Eller mimetisk tennis…

Väldigt intressant artikel, ur perspektivet av mimetiskt studier om idoler/rivaler. NY Times skriver om tennisstjärnorna Serena Williams och Maria Sharapova utifrån den senare memoarer:

“I looked across the net, and, no way to get around it, she was just there!” Sharapova continues. “More there than other players, if that makes sense. It’s the whole thing — her presence, her confidence, her personality. She seemed much older than me in Miami. This was just before I turned 17. She was a grown woman, experienced, the best player in the world. It still feels that way. Even now, she can still make me feel like a little girl.”

Och:

“I think, to some extent, we have driven each other. Maybe that’s better than being friends. Maybe that’s what it takes to fire up the proper fury. Only when you have that intense antagonism can you find the strength to finish her off. But who knows? Someday, when all this is in our past, maybe we’ll become friends. Or not. You never can tell.”

Så länge rivaliteten håller sig inom de uppsatta spelreglerna, inget fusk och på lite avstånd, här med ett nät mellan antagonisterna, kan den sporra och inspirera till än större prestationer. 

Länk här till NY Times om Sharapovas memoarer.