By Kat Francis
Lately, I’ve become so fascinated with the game of tennis. Watching tournaments like the U.S. Open has inspired and motivated me in many ways. Not necessarily to go pick up a racket and play, but to start thinking like a winner.
When I think about what a winner is to me, tennis players are the first people who come to mind. They’re some of the most successful and resilient athletes in the world.
Women such as Venus and Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and more have faced many challenges and personal struggles throughout their careers, including the racism and sexism that many Black women in sports unfortunately experience. Yet they still keep going despite their circumstances.
What I love about watching them play is that you can truly see their desire to win right on their faces. It can be intense to see players go from pure excitement to absolute frustration in just minutes. While those unpredictable moments are a part of the game, they can also take an emotional toll.
Serena Williams, for example, has been criticized throughout her career for her reactions and has been penalized for her conduct after showing frustration on the court. Naomi Osaka has also faced tough media criticism for wanting to prioritize her mental health was fined after skipping press interviews due to her anxiety and depression.
Many have pointed out the harmful double standards in which women athletes are judged more harshly than men. Tennis can be an emotional sport, regardless of the player’s gender.
That’s why I admire how these women stand up for themselves when they feel treated unfairly. They’re also not afraid to show sportsmanship when the competition gets a little too heated.
Even though they’re strong and resilient players, moments like this remind us they’re still human and deserve grace like anyone else. These women truly give it their all. Whether they lose or win, their determination never fades. That’s what makes them winners to me.
Another thing that makes someone a winner, in my opinion, is their ability to turn negative experiences into motivation.
In her 2024 documentary series, In the Arena, Serena Williams talks about getting ghosted by a guy she was dating early in her career. She tells us how she channeled the emotions she felt in that moment into what she knew best — tennis.
She said she wanted him to see her winning everywhere, and she did exactly that. She turned that negative situation into something positive by improving her work ethic and skills.
Serena said she used that moment as an excuse to win and a reason to be great. She even joked about thanking him for it later on.
To me, the overall lesson of this story wasn’t just about her giving him credit for motivating her to win, but about recognizing that she already had the drive to succeed within her. She just needed that spark to work even harder.
Through her hard work, she has broken records, won multiple titles, inspired a generation, and become one of the most decorated tennis players in history.
Ultimately, her strength, endurance, and determination to win and never give up—qualities instilled in her from a young age—helped shape her into one of the greatest athletes of all time.
As someone who has also been through those same difficult moments, such as being ghosted, feeling like I’m not doing well enough, or letting my negative thoughts or my mental health get the best of me, I’ve realized that I need to transform that energy into something better, like my craft, instead of ruminating over those feelings. Some may also call this alchemizing.
If you’re like me and use spite as motivation, you can also see it as a way to alchemize your emotions. If someone makes you feel like you aren’t capable of achieving something or makes you feel like you aren’t good enough, it can inspire you to do it even more, to prove them wrong.
I think using spite as motivation can be both positive and unhealthy. It can look cool, making it your “villain origin” story, wanting others to see you succeed and hoping they regret their words. But in a way, you might also be letting other people’s opinions affect your life and mind more than you realize.
You need to have the courage to go after your dreams, whether someone thinks you can do it or not. You can’t internalize every opinion someone has about you. You have to put your own beliefs first before listening to others. You also need to tell the difference between those who genuinely want to see you succeed and those who want to put you down. You may never know the reason behind their actions. That’s why your opinion of yourself is what matters most in the end.
So overall, when I feel discouraged, I try to think more like the tennis players who inspire me, using my hardships and strong emotions and channeling them into something greater.
When I feel like giving up, I think of ways to fuel my motivation so I can keep going. As the saying goes, “Stick to your plan, not your mood.” The end goal isn’t just to be successful, but to make myself proud that I never stopped trying. Even if things don’t work out, I’ll still have the lessons I learned along the way and the determination to win another time. If it’s meant to be, it will be.
Remember that no matter what curveball life throws at you, you too can still be a winner.
About the Author
Follow Kadiskreations on Social Media
Copyright 2026 @ Kadiskreations Magazine All Rights Reserved.
