:30:22,125
and also, I tell them,
"No matter what happens,
1624
01:30:23,000 --> 01:30:26,833
keep dreaming,
and try to be a better person."
1625
01:30:26,916 --> 01:30:30,666
I said, "OK, that's great.
OK, but now, it's not about me."
1626
01:30:30,750 --> 01:30:35,666
I always felt that I wanted
to help others in whatever way I can.
1627
01:30:35,750 --> 01:30:39,291
I love team tennis
because it's equality on the court.
1628
01:30:39,375 --> 01:30:41,291
That's the way I want the world to look.
1629
01:30:41,375 --> 01:30:46,041
I feel tennis has given me so much,
and this is my way also to return it.
1630
01:30:46,125 --> 01:30:51,041
And I feel I also have a passion for it,
so in the future, I would love to do more.
1631
01:30:51,125 --> 01:30:56,208
Even helping five people, ten people,
it's still ten lives that are better
1632
01:30:56,291 --> 01:30:59,666
because of the little help
that we could give.
1633
01:30:59,750 --> 01:31:03,208
I would spend the rest of my life fighting
for equal rights and opportunities,
1634
01:31:03,291 --> 01:31:07,250
for men and women, boys and girls,
everybody, for everyone.
1635
01:31:07,333 --> 01:31:09,583
At the moment,
it's given me the opportunity
1636
01:31:09,666 --> 01:31:12,375
to help other indigenous kids
all around Australia.
1637
01:31:12,458 --> 01:31:14,500
I always wanted to try and help
1638
01:31:14,583 --> 01:31:16,750
and inspire women
to believe in their dreams
1639
01:31:16,833 --> 01:31:19,833
and to try to do what they can do,
and believe that they belong.
1640
01:31:20,125 --> 01:31:21,541
For me, that's empowerment.
1641
01:31:21,625 --> 01:31:24,875
I started my own
pro-celebrity tennis tournament,
1642
01:31:24,958 --> 01:31:27,875
and that, to this day,
has raised over $20 million
1643
01:31:27,958 --> 01:31:32,875
for the prevention of drug abuse,
and drug addiction, young children.
1644
01:31:32,958 --> 01:31:37,583
Raising money for kids that didn't have
enough money for dental, for healthcare,
1645
01:31:37,666 --> 01:31:42,416
for psychiatric care,
family problems as well.
1646
01:31:42,500 --> 01:31:45,041
When, you know,
I see something that's not right,
1647
01:31:45,125 --> 01:31:47,541
then I definitely want
to stand up right away for it,
1648
01:31:47,625 --> 01:31:51,333
so I think it's just that natural instinct
and what I was taught.
1649
01:31:51,416 --> 01:31:55,000
I would like to see
the first peoples of this country
1650
01:31:55,083 --> 01:31:57,000
be recognized in the constitution.
1651
01:31:58,250 --> 01:31:59,958
I think it's time.
1652
01:32:05,250 --> 01:32:06,666
To be a champion in tennis,
1653
01:32:06,750 --> 01:32:12,208
you have to want to have
a singular pursuit in a very lonely sport,
1654
01:32:12,708 --> 01:32:14,791
and you have to be willing to...
1655
01:32:16,041 --> 01:32:17,458
understand the journey.
1656
01:32:17,541 --> 01:32:19,750
It's a very, very long journey.
1657
01:32:19,833 --> 01:32:21,416
It's a complicated journey,
1658
01:32:21,500 --> 01:32:24,916
and one that deserves
incredible admiration.
1659
01:32:25,333 --> 01:32:26,333
It's tough.
1660
01:32:26,416 --> 01:32:28,708
It's gonna be beautiful,
it's gonna be hell,
1661
01:32:28,791 --> 01:32:31,333
it's gonna be emotional,
it's gonna be hard work.
1662
01:32:31,416 --> 01:32:33,250
It's the physical dimension,
1663
01:32:33,333 --> 01:32:35,208
it's the mental dimension,
1664
01:32:35,291 --> 01:32:37,000
it's the emotional dimension.
