Everything I Need to Know About Life I’ve Learned Playing Tennis
Everything I Need to Know About Life I’ve Learned Playing Tennis
Ok…maybe not everything. But a lot. As the celebrated Wimbledon Championships are coming to a close this weekend, I’m reminded of the many lessons I’ve learned chasing a fuzzy yellow ball across a 78’ x 27’ rectangle the past few years. What I’ve learned on the courts bears a striking resemblance to what I strive for off the courts as well, in business, leadership, and even as a parent.
- Learn from mistakes—then quickly put them behind you. Tennis gives us frequent chances to redeem ourselves. If we miss on a first serve, we get a second. If we lose the first set, we get another. We must continually put the last shot behind us, and place the next one where we want it, focusing on one point at a time. The idea is to learn from errors, and play on, not ruminate on them. The same learning mindset can make us better off the courts, too. We can use failure as an opportunity to reflect on what did and didn’t work. After every match, I like to look back and come up with three things I did well, and three things that I need to improve.
- Recreate to re-create. I became hooked on tennis the first time I tried it out at a clinic five years ago. I felt the pure, childlike joy of running up, down, and across the court and taking a full swing at the ball. Since then, I’ve rarely turned down an opportunity to play, regardless of the conditions. Our careers and families demand energy. Playing tennis has a therapeutic effect for me—it energizes me and helps me to feel more focused. Getting lost in play is not just fun, it’s vital to our minds and bodies. If we don’t take care of ourselves, eventually we won’t be able to help anyone else either.
- Stay in the game. It is baffling to me that while I can confidently present recommendations for a $12 million dollar portfolio, when it comes to playing a tennis match my nerves often come undone. Or that I’ll be playing lights out one day, and the next day it’s a struggle to get a ball over the net. Regardless of the nerves or the level of play, I try to do what I can in each point and know that in the end, I’ll have gained more match play and experience. “Progress not perfection” has become my motto and I try to reinforce this with my children as well.
- Be aware of your self-talk. Staying in the game requires mental energy and focus. If you listen to your self-talk, what are you saying to yourself? When I catch myself getting frustrated, I quickly remind myself that even the pros make mistakes. If you’re quietly calling yourself stupid, how is that supposed to help?
- Move forward. Moving forward on the court or in business can be scary. Leaving the safety of the baseline, you’re exposed and taking a risk! What if I get lobbed? Yet if we don’t move forward, we can end up stuck in no man’s land—and poor positioning can be costly as I’ve found out far too many times. I’ve learned it’s critical to move my feet, and move towards the ball. Don’t wait for it to come to you! Then once you’re there, stand your ground. This is much easier said than done. We make similar risk/reward tradeoffs in every decision in our businesses as well. In the office, and in life—we have to go for what we want. There will always be obstacles, challenges—but we can’t wait for those perfect conditions, we sometimes have to create some of those perfect conditions on our own.
- Stretch to grow. My game still has much to be improved upon, but it’s come a loooong way since that first clinic. I attribute a lot of that progress to playing with stronger players whenever I had the chance. It was definitely uncomfortable and sometimes not fun—for any of us. But now I find that when I play with better players, it actually elevates my game (while playing with weaker players brings my game down). This is definitely true in business and in life, from using stretch goals to surrounding ourselves with people who are like-minded and also looking to grow.
- Be bold. As a wealth advisor, much of my work is centered around helping clients manage risks. But on the tennis court, I feel free to take bold risks—because what’s the worst that can happen? It’s a game. Taking risks has shown me what I am capable of, and has also taught me when to reel in my ego from “writing checks” my racket can’t cash! What I’m working on now is knowing when to dial back the aggression, and to patiently look for the right opportunity to be bold.
- Anticipate. I’ve won some great points after an opponent hit a gorgeous shot—and then essentially stopped playing because they assumed the point was over. Just this week, my own partner nearly stopped playing after he was passed down the line—but I ran that ball down, got it back in play, and we won the point. In work and in play, a little anticipation can give you an edge, while making assumptions can be costly. What can we do better by anticipating?
- Small changes can be impactful. It’s striking how a slight change in your ball toss for example can affect your serve. A shoulder turn, a grip change, an extra step or two— there are so many seemingly minor modifications that can yield wonderful results on the courts. If you’re looking for the next big thing—maybe try looking for the next small thing instead.
- It’s never too late. In elite sports like tennis, top players traditionally aged out well before 30. Today, at age 37, Wimbledon contender Venus Williams stands to become the oldest women’s champion in the open era, while Roger Federer at age 35 is producing some of the most flawless tennis ever witnessed. Personally, I was nearly 40 years old when I started playing tennis. I’ve played with people literally twice my age— who ran me ragged by the way (to the point of needing an Epsom salt bath afterwards!)—and while some of them have been playing longer than I’ve been alive, some of them took up the sport even later in life than I did. Their young at heart attitude has truly inspired me.
If you’re still reading this, you may be as crazy about tennis as I am. In which case, I hope to see you on the courts soon. May the bounce be with you!
Opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Raymond James.
