This past weekend, the French Open gave us more than just tennis. It gave us a gritty, sweaty, glorious masterclass in resilience.

Both Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz reminded us that it’s not how you start, but how you finish. And oh, did they finish.

Alcaraz clawed his way back from two sets down and multiple match points in the men’s final. Five hours on court. Five sets. One aching, miraculous comeback. If tennis had a version of the hero’s journey, this was it—cramps, self-talk, second winds, and all. The sheer psychological stamina and emotional grit on display was breathtaking. He didn’t just win. He outlasted, out-thought, and out-hearted.

Coco Gauff, on the women’s side, staged her own version of a comeback. She was down a set and under pressure, the moment threatening to swallow her whole. But she recalibrated, rallied, and won. And, yes it was messy at times. The kind of mess that shows you care too much to let go. The kind of mess that means you’re fighting with every ounce of your being. Because let’s face it: a messy win is still a win.  Sometimes it’s even more powerful because it shows the humanity behind the triumph.

There’s something deeply reassuring in these wins. We often glamorize the effortless, the smooth, the elegant, the seemingly easy successes. But these matches were not about ease. They were about grit, recalibration, and belief.

Whether you’re in the middle of your own five-set work week or navigating the emotional clay courts of daily life, let this be your reminder:

It’s okay to start off messy. It’s okay to be behind. It’s okay to not look graceful every step of the way. Just keep fighting your match.

Because in the end, it’s not perfection that wins: it’s persistence.

And, maybe a good water break.