1665
01:32:37,083 --> 01:32:40,625
Good structure,
good support, good network...
1666
01:32:40,708 --> 01:32:42,375
And a lot of passion.
1667
01:32:42,458 --> 01:32:45,416
It's a continued effort of perseverance.
1668
01:32:45,500 --> 01:32:49,625
Through all the ups and all the downs,
because everyone has them.
1669
01:32:49,708 --> 01:32:52,208
I... I don't know. I've never seen this.
1670
01:32:52,291 --> 01:32:56,750
It's not a trajectory like this.
Life doesn't work like that.
1671
01:32:57,083 --> 01:33:00,916
And so, it comes with a lot of sacrifice,
but at the same time,
1672
01:33:01,000 --> 01:33:02,208
there are a lot of rewards
1673
01:33:02,291 --> 01:33:06,666
for those that achieve the goals
along their journey.
1674
01:33:06,750 --> 01:33:10,500
It allows you to see life for what it is.
1675
01:33:10,583 --> 01:33:14,333
It allows you to go inward,
to know who you are.
1676
01:33:14,416 --> 01:33:18,208
And, you know, I think that
the most important thing is your core.
1677
01:33:18,291 --> 01:33:21,291
Yeah, it's a difficult journey,
but if you say to them,
1678
01:33:21,875 --> 01:33:25,708
"Well, if you had to do it over,
would you make the same journey?"
1679
01:33:25,791 --> 01:33:27,333
I wonder if any would say "no."
1680
01:33:27,958 --> 01:33:29,791
But there's one common goal.
1681
01:33:31,541 --> 01:33:35,000
"I will do whatever it takes
to be a champion."
1682
01:33:49,583 --> 01:33:53,750
My journey
was the Princess magazine story.
1683
01:33:56,916 --> 01:33:58,375
I feel very blessed
1684
01:33:58,458 --> 01:34:02,000
that I found something that I love
at such a young age.
1685
01:34:02,750 --> 01:34:08,208
It's been a difficult journey,
but the most fantastic I could dream of.
1686
01:34:09,250 --> 01:34:12,041
It's something
that you have been doing your whole life.
1687
01:34:12,833 --> 01:34:17,500
It's been the greatest journey,
it really has, through it all.
1688
01:34:19,166 --> 01:34:21,708
Very interesting and long.
1689
01:34:23,541 --> 01:34:24,458
Um...
1690
01:34:24,541 --> 01:34:28,000
I think that if I had to go back,
1691
01:34:28,083 --> 01:34:31,375
I would do the same as I did,
you know, over my whole career.
1692
01:34:32,916 --> 01:34:36,625
I'm a big believer
in staying in the present moment, and...
1693
01:34:37,625 --> 01:34:39,708
the present moment is all you have.
1694
01:34:40,125 --> 01:34:43,750
Essentially, I love what I've done,
and very few people get to do that.
1695
01:34:43,833 --> 01:34:46,291
And, you know, I'm very humbled by it.
1696
01:34:46,375 --> 01:34:48,458
I've done everything
that I wanted in my life.
1697
01:34:48,541 --> 01:34:51,250
I didn't really think
about the past or future,
1698
01:34:51,333 --> 01:34:53,166
I just took it as it came.
1699
01:34:54,458 --> 01:34:57,625
I think I'm a better human being,
you know, through tennis.
1700
01:34:57,708 --> 01:34:59,083
Actually, I'm not lying, I do.
1701
01:34:59,166 --> 01:35:02,000
I think you learn so much
if you allow it to,
1702
01:35:02,083 --> 01:35:04,166
and that can spread
through your whole life.
1703
01:35:04,250 --> 01:35:07,166
Everybody thinks that it's so easy,
it just goes up.
1704
01:35:07,250 --> 01:35:11,625
There are lots of twists and turns,
a lot of going uphill and going downhill.
1705
01:35:11,708 --> 01:35:15,625
You gotta love it, what you do.
You can't do tennis for any other reason.
1706
01:35:15,916 --> 01:35:19,208
Good times.
There were also some bad times.
1707
01:35:20,000 --> 01:35:24,250
I've built beautiful,
intense friendships through it all.
1708
01:35:24,708 --> 01:35:28,250
I didn't have a lot of self-esteem,
I think, growing up,
1709
01:35:28,333 --> 01:35:30,791
and that's the one thing
that tennis did give me.
1710
01:35:31,666 --> 01:35:34,250
It was a long journey to find myself,
1711
01:35:34,333 --> 01:35:37,875
also to find how I am, what I like,
1712
01:35:37,958 --> 01:35:42,250
and also to change myself
as a person, as a tennis player.
1713
01:35:42,791 --> 01:35:45,458
And I think you always learn
that you can achieve
1714
01:35:45,541 --> 01:35:48,958
and do and push yourself even further
than you ever thought you could.
1715
01:35:49,375 --> 01:35:52,375
Very proud of what I've done, you know,
1716
01:35:52,458 --> 01:35:55,458
as a tennis player, but also as a person.
1717
01:35:55,541 --> 01:35:58,875
I know myself,
and I know what I have inside,
1718
01:35:58,958 --> 01:36:00,708
and it's just amazing.
1719
01:36:01,291 --> 01:36:03,208
In the end,
I'd say I climbed that mountain,
1720
01:36:03,291 --> 01:36:05,208
you know, and got to the top, so...
1721
01:36:05,291 --> 01:36:07,208
But it was a very interesting journey.
1722
01:36:08,041 --> 01:36:12,375
So, every morning, I have a gratitude list
that are kind of my blessings,
1723
01:36:12,458 --> 01:36:14,958
and Susan Williams
is definitely in that blessing list.
1724
01:36:15,041 --> 01:36:18,541
I always say, "Thank you, Susan,
for asking me to play tennis,
1725
01:36:18,625 --> 01:36:20,541
because it changed my life forever."
1726
01:36:21,416 --> 01:36:24,916
And it has, it's given me a journey
that I never could have dreamed of.
1727
01:36:27,000 --> 01:36:32,750
Every time a great champion
or champions decide to step down,
1728
01:36:32,833 --> 01:36:34,458
new champions emerge,
1729
01:36:34,541 --> 01:36:38,625
and that is what is really exciting,
and that's what the journey's about.
1730
01:36:38,708 --> 01:36:41,208
Who will be our next Athena?
1731
01:36:41,409 --> 01:36:43,409
Ondertitels door Mister Bee
Bart Besems
1732
01:36:43,583 --> 01:36:46,333
♪ She was dreaming out loud ♪
1733
01:36:47,541 --> 01:36:50,666
♪ How to conquer the mountain ♪
1734
01:36:51,125 --> 01:36:55,541
♪ Mommy just gave her a smile ♪
1735
01:36:56,208 --> 01:36:58,833
♪ And she was up in the clouds ♪
1736
01:37:00,416 --> 01:37:03,208
♪ No one there but silence ♪
1737
01:37:03,625 --> 01:37:08,416
♪ Honey, wake up and finish your lunch ♪
1738
01:37:25,166 --> 01:37:27,375
♪ Yeah, she knew she was right ♪
1739
01:37:29,208 --> 01:37:32,208
♪ And she carried on yearning ♪
1740
01:37:32,291 --> 01:37:37,083
♪ For the wonderful life she will have ♪
1741
01:37:37,791 --> 01:37:40,583
♪ And she was facing the sun ♪
1742
01:37:41,916 --> 01:37:44,916
♪ And her wings were swinging ♪
1743
01:37:45,000 --> 01:37:49,875
♪ Fired up by the beat of a drum ♪
1744
01:37:51,375 --> 01:37:56,458
♪ And every stroke
Keeps her spirit alive ♪
1745
01:37:56,833 --> 01:38:03,083
♪ On and on and on
