Most athletes have learned how to handle defeat by the time they become professionals; some have not.
On Monday, Emma Navarro defeated Lois Boisson in a hard-fought three-set first-round contest at the U.S. Open. However, while Navarro waved to the crowd and celebrated her victory, Boisson took her racket and pounded it into scrap metal.
Nor did Boisson pause to pick up the pieces of her former racket. Instead, she stormed off, leaving it to the ball girls to come over and collect the discarded remains.
The scene went viral almost instantly as cameras caught the perfect glimpse of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, with Navarro smiling and Boisson punishing the court.
The match should have concluded on Sunday, but it was stopped due to rainfall, which halted all U.S. Open action on the New York City courts.
Regardless, no one will remember this match for the delay. But they will remember Boisson’s racket. RIP.