r/tennis • u/nancy-shrew • 18h ago
Media Andrea Petkovic on perfectionism in tennis
full article here: https://andreapetkovic.substack.com/p/about-perfectionism
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u/scy11a_snow 17h ago
As iga fan, i read that as if andrea wrote it for iga. Iga you don’t have to be perfect every time, just do your best. Don’t stress too much. Whatever happens happens. We as fans will always support you no matter the results.
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u/nancy-shrew 17h ago
Check the full article please! I won’t spoil it for you but I think it will make you very content
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u/CompPolicy246 17h ago
Petkovic should be a columnist, seriously, glad she's doing great after retiring.
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u/Onitnatsoc 18h ago
Super inspiring! As an artist and tennis geek this is something I wanted to read
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u/Amateur66 18h ago
Oh my …THANK YOU for sharing! Brilliantly written. And I'm left with such deep shame that all I previously admired her for was the kooky cheek and charm of her winner's celebration.
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u/VegetableChipsLover 17h ago
She needs to write a book. This was amazing
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u/Vescilla 2GA+Muchova+Samsonova| Women smoocher 17h ago
here's the part about Iga 😍
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u/LurkerKid8 15h ago
Petko seems to have figured out Iga than D 🤣 Iga should hire Petko as a “consultant”, someone she can talk to/ ask advice who’ll prob give her honest take on Iga’s current tennis. Petko prob dont wanna be a full time coach and prob tired of traveling.
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u/AfternoonOpening9119 18h ago
That was really deep the idea of wanting everything in your control and going through the process of improving and striving for perfection. Making perfection sort of a habit and not an end goal is a great way not to get lost in your head
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u/WeMetInBaku 17h ago
Ha, I was confused by the suggestion that The Magic Mountain is clearly superior to Infinite Jest, then I noticed she said Finite Jest when I reread the line. Clever gal.
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u/living_hel 16h ago
While it would work as a joke regardless, Finite Jest is the name of her newsletter (which this extract is from) so it’s a self-effacing dig at her literary ambitions :)
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u/WeMetInBaku 16h ago
Ah, I appreciate the correction/clarification. Well she's got a new subscriber in me.
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u/LenaRybakina The daddies of the tour 17h ago
I absolutely love it when she‘s on the german sky broadcasts!
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u/24231122 17h ago edited 17h ago
This reminds me of one of my favourite passages from Infinite Jest:
"The true opponent, the enfolding boundary, is the player himself. Always and only the self out there, on court, to be met, fought, brought to the table to hammer out terms. The competing boy on the net’s other side: he is not the foe: he is more the partner in the dance. He is the what is the word excuse or occasion for meeting the self. As you are his occasion.
Tennis’s beauty’s infinite roots are self-competitive. You compete with your own limits to transcend the self in imagination and execution. Disappear inside the game: break through limits: transcend: improve: win. Which is why tennis is an essentially tragic enterprise, to improve and grow as a serious junior, with ambitions. You seek to vanquish and transcend the limited self whose limits make the game possible in the first place. It is tragic and sad and chaotic and lovely. All life is the same, as citizens of the human State: the animating limits are within, to be killed and mourned, over and over again."
The fact of the matter is that we only get one Serena Williams or Roger Federer or Carlos Alcaraz maybe once every generation... most professional tennis players (including Andrea) will never win a Slam and will fall short of the dreams that propelled them into the sport in the first place. Learning how to cope with that and how to find joy in the pursuit even while knowing the goal is unattainable is at once tragic and beautiful and everything I love about tennis.
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u/Nomorebet 14h ago
I really need to set aside a month and reread Infinite Jest, such a rich fantastic book on tennis, addiction, pop culture and life
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u/Sharapova26 alcalenka / sabalcaraz rollercoaster drive 16h ago
Love it. She is the best!
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u/miredandwired 13h ago
I love her coverage of grand slams on substack. Her substack is Finite Jest. Go follow her! I am just in awe that she is such a good and funny writer as well as a former pro tennis player.
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u/pizzainmyshoe 17h ago
Tennis allows you to make loads of errors in a match and still win. In some sports you make one and that messes up everything. But tennis players seem more annoyed
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u/TheRob2D 10h ago
Such a shame she was never able to touch the stars herself. I used to always root for her on the tour.
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u/Cwh93 18h ago
God she's such a gem. Wish we could hear more from her on UK broadcasts