With a spark in her heart ♪
1746
01:38:04,791 --> 01:38:08,708
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1747
01:38:08,791 --> 01:38:12,708
♪ To the pain and the glory ♪
1748
01:38:13,583 --> 01:38:17,541
♪ Walk the path, this is your calling ♪
1749
01:38:17,625 --> 01:38:21,541
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1750
01:38:21,625 --> 01:38:25,541
♪ To the love and the loneliness ♪
1751
01:38:26,333 --> 01:38:30,750
♪ Walk the path, this is your calling ♪
1752
01:38:45,166 --> 01:38:47,375
♪ She was willing to fight ♪
1753
01:38:49,208 --> 01:38:52,166
♪ In the face of adversity ♪
1754
01:38:52,250 --> 01:38:57,625
♪ There is only one way to survive ♪
1755
01:38:57,708 --> 01:39:00,416
♪ And she was free from the chains ♪
1756
01:39:01,958 --> 01:39:05,000
♪ From the narrow thinking ♪
1757
01:39:05,083 --> 01:39:10,375
♪ As a woman, she did it her way ♪
1758
01:39:11,375 --> 01:39:16,791
♪ And every stroke
Keeps her spirit alive ♪
1759
01:39:16,875 --> 01:39:22,708
♪ On and on and on
With a spark in her heart ♪
1760
01:39:24,791 --> 01:39:28,208
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1761
01:39:28,833 --> 01:39:32,583
♪ To the joy and the sorrow ♪
1762
01:39:33,666 --> 01:39:37,500
♪ Walk the path, this is your calling ♪
1763
01:39:37,583 --> 01:39:41,625
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1764
01:39:41,708 --> 01:39:45,416
♪ To the good and the bad times ♪
1765
01:39:46,416 --> 01:39:50,250
♪ Walk the path, this is your calling ♪
1766
01:39:50,333 --> 01:39:56,458
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1767
01:39:59,208 --> 01:40:03,083
♪ Don't back down, this is your calling ♪
1768
01:40:03,166 --> 01:40:09,250
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1769
01:40:11,916 --> 01:40:17,208
♪ Don't give up, this is your calling ♪
1770
01:40:28,416 --> 01:40:33,708
♪ Looking back at those days
When she was dreaming ♪
1771
01:40:34,916 --> 01:40:39,833
♪ Facing all her fears
To change the world ♪
1772
01:40:41,583 --> 01:40:46,041
♪ Going through that journey
Had a meaning ♪
1773
01:40:47,416 --> 01:40:50,333
♪ In every step of the way ♪
1774
01:40:50,791 --> 01:40:53,166
♪ You will find yourself ♪
1775
01:40:53,833 --> 01:40:57,041
♪ In every step of the way ♪
1776
01:40:57,125 --> 01:41:00,916
♪ You will find your true self ♪
1777
01:41:01,000 --> 01:41:06,916
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1778
01:41:13,625 --> 01:41:19,666
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1779
01:41:26,375 --> 01:41:32,750
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1780
01:41:39,166 --> 01:41:45,250
♪ Welcome to the journey of life ♪
1781
01:41:47,958 --> 01:41:52,541
♪ Try to find yourself,
This is your calling ♪
1782
01:42:17,416 --> 01:42:22,000
♪ Try to find yourself,
this is your calling ♪
1783
01:42:27,208 --> 01:42:29,333
So, I've decided,
1784
01:42:29,416 --> 01:42:31,875
after studying this so intensively,
1785
01:42:31,958 --> 01:42:35,041
that before I reach the age of 75,
1786
01:42:35,125 --> 01:42:36,916
I'm going to be number one...
1787
01:42:38,958 --> 01:42:40,000
...in something.
1788
01:42:41,333 --> 01:42:42,333
OK, cut.
154295
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