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By Aniya K.
By Aniya K.
What gave Roger Federer his motivation? How did John McEnroe overcome his rage on his road to success? How did attitude and competitiveness play a role in Nadal’s career? These are questions that when answered will provide a great understanding of how all these legendary names in the tennis industry fought through their struggles when trying to achieve victory, why they did it, and how their attitudes took a toll on their success rates.
Tennis is thought to be a sport where physical strength, fitness, and skill are the most important qualities needed to achieve a win. Playing in lengthy matches requires a lot of stamina, even more in hot conditions. However, tennis is also considered to be a way more mentally challenging game.
Rafael Nadal pictured holding up his trophy after winning his 14th French Open and 22nd Grand Slam in 2022.
Several famous players have been through many setbacks and have sacrificed a lot to be where they are today, remaining extremely dedicated to the sport. Skill has no benefit without practice and dedication. Working on techniques, no matter how good a player, helps make a strong competitor. Any shift of emotion in a single match can determine a win or loss and this amount of pressure can be mentally straining and draining. Hence, keeping a cool head and accepting your mistakes is also essential in competitive conditions.
In Grade 5, I was ranked 2nd on the Dainfern Girls Junior Tennis Team in South Africa. The highest-ranked player was Jenna. P who had beaten me in every match I had played against her. I used to hate myself for the losses, not only against her, but also against other girls in tournaments, and wondered why I just could not beat them. I wasn’t a terrible player and according to my coach, I had the potential to beat them. I soon realized, with the help of my mother, that I was letting emotions get the better of me. Whenever I would lose a couple of points, I would get stressed and eventually end up losing the game. My mother supported me throughout and pointed out that instead of getting beside myself and crying, I should focus on what I was doing wrong and fix that.
Aniya Kazmi, 11, pictured playing a tennis match against Jenna. P at Dainfern College in South Africa, March 2019
I needed to develop a growth mindset, figure out my mistakes and learn from them instead of just focusing on the losses. With skill and motivation from my mother and coach, I decided to be mentally strong and focus on improving my attitude during the game. “Failure or loss is a great tool to better your skills and make you mentally stronger,” is what my mother, Ambareen. K had reminded me of. This is where my motivation and newfound spirit and resilience came from, which helped me finally beat Jenna. P and surpass her in ranks.
Attitude is the biggest factor that decides whether you win or lose a game. Rafael Nadal has always had a focused and positive attitude toward tennis. During matches when it seems as if he has been set up to lose, he sticks to what he knows and doesn’t let his mistakes become his downfalls. In the 2009 Madrid semifinal, Nadal played against Novak Djokovic with tendinitis in both his knees, causing him a lot of pain. Djokovic played well and was winning point after point in the final tiebreak, and was predicted to be the victor of the two.
Although, in the end, Nadal hit some amazing shots that won him the match. Novak Djokovic is as talented a tennis player as there is. This was incredibly shocking as Djokovic played incredibly well and was on the road to victory,
Rafael Nadal pictures celebrating after defeating Novak Djokovic in Madrid Masters Finals 2009.
but got overwhelmed by tiny unforced errors which caused his attitude to become irritated and annoyed. The way Nadal thinks when he is losing is way different from how Djokovic does. Djokovic's main intentions are to win and be a tennis star loved and motivated by the people. Nadal's main intention is to be able to compete, not give up in losing situations and enjoy his game. He cares about the game when he loses, but does not let it change the way he thinks.
A person who positively overcame his anger issues was Roger Federer. It is thought that his coach’s death is what pushed Federer to not waste his talent by losing control of his emotions. Roger states that he had 5 principles that led him to develop a mindset that helped him thrive in his career. “Always aspiring to do better, building a great team that shares your vision, using challenges to reassess your strategic progress, letting your setbacks propel you forward, and making decisions that advance your objectives.”
Federer was the first player known to have no weaknesses in the history of tennis, as he was thought to have mastered every single point of a game. The one thing he had not accounted for was Nadal’s competitive spirit that would not let him lose even if it was thought he should have. In 2007 French Open final, Federer had 18 breakpoint chances to break Nadal’s serves, but only managed to break one. Nadal saved himself just by returning his shots with accuracy and not giving up, which ended up helping him win the title. His extreme focus and competitiveness drove him to victory, exhausting Federer in the process. Nadal commented on this great quality saying, “My goal is to improve my game, stay healthy and be competitive. If I have that, I know I can be able to win tournaments, which in the end is what it counts,”
All players have the same look when playing a match. This look shows their determination, how invested they are in the game, and the amount of willpower stored inside of them. They know they are competing and know how much they want to win. This is the same look seen on Nadal in every match. He has changed tennis by changing the way he plays some shots, breaking records and setting them at the same time with such ease.
Roger Federer pictured kissing his award after winning his first Grand Slam at in Wimbledon 2003.
Although showing emotion shows that you are dedicated to the sport, it can also affect gameplay. Emotionally, tennis players need to keep their cool and not let their feelings affect their playing, and if they win or lose. Many people who had lost control of their emotions such as John McEnroe also found their way to success. Having mental toughness is a vital quality, and McEnroe showed how he faced many mental challenges during his career. At the 1981 Wimbledon is where his infamous catchphrase ‘You cannot be serious!’ formed and it has gone down as an iconic moment in the history of sports. Many think that if he had controlled his emotion he would have had even more success, and he agrees.
In his autobiography, ‘Serious’, he stated if he could have remained calm, he might have performed better saying that his temper often “disrupted his rhythm”, and let him make an error. McEnroe said he showed how tense he was through his temper and lashing out at umpires and players. In his book, he said that he usually apologized to them after games, but that did not help with his public image. Having ultra-high standard-seeking parents was tough on him as well, so his drive to success was very intense, and the consequences he had for failure.
John McEnroe pictured lying on the court during a match at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in July 1980.
McEnroe judged himself so harshly that meant every match was a reminder that failure can occur. At the height of his career, he was expected to win against everyone, which only added more unnecessary pressure, and showed that victory meant more relief than an actual win. Disregarding his emotional slip-ups, his hard work and skill did assist in his 7 major singles titles. His most popular loss was by Lendl in the 1984 French Open final, in which a slip-up of emotion and temper cost him the game.
Known as a man with anger issues to this date, McEnroe’s outbursts have affected his public image, however so has ‘The Johnny Mac Tennis Project’. This is an initiative from McEnroe to change kids' lives who’d love to be tennis players by taking away racial barriers and economic differences. The project is non-profit and shows kids the beauty of the sport and gives kids hope that even from tough situations you can rise and overcome them, just like McEnroe did himself. He stated, “In many respects, tennis still has a country club stigma attached to it and we're trying to make it more accessible for everyone,”.
Successful tennis players need to have all these attributes mentioned above, being physically strong, mentally strong, in control of emotions and dedicated to the sport in order to overcome any challenges or failures. Overcoming failure is the way to better yourself and develop a growth mindset, and in this instance, to win a match.
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