Journal
Wimbledon
7/6/2008
U.K.
I just turned off the TV after watching tennis. I don’t ever watch tennis. But for some reason, there I was, glued to the Wimbledon men’s final between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. I am an avid follower of sports and I know these two guys have battled for the past few years with Nadal winning the French Open on clay and Federer winning the last five Wimbledon’s on grass. Still, I had never watched any of the matches.
I’m not going to give you the play by play. What I will articulate is that the tennis announcers said it was the best final match they had ever seen. I must say, I was impressed. Tennis is different than most sports. There are no teammates for you to rely on. There are only two people playing. The outcome is on you. There are no helmets or jerseys. You can see very emotion. And the crowd is in a stadium form, enveloping them. Cheering for their player. You can feel the momentum shifting back and forth as you watch.
The match battled like a see saw. Mojo transferred from one player to another. You could see within the volleys how one player was imposing his will on the other. Yet, it never lasted more than a few points and the shift was on.
I share this because of the incredible amount of mental toughness and stamina tennis requires. In golf, one bad shot can kill you, but in tennis you have someone else fighting against you. They are trying to destroy your will. They try to find every weakness and exploit it. And at that point when you know they have found your weakness, and they continue to drive at it, that is when you find out what you are about. Do you pack it in? Or do you fight like mad to let your strengths overcome your weaknesses?
We all have weaknesses. And we all have strengths. By knowing both and figuring out how to take advantage of your positives, you will be much more marketable in your career and happier in your life. We enjoy doing what we are good at.
If you are curious, Nadal won the epic battle. And they both received thunderous applause from the crowd. Rightfully so. Federer and Nadal are both amazing at what they do. Their strengths, passion, practice and mental strength got them there. And keeps them there.