“Champions adjust or Champions adapt,” Billie Jean King’s strong message for players ahead of Australian Open 2021


“Champions adjust or Champions adapt,” Billie Jean King’s strong message for players ahead of Australian Open 2021

billie jean king

Billie Jean King

Much of the focus has shifted from the Australian Open 2021 to it’s quarantine facilities in the past couple of days. Players are unhappy for a number of reasons after arriving in Australia, with 72 players being confined to hard quarantine. Novak Djokovic issued a letter to Tennis Australia CEO, Craig Tiley which had a list of demands for improved quarantine facilities.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, to shift the focus back to tennis, Billie Jean King has issued a strong message to the players ahead of the Australian Open 2021. Through a video, the American legend seeks to motivate the players. She first tells the story about the origins of her ‘Pressure is a privilege’ saying.

In a match between America’s Lindsay Davenport and Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in Las Vegas, Davenport felt uptight and asked Billie for help. She responded by saying ‘Pressure is a privilege’ and ‘Champions adjust’. From there on, Davenport went on to win the match.

Just do the best you can and go with it: Billie Jean King

Australian Open 2021 commences from February 8

Many players are locked up in their hotel rooms and will not be allowed to practice until their 14-day hard quarantine ends. This is why Billie Jean King decided to talk to them via a video.

ADVERTISEMENT

“For the players that are in Australia, it’s tough down there and you gonna have to really go with the flow. But I think, champions adjust or champions adapt might be the most helpful statement I could give right now. Just do the best you can and go with it. And good luck to everyone,” King said.

Players have already completed half of their stipulated quarantine period and for them to be match-fit before Australian Open, Melbourne will host several warm-up tournaments.

Also Read: Renowned Tennis umpire, Carlos Bernardes suffers heart attack in Melbourne Quarantine