Serena Williams doesn't love tennis

Lots of people work to live instead of living to work. It doesn't surprise me that there are professional athletes that have other interests but play sports to 'pay the bills'...

Andre Agassi is another one who absolutely hated tennis. I was amazed when I read about that in his autobiography.

If I'm not mistaken Keith Foulke was the same with Baseball. He said he didn't enjoy the game or get caught up in the fanfare or the history. I remember listening to an interview with him and he said Baseball was the best possible way for him to make sure he took care of his family.

This was essentially the theme of the Marinovich film on ESPN's 30 for 30. Just because someone is good at something, does it mean they have to do it. For Marinovich, after he achieved gratification from his father, he bowed out of professional football.

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mstcks said....This was essentially the theme of the Marinovich film on ESPN's 30 for 30. Just because someone is good at something, does it mean they have to do it. For Marinovich, after he achieved gratification from his father, he bowed out of professional football.

Exactly.

In addition, being a touring world class tennis player is a tough and lonely profession. There is no team on the court or off the court. There is no coaching on the court....it is all on you...every decision big and small. Nobody to pick you up when you are down, and nobody to keep you grounded when you win. You are pretty much flying solo especially on the womens tour. I'm not a big Serena fan, but I do admire her single mindedness to be the best ever.

It doesn't surprise me that pro athletes feel this way. I hate coaching football but I do it because it's more or less expected of me. I'm the offensive coordinator and I think I'm pretty good at it because we've scored more points under me than the previos OC but if I could get out of it I would in a heartbeat.

As long as the person prepares to the best of their ability, does their job and competes I have no problem with someone not loving their sport. This is where the professionalism comes in with sports. I tell my guys all the time I don't expect them to love baseball as much as I do but I do expect them to respect it. That means showing up prepared and competing.

Watch the end of a game and how many of the losing team are laughing and smiling. I bet the number of pro athletes who don't love their sport is larger than we think.

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Originally posted by Hawk19:
Lots of people work to live instead of living to work. It doesn't surprise me that there are professional athletes that have other interests but play sports to 'pay the bills'...

I think that people tend to forget that this is a job, as you say a means to pay the bills and outside of their profession, they have many other things in their lives that interest them.

I like Serena, I hate how she has been called out, wondering if she was a he if that would have happened.

I have to disagree with the idea of succeeding without loving the game. I'm sure there have been some who hate baseball and still made it to the top. However, I think that is a very small number compared to those who have a true passion and love for the game.

That doesn't mean they love everything about their baseball life. Some things are very difficult, but often it's their love for the game that keeps them going.

IMO, There's a big difference between loving the game and loving the life and the problems that go along with being a professional.

PGStaff,

You have a PM

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Originally posted by PGStaff:
IMO, There's a big difference between loving the game and loving the life and the problems that go along with being a professional.

You are correct in this statement, but Coach is right.

In a nutshell, just because one is good at something doesn't mean one loves it. I would ask others to look at people they know, people that are very good at what they do. Some are good because they love to do it and the requisite work wasn't work because it was fun. Most are good because they have the combination of talent and opportunity to develop. For many, this is not only not a love, but a burden: "You're so good at it, you should do it all the time!"

One thing I live by and mentor--you may like something until you get paid to do it. It's only enjoyable when you have the option to say "No."

I think the number of people that hate a sport but are very good at it can be counted on maybe two hands.

I don't know Serena's parents or their influence but I suspect that she was one of those pressured into sport by her folks and her sister. I also suspect that if she didn't have her sister to compete against that she would have quit a long time ago. Being successful in professional sports is such a crapshoot even for the freakisly talented. I suspect that without Venus and her folk's prompting she probably would have been like a lot of talented kids that eventually gave up because they just weren't into the sport.

It's really one of those thigns we will probably never know for certain. There is a good chance I could be wrong.

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I think the number of people that hate a sport but are very good at it can be counted on maybe two hands.

I agree that it would be difficult to 'hate' a sport and excel. However I do think you can not 'love' it and yet be dedicated. There is a big difference.

I don't 'hate' my job but I wouldn't do it for 'free'. Yet there are plenty of things in my life life that I not only do for 'free' but actually pay for the privilege....

I wish someone would offer me a job watching my kid play baseball....

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Originally posted by PGStaff:

"I have to disagree with the idea of succeeding without loving the game. I'm sure there have been some who hate baseball and still made it to the top. However, I think that is a very small number compared to those who have a true passion and love for the game."

It's really hard to tell, but I think I am with PG on this one. A good example might be the guy I first thought of when I saw this thread, former Mariner John Halama (who came over to the M's with Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen in the deal that sent Randy Johnson to Houston). I remembered reading stories about how he didn't like baseball. But when I Googled it to test my memory, I found stories more like this. He wasn't "a fan" of baseball, but he loved playing the game.

I'd guess there are more like him, even some who don't "love the game," but I doubt there are very many at all who don't respect the game and relish the opportunity for high-level competition, because if they don't, it's hard to see how they would get very far....

Possibly Serena know longer loves tennis, but I have to believe she did at one point in her life. She does love winning, and her desire to be the best is what has kept her in the game. Given all of the health problems she endured the past year it would have been excusable to throw in the towel. The fact she didn't speaks volumes more than the fact she says she doesn't love tennis, or sports for that matter.

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Originally posted by Hawk19:

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I think the number of people that hate a sport but are very good at it can be counted on maybe two hands.

I agree that it would be difficult to 'hate' a sport and excel. However I do think you can not 'love' it and yet be dedicated. There is a big difference.

I don't 'hate' my job but I wouldn't do it for 'free'. Yet there are plenty of things in my life life that I not only do for 'free' but actually pay for the privilege....

I wish someone would offer me a job watching my kid play baseball....

I agree with that but the odds of someone becoming a professional baseball player is so slim normally. I just can't imagine someone progressing, sacrificing and flat out taking such a long chance if they didn't have a degree of love for the game. Even disliking it would seem to be enough of a deterrant to me.

Can't blame her. Not much of a fan myself

You would have to love the sport to put in all the hard work necessary to "play" the "game"
I met many players who love to play baseball but would never watch a game.

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Originally posted by Wklink:
I think the number of people that hate a sport but are very good at it can be counted on maybe two hands.

I don't know Serena's parents or their influence but I suspect that she was one of those pressured into sport by her folks and her sister. I also suspect that if she didn't have her sister to compete against that she would have quit a long time ago. Being successful in professional sports is such a crapshoot even for the freakisly talented. I suspect that without Venus and her folk's prompting she probably would have been like a lot of talented kids that eventually gave up because they just weren't into the sport.

They don't hate the sport when they cash their 6 figure checks!