{"id":834,"date":"2025-05-28T11:55:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T10:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/defiancemagazine.co.uk\/?p=834"},"modified":"2025-06-06T12:07:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T11:07:18","slug":"the-underdog-effect-how-being-doubted-can-build-a-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/defiancemag\/2025\/05\/28\/the-underdog-effect-how-being-doubted-can-build-a-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Underdog Effect: How Being Doubted can Build a Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To say that the favourite is always triumphant would be a million miles from the truth. So, why do certain athletes thrive on being the underdog? Here are examples of sportspeople who buy into this and wear the underdog tag with pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick Kyrgios \u2013 Tennis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kyrgios himself has admitted that he struggles with motivation in the early rounds of Grand Slams when he is the clear favourite. Instead, he thrives off the thrill of beating those seeded above him and proving his (many) critics wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some have even debated that when Kyrgios is struggling, he intentionally turns the crowd against him by arguing with an umpire or throwing a racket to create a back-against-the-wall, everyone-against-me scenario, which is when he plays his best tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing on the edge serves Kyrgios well, whose 2022 run to the Wimbledon final was led by defying expectations, beating seeded players and pushing Djokovic all the way in the final, whom most of the crowd inside the arena were supporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tyson Fury \u2013 Boxing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fury has retired from boxing a staggering four times in his career. It seems that it\u2019s when he is most out of shape and least likely to make a successful return to professional boxing that he goes ahead and does just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His most notable success was when he reclaimed the heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder, which was achieved after a long battle with obesity, addiction and mental illness. Fury has once again officially retired, but who\u2019s to say that the out-of-sorts former champion won\u2019t struggle onto a treadmill one Monday morning and end up as world champion again a year later?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey Vonn \u2013 Skiing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vonn, who is aiming for a fifth Winter Olympics in 2026, has had an injury-riddled career, yet she is still one of the most successful alpine ski racers in history. Her 82 World Cup wins, which is a women\u2019s record, and her Olympic gold medal only tells half the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After her ACL tear in 2013, doctors said she may never ski again, and fans poked fun at Vonn\u2019s distant dream of making a return, but this didn\u2019t just motivate her \u2013 it defined her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Von made her comeback in 2014, winning 8 World Cup races that season before taking to social media to admit that when she was a favourite prior to her injury, everyone expected her to win. Still, now that she\u2019s an underdog, she expects herself to win, which is even more powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luis Suarez \u2013 Football<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite having the natural ability to compete with the world\u2019s best, Suarez made the decision to play the villain throughout his career. After controversial moments, including three biting scandals, multiple diving incidents and a handball off the line to cheat Ghana out of a World Cup semi-final, he was booed almost every time he stepped onto a pitch, but he loved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his second and most famous biting scandal in 2013, he returned to Liverpool’s team as the most talked-about man in football for all the wrong reasons but hit the ground running, terrorising teams up and down the land and turning pantomime boos into fans in awe of his brilliance, despite his flawed character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suarez seems to perform better when surrounded by negative discourse, with his rebellious edge motivating him to prove people wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If your interested in underdog stories, then read more on our website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n