Dig Deeper

Not a Sports Post...how tennis prepared me for life

January’s music theme has been redemption, and Madison Keys¹ certainly lived into that theme Down Under this morning. This isn’t a sports post, I’m sure I’ll still be talking about her on the MMQB post, because she deserves the spotlight. I woke up from some absolutely wild dreams², questioning if my Zyrtec had been laced with LSD or if this is what the next four years, possibly longer, are going to be like. Madison’s win is the epitome of the American Dream and a great awakening!

For context, just four months ago, Keys had a colossal third set meltdown in a match she had in the bag at the US Open. If this sounds familiar, I too am making the similarities with my life trajectory. Meltdown in New York, tears for all for the world to see. Leaving people going, “Why can’t she get it together.” Yep, we aren’t talking about sports here.

Mottos running through my mind for 2025!

Madison is 29, for a tennis player that is ancient and she’s considered past her prime. I honestly thought her run in NYC was her last hope at finally breaking through and winning a coveted major title. She seemed to have her life together, was engaged and confident but she again failed to win on the brightest stage for a US tennis player. I thought that was her last chance, and am so glad I was wrong. Keys dug deeper! She went back to work and used the painful loss to catapult her forward. She kept going beyond what all the outsiders, and even herself at times, thought she could do.

My high school tennis coach always used to say, “dig deeper.” Even when you felt that you had laid everything on the line, you’ve got more. The strong ones don’t let defeats destroy them! They go back to work, tune out the noise, and dig deeper to step over into the thin line that divides winning a major and being a good tour player. When you look at the numbers of players, this is rare.

Winning is hard, life is harder. Our coach was preparing us for life, that’s what hall of fame coaches do. Winning on the highest level³ is something only few experience. We can let moments define or destroy us or we can dig deeper. You can fold or you can play the cards you’ve been dealt. Keys played the hell out of all the cards she was holding!

After safely exiting the rocket ship, I awoke to a sense of peace I haven’t felt in quite some time⁴. A sense of relief, a burden had been lifted. I’ve felt this calm before, it’s what comes when you get tired of your own bullshit and step over the line to greatness. Most stay on the other side of the line. Most fold! It’s safer, it’s what other people want, it’s how casinos stay in business, it is a known, a guarantee. For me, there is just more to life than playing it safe, which is also a fine line to addiction⁵. I know this calling is what keeps me restless not the quest for a bigger life. It’s not about the trophy or the title, it’s about stepping into your authentic self. You have it in you, dig deeper!

As I watch the sunrise and reflect on the last four months, the tiny but mighty actions I took each day to wake at this place of peace is mystifying. It’s not the big moments people see on the outside. You don’t just show up in Australia hoping to win. This win was made in the dark, while others were sleeping, Madison was digging deeper, taking the tiny actions needed to get to this coveted stage. So many nights, I crawl into bed exhausted from learning new software, excavating deep emotions through my writing and podcast, and questioning my life trajectory. You can go to bed wishing, dreaming, fantasizing, saying “what if” or you can stop your own bullshit. Wake up to life and live out your true calling. Dig deeper and don’t fold!

1. USA Women’s tennis player who just won her first major at the Australian Open this morning.

2. I was on a rocket ship!

3. She beat all of the top ranked players, she didn’t have an easy draw. This was earned!

4. And a need to listen to The Grateful Dead.

5. In this case gambling!