The Human Resources Blog

I am no fan of Andy Roddick. Something about him has always struck me as petulant without punch, brash with only bravado. As a former athlete, I’ve always found those combinations very unsavory.

For me, players like that always seem to talk bigger than they play, ultimately wilting under pressure. (If you’d like an example, sit next to me during a US soccer match when Landon Donovan has faded into the grass.) Time and again, I’d watched young Roddick follow suit, regardless of how much I hoped he’d become the standard bearer of American tennis.

So, as I stretched out on the couch to watch this morning’s Gentlemen’s Singles final, I expected more of the same. When confronted with the greatest of challenges, walking ode to excellence Roger Federer, I reckoned that the match would quickly turn into a coronation for the Swiss star. (Victory today would see him crowned the sport’s winningest player in major tournaments.)

Drifting in and out of sleep, as the casual fan often does, I repeatedly heard the following phrase regarding the American: “Roddick has completely remade his body and his game.” In so doing, he had also elevated his level of play. No longer prone to prolonged instances of whining or shaky mental toughness, I actually found myself impressed with him.

Though he eventually succumbed to Federer, it was evident he had become something new and better than before. It is as if his brain befits his immense talent, allowing him to play matches he would have long been out of (like today’s epic five-setter).

Thus, Roddick serves as a metaphor for this sermon. By taking the time and making the tremendous effort to change, he became better than he’d ever been and set himself up to fulfill more of his considerable potential.

Each of us can do the same in our lives. We can ask ourselves difficult questions and, with focused effort over time, produce the answers we want.

In Roddick’s case, it unfortunately did not produce a championship today. However, I am certain he is much closer now than he ever could have been before.