The world knows two things:
One, Serena Williams lost to Naomi Osaka. That meant Williams was unable to match the record of Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slams. So far, Williams has 23 Grand Slams.
And, two, Williams had what some in the media are describing as a total "meltdown" of bad behavior. In addition to verbally attacking umpire Carlos Ramos, she went on a rant about being a victim of sexism.
Here is an example of the media coverage.
There are those siding with Williams' accusations of unfair play.
And there are those of us, like myself, who perceive the situation as that of an extremely talented athlete who might have peaked.
Williams was born in late September 1981. On her birthday this month she will be 37.
The reality is that Williams is no longer young, at least in athlete years. She may need a coach to guide her through the balancing act of both embracing and reducing the impacts of the aging process.
Already, it's obvious that she needs a new tennis coach. Her current one Patrick Mouratoglou admitted to violating the rules by giving hand signals from the players' box. The penalty imposed hurt her score.
The good news for Williams is: Peaking in any career doesn't have to mean significant accomplishment is over. There could be new highs, only they might not be as often or as high as previous ones.
Yes, there is the phenomenon of the late bloomer. University of Chicago professor David Galenson researched that. He published his findings in his seminal book "Old Masters and Young Geniuses."
However, Williams has already bloomed. She is analogous to the young geniuses like Mozart whom Galenson discusses in his book. Incidentally, among the late bloomers was architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
In my coaching seasoned professionals, there is the common fear that they had peaked. The reality is that they might have. But, that doesn't rule out myriad other future successes. In addition, they can continue to make a good living and support their families.
Okay, some among them may have lost the fire in the belly for their work. Or they don't want to continue on with less creativity and energy.
The solution is transition. Their challenge is to adopt the humility to go naked out there into the world and try on new roles. Although it's not easy, it's possible. Here is my book, free to download, on exiting a comfort zone.
Seasoned professionals struggling with self-doubt or concrete unemployment challenges are invited to a complimentary coaching session. No pressure. Please set an appointment by contacting janegenova374@gmail.com. After the initial session, for those who wish to continue there are sliding scale fees.
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