AusOpen

Earlier this month, I watched Roger Federer make his return to tennis after six months off at the Hopman Cup in Perth. At the time, I hardly would have expected him to make it to the Men’s Final of the Australian Open.

His last grand slam title was back in 2012, and he’s now well into his 30s. He was also matched against one of his greatest rivals, Rafael Nadal, against whom he did not have the odds of beating.

Yet last night, I was glued to the edge of my seat as I watched Federer break back his serve in the fifth set, and then earn a break of his own that saw him serve for the match.

It’s pretty remarkable to think that Roger Federer has been playing tennis for as long as I can remember. Although he hasn’t won a grand slam title since Wimbledon 2012, it hasn’t stopped him from continuing to play tennis.

I suppose the same can be said of Venus Williams, who scored runner up in the Women’s Final on Saturday night after a few quiet years. Mirjana Lucic Baroni, who made the Women’s Semi Finals for the first time since 1999! And Rafael Nadal, who is constantly prone to injury, but continues to persevere.

My diabetes management is feeling like a very endless task at the moment. In January, the victories feel like they have been outweighed by frustration. The motivation to diligently attend to self management tasks subsequently disappeared. The care factor has just not been there.

Yet watching some of these seasoned tennis players over the past two weeks has been so inspiring. For many of them, the victories have been far and few. Yet they continue to persevere. Their endurance never wavers. They are passionate, and enjoy what they do.

Unlike these guys, I can’t say that I am passionate about, or enjoy tending to a broken pancreas.

However just like Federer, I am confident that I will persevere to see the victories once again.