At the start of every new year, we stop to look forward and reevaluate in a way that no other time of life provides. A new year is a new beginning. A chance to set goals. A clean slate.
In the tennis world, January means one thing: The Australian Open. Whizzing through Brisbane, Auckland, Shenzhen and more, the athletes know that the true test of the year's beginning lies in Melbourne. Everyone starts fresh, dreaming of the perfect season start: a grand slam title.
All but one will fall short of this goal, and that is where the magic of the New Year truly shines through: what we make of 2013 is not defined by the first four weeks. A loss in the first round does not mean you won't hoist a major trophy of your own. The start is only the beginning, so get your wheels in motion now and set your sights on what it is you want to accomplish in the coming months.
Win, lose, or spectate, Melbourne will provide the kickstart we all need to launch ourselves deep into 2013. We need only to look back at last year's tournament to realize the power such a tremendous event can have on our outlooks.
This video is more than a great highlights real: it's a reminder of what drives us. Lisicki's electric victory smile. Clijsters' chilling fist pumps. Ivanovic's cries of elation. Their passion reignites my own, and reminds me of what inspired me to begin this journey as a tennis writer in the first place. For others, this video will mean something else, but for any true tennis fan it will make us look inward (or at the very least, you'll be excited for the tournament to begin).
Here we are are the beginning: the first grandslam of the year. A clean slate. What will these stars do with 2013? What will you?
-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor
