Saw the Coria vs Cerundolo matchup mentioned somewhere the other day. Funny how names stick in your head. It got me thinking about something totally different, way back when I was working at this other place. Not tennis, obviously, but it just sparked a memory.
I was deep into this project, you know? Thought it was my chance to really show what I could do. There were basically two ways we could have gone about it. One was the tried-and-tested method, super safe, exactly what the higher-ups were comfortable with. Let’s call it the ‘Coria’ way – steady, predictable, maybe a bit grinder-like.
Then there was this other approach. Newer ideas, maybe faster results, definitely more interesting to me. But yeah, riskier. Untested territory for the company. We could call that the ‘Cerundolo’ way – a bit more flair, bigger potential payoff, but also a bigger chance of messing up.
I really believed in the ‘Cerundolo’ way. I spent ages putting together the reasons why, how it could save time in the long run, make things better. My manager, though? Nah. He was strictly old school. Only wanted the ‘Coria’ path. We went back and forth on it. Not shouting matches, more like that quiet tension you get when nobody wants to budge.
It felt like we were stuck. I was trying to push for innovation, he was digging his heels in for safety. Looking back, it was less about the project itself and more about control, I guess.
And then, bam! Company decided to ‘restructure’. Came out of nowhere. Suddenly, the project wasn’t even the main topic. My manager used the whole situation, our disagreement, everything. He told his bosses I wasn’t ‘aligning with the company strategy’ or some corporate talk like that. Said I was too focused on ‘unproven methods’. Which really just meant I didn’t roll over and do exactly what he said.
So, yeah. End result? I was told my position was gone. Had to pack up my stuff. All because I wanted to try the ‘Cerundolo’ approach instead of sticking to the same old ‘Coria’ routine. It felt pretty raw at the time.
Funny thing is, I actually watched a bit of a Coria vs Cerundolo match online not long after that. Seeing them battle it out, different styles and all. It just felt… weirdly fitting. Sometimes the steady guy wins, sometimes the flashy one does. And sometimes, stuff happens off the court, like office politics, that decides things anyway.
Learned a hard lesson, I suppose. Not so much about technical approaches, but about how things really work sometimes. Now, I mostly focus on my own stuff, things I can control. Less drama that way. Just get on with it, you know?
