Jennifer Todd-Wilson’s Post

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Vice President Human Resources and Sustainability

On champions and respect On Sunday as I watched on television, Djokovic and Alcaraz walking out of the change rooms before the men's Wimbledon final, there was a moment of negotiation in the foyer as to who would walk out onto the court first.... Alcaraz, the 21 year old defending champion, or Djokovic, the 10 times finalist and one of the game’s modern greats. After a few awkward moments, Alcaraz respectfully left the path for Djokovic to walk first. As defending champion he could have led. But he didn’t. My grandfather, a sports coach back in his day, always said the most important things in sport are teamwork and respect. You can be a champion, even a hero, but if you’re not a gentleman (or woman or person) it doesn’t matter. Rudyard Kipling sums it up in one of my favourite poems of all time, ‘If’ ‘If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much…’ And in the earlier sonnet 'If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same' Alcaraz, you have a big future ahead of you in tennis. In times when the names of many sporting greats are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, I hope you’ll stay grounded and continue your champion ways for years to come. The game of tennis needs your talent.... and the world needs men who are both champions and gentlemen. When you're playing sport on the global stage, respect is the winning factor. Who's with me? #tennis #wimbledon #teamwork #respect #finals #sport #alcaraz #djokovic #rudyardkipling #coaching #mentoring #empathy #care

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He’s an absolute machine. You don’t have to be a tennis fan to appreciate a talent like him. He was also very respectful of Novak in his speech.

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