I was very pleased that the positive things about me and my game

The words of Sue Wicks — “I was very pleased that the positive things about me and my game outshone the aggressive style of play I use. I would never tone that down, because I believe in that style of play, and I believe that you can play rough on the court and still be a good sport.” — speak with the spirit of one who has found harmony between strength and honor. They remind us that true greatness does not lie in softness alone, nor in violence unchecked, but in the ability to hold both fire and virtue in balance.

Her aggressive style of play was not brutality, but passion expressed with force, will, and conviction. In her, fierceness became artistry — not something to be hidden, but something to be celebrated, so long as it was bound by fairness and respect. The ancients would have recognized this balance: the warrior who fought with ferocity in battle, yet showed mercy in victory, was praised not only for courage but for wisdom.

The fact that her positive qualities shone brighter than her aggression reveals a deep truth: character outlives reputation, and integrity casts a longer light than style. Consider Alexander the Great, whose bold, rough campaigns shook the world, yet it was his vision of uniting cultures that immortalized him. Or Leonidas at Thermopylae, whose ferocity held the pass, but whose honor toward his comrades gave his story eternal life. Strength without virtue is feared; strength with virtue is revered.

Wicks proclaims her belief that one can play rough and still embody true sportsmanship. This is no contradiction but the essence of fair competition. For the court, like the battlefield or the assembly, is a place of testing — not of cruelty, but of will. To give less than all is to dishonor both the game and the opponent. Yet to give one’s all with respect is to transform struggle into mutual glory.

Let the generations remember: life itself is a court, where we must play with all our strength, never shrinking from passion, never apologizing for intensity — yet always guarding the soul with honor. Sue Wicks’ words remind us that fierceness and fairness are not enemies, but allies, and that the noblest players are those whose fire does not consume, but illuminates. To be both relentless and righteous — that is the mark of greatness.