Individual Sports – There are Life Lessons to be Learned

The final match of the 2019 Wimbledon would go down in tennis history as the one that got away from Roger Federer. With two match points in hand and the championship title and a few records on the line, Federer, the eight-time Wimbledon champion faltered. As the audience watched in disbelief, Novak Djokovic went on to win the championship in a hard-fought 13-12 tie-break victory.

In Federer’s words, “It’s such an incredible opportunity missed.”

Federer’s talent has never been in question. However, when it comes to individual sports, even talented players have to dig deeper.

If you play squash or tennis, you may have figured this out already.

The dynamics of individual sports are different when compared to team sports.

While a team can have a superstar, he or she cannot win matches on their own. Kawhi Leonard could not have won the 2019 NBA championship without the rest of the Raptors team chipping in. The whole team is critical to its success. A loss in hockey, football, or basketball is a team loss, often resulting from botched plays, miscommunications, and lack of cohesion.

Here are five life lessons you can learn from individual sports.

It takes more than talent to succeed

A person who plays individual sports has to delve beyond their talent and skills to win matches. Unless the opponent is a far superior player, a loss in squash or tennis is typically the result of the player’s unforced errors, poor shot choices, or inability to close out points. Beating someone with equal or superior skill requires nerves of steel, determination, and focus. Talent is only a part of it.

You have to punch above your weight

Unlike sports like boxing and wrestling, squash and tennis players have to take on opponents irrespective of their size or skill. Size has no bearing on the court. Diego Schwartzman, who is fifteen inches shorter in height and forty-five kilos lighter than John Isner, has to play in the same weight class if he wants fame, glory, and money.

Squash is no different. All players are equal. You have to play opponents who hit the ball twice as hard as you and have wingspans that almost touch the sidewalls.

Individual sports often feel like a job interview where you have to outsmart the other candidates to get the job.

There is no one else to blame

Everyone knows that in a team sport like basketball, it is all about the assists, passes, and blocks. Things can go wrong if one of the players reads a play wrong.

In squash and tennis, you have to set up your own plays and execute them. If you hit a good approach shot in tennis and play the follow-up volley into the net, you can only blame yourself.

Ever hit “tin” while executing a put-away kill shot in squash?

As in sports, you make mistakes in life. You learn to put it behind you.

You have to motivate yourself

Most folks who play squash and tennis are self-motivated. Andre Agassi and the William sisters are exceptions.

For individual athletes, the accountability and the discipline required to train and improve has to come from within. Club players rarely have coaches and training camps. Motivating oneself is harder when one is in a slump.

Another life lesson: Things don’t always go as planned. You have to adapt.

No risk no gain

When you play tennis or squash, you quickly learn that calculated risks can pay off. Going for killer service returns, as Djokovic does, is not for everyone. But, going for a surprise power second serve is a risk that most tennis players occasionally take.

A person’s skill level is a relative measure. On balance, if you win more than you lose, you are doing better than your peers. On the flip side, it could also mean that you are not challenging yourself by taking on tougher opponents.

If you pride yourself on not making a single double fault in a tennis match, it’s probably not a good thing. As Seth Godin would say, “Playing safe is very risky!”

There can only be one winner

Unlike team sports where every member of the team is a winner, there can only be one winner in individual sports. The exhilaration of winning a tough five-setter in front of an engaged audience is hard to duplicate in a team sport. You are in the limelight, and there are expectations of how you will perform. If you are not the winner, you pick up another life lesson – you can’t win them all.

Remember, there can only be one winner. Savor it when it’s you.