The “you just blew your D1 with that missed putt” aimed at a 13yo brought a flashback …
Live in girlfriend (at the time) had a stud tennis playing son. He played his first US Open exhibition at thirteen. He was a state sports magazine cover boy playing #1 singles at his tennis power private school as a high school freshman. The kid’s goal was to play tennis at Princeton and get an engineering degree.
After winning a tournament as a sixteen year old the father (wanted it worse than the kid) tore the kid apart for playing uninspired. The kid snapped. He busted up his rackets and told the dad where he could put them.
He told his father he wasn’t going to play college tennis. He told him if he shows up at any future matches he would walk off the court. He did two weeks later.
It’s kid won the state singles tournament his junior and senior year, blew off all recruiting and attended a Big Ten (hundreds of miles away) for an engineering degree. After college he stayed in Illinois.
its sad. Dad wanted the glory so badly for his son he lost him. The kid was one of the mellowest kids I’ve ever met. On the court he was a killer. Dad drove the passion out of him.