Tennis Champions Are Responsible for their Success
The post by Allistair McCaw
How far an athlete gets in their career lies entirely in their hands. It has little to do with federations or coaching. Oh, the good old blame game…
The reasons why some don’t make it, blaming geographical position, tennis academies, federations, bad coaching, money, I can go on and on, all the reasons, all the excuses.
Understand that sports federations and tennis academies are for guidance, coaching, training, and support. What they’re not responsible for is how far an athlete gets in their career.
In tennis, it seems to be around the age of 15 that the blame game starts. Also the biggest stage of kids who drop out.
Yes, good coaching and money are needed to reach the top in a sport, but if you want it, you’ll find a way.
Fact: Every nation has ‘talent’, no matter how wealthy or poor they are.
It’s not the amount of cash in the federation’s bank, but the amount of ‘want’ in the athletes ‘tank’.
The biggest factor in an athlete reaching the top lies in the individual’s hunger & passion. How much they are willing to work for it and live for it.
Did Grand Slam champions like Svetlana Kuznetsova or Novak Djokovic (photo – wall where he played as a kid) or Victoria Azarenka come from rich families, countries, and federations?
No. What they did come from was a relentless mentality to reach the top. They hustled, took risks, and moved to other countries to develop their careers.
Understand that tennis federations are there for support of athlete, not the responsibility of them winning majors or Grand Slams.
That responsibility lies entirely with the athlete, not a tennis academy, system, or federation. Stop the blame game. Simply put, If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way, not an excuse!
If you enjoyed this article, please don’t forget to tap ❤. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you.
You have good points and you speak to the hunger that many have already addressed. I think it is the perfect storm when a player reaches the pro ranks. A lot of things have to come together but without the hunger and drive, there is no chance for sure!
Great comment its spot on, I would though like to clarify a few things. We all know kids who have that innate willpower or desire, something that they are born with, usually those kids have parents who never played tennis or don’t know tennis as a sport. (Azarenka’s mom was a secretary at a tennis club, NOLE’s parents had a pizza parlor near courts) Those of course are in the minority, at the park where we play, there is an 8 yr old who sneaks into lessons, stays late and on his own charges kids his age $1 for a lesson that could last 1 or 2 hrs, he has 2-3 usual kids, he sits and listens to what the coaches say and repeats things to the other kids. The other 24 kids his age had long left, barely pay attention and are usually being kids. This kids parents are workers, who barely have time other than to pick him up and late. You see the circumstances (not under the control of the kid) is what creates the hunger and the will and this is what makes the kid special, not his particular talent. So, for the 99.998 percent of us who don’t have kids like that, the lesson is to guide the kids to bring out the champions in them so when they are old enough, they can take full responsibility for their success, but until that point they cannot do it by themselves unless of course you are one of those kids 1 in a million.
As for this little kid, its impossible not to love him, teach him and help and help him, with an admiration for his will.
To get to the top is a combination of many factors. And of course, one of them is the inner desire of the athlete. The intrinsic motivation is the only fuel that will help to go through the entire process and put down the numerous barriers they will find on the road. One of those barriers are themselves. Extrinsic motivation does not do the job by itself. Extrinsic is rewards, desire to be number one, walk with the trophy, and so on. The outcome focus is not the needed fuel. Intrinsic motivation is a lot more than that. It is the one that will guide the player to find balance between process and outcome, helping the player to always keep the tank full. It helps to be patient with the process and not to fall in the trap of wanting results right now. This mentality empties the fuel tank. It does not give the time to develop and mature. They need to stay with the mind-set that keeps the original motivation and inspiration. By keeping the motivation coming from the heart and dreams the desire never dies because it is more powerful than the motivation that comes from seeking acceptance, trophies, ranking, etc. That kind of motivation is limited and does not have the same power. The insatiable drive that comes from the infinite energy of intrinsic motivation has more potential to send the player to the top. Without that intrinsic motivation from the player, tennis academies, federations, coaches are working with limited resources. It does not matter how big or famous the academy is or the coach is. What is needed is to teach the players never lose that original motivation and desire that came from heart and dreams. And this is achieved only by the proper adult guidance with the right environment that does allow the initial desire and motivation be lost.
Nice article! Everyone loves to blame the federation. I have worked in three different federations and is always the same. It does not matter how many players you support, the next in line will always be upset. Each federation has a limited budget and has to make choices. These choices will always create controversy. It always surprises me when people complain about lack of support from the USTA. Sure, the USTA has its problems but compared to most countries around the world, players in the US have and incredible amount of support.
It is true that alot of the success is in the hands of the individual. It is true that the player needs the will and hunger to succeed. Especially in a sport like tennis. However, I would have to disagree that everything is in the hands of the individual player. Not so in tennis!!! Tennis is an extremely costly sport, where the cost really outweighs the reward. The US Federation doesn’t do enough for the players or should I say the right players. Yes, there are quite a bit of blame game going on and some of it is true. I’ve been down this route before and sometimes you cannot just do it with talent alone. In the world of tennis, if you don’t have the financial backing; in most cases you will fail.
Allistair’s short article hit the bulls-eye. So many good takeaways. Champions find a way. Listen to Kevin Durrant’s MVP acceptance speech today. Good on him and his Mother.
Hi George, I’m still a basketball fan (played it for 25 years) even though I’ve introduced my kids to play tennis. I also saw Durant’s speech and as he rightly said his mum is a true MVP. Personally, I would introduce an MVP award in tennis which would stand for ‘Most Valuable Parent’. Statistically, as you look at the tennis greats in the last 2 decades it’s been mostly the parents who started it all and contributed to the successes. It’s pure and simple without parents kids won’t play tennis until tennis federations across the world start thinking the same way as group sports do. I firmly believe that the only constant in life is change, so who knows maybe the way tennis is organized will change too.
Richard – I’ve been a tennis parent for 11 years now and I’ve made a million mistakes along the way…that’s what makes junior tennis so rewarding. Funny, I played basketball as well and introduced my kids to tennis in the early years.
Most of the top players have a greater knowledge of what they want and how to get there than the people helping them. They will do anything in there power to succeed and are very aware of how to get there. I have seen it up close as a coach to a couple special players. The problem is everyone wants credit. Love the article
To say that success lies entirely in the player’s hands is just rubbish. Determination and hard work are not enough in the world of tennis. Players also need the support of their national federation, the good fortune to find a coach that cares about your child and not just the money and a great deal of money to pay for training and travel. My daughter works tremendously hard and is one of the most determined on the court but we do not have the money or support we need to make it work. Her drive and determination will most probably be switched to the sport of rowing where she is already getting the support of the national federation and has been offered free training at one of the best rowing clubs in the world. They have offered her that based on what they see of her potential not just her results – she has only competed twice! The only thing that matters to our tennis federation is results which means that the children of the parents who can afford to travel to lots of tournaments in areas of the world where wins are easier get the support.
Disagree with a lot of what is written.
Jay, with what exactly do you disagree?