Wimbledon + Anomalies

 Psych & Such    |    11 JULY 2021

Ash Barty is an anomaly. This weekend the 25-year-old Barty, who stands just 5 feet, 5 inches, won Wimbledon. She also won on the 50th anniversary of Indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley's first Wimbledon title. It was beautiful!

While Barty is terrorizing women's professional tennis right now, it almost never came to be. You see, Barty took a hiatus from tennis starting in late 2014. She went on to play cricket during her stint off the tennis court. As an aside, Barty also apparently averages two under in golf.  She is clearly athletically versatile and a sporting goddess.  Barty returned to tennis in 2016 and quickly ascended to prominence. 

Watching Ash Barty over the past two weeks has taught me two things:

1. You may not always "look" the part, but breaking down long-held assumptions and prototypes are not only good for you, they're also good for the community, industry, and future. 

 Just because you aren't the "typical" doesn't mean you're not exactly what's needed.  Different can breathe life into something that has grown stagnant and untested.

2. Taking a break from something you love doesn't mean you've given up, it might mean you've leveled up. 

Barty stepped away from tennis, which theoretically would mean she set herself back in the sport. However, Barty's time off unequivocally served her well.  It allowed her the development she needed to come back in rare, elite form. Breaks might be the key to unlocking and elevating your current performance. Think about it, Barty sure did!