Difference between top players and second tier
What is the difference between the top National tennis players and those who are not? Below are a few
observational points I’d like to share with you:
1. Attitude
For me this is everything. There was a large variance on the level of attitude across all the competitions,
with those who were positive and up for a fight, through to those who would blame everything around them
for their performance. How the player’s attitude was portrayed was interesting, with some shouting and
geeing themselves on and others looking cool and showing no emotion whether they won or lost a point.
The best tennis players took 100% responsibility for their performance and there was nothing they wouldn’t
try or focus on to get a result. They thrived off the pressure and rose to the challenge of saving match point
or closing a match out. They were so engaged with the situation and what they had to do it was
commendable to see these warrior traits and to see those who lost take pride in their performance.
2. Self confidence
The big players showed an abundance of this. I think that this is closely related to attitude but it is great
seeing players so confident in their ability. The top players were not only confident on court but seemed it
off court and peers levitate to them. They were leaders not followers and as the competition was a team
event, these players would be the captains. The players are young and some have got a few years ahead
of them to curb their arrogance, but I think it would be very hard to perform the way they do without being
deeply confident within themselves.
3. Tactical awareness
There were a number of players with different strengths and weaknesses and everyone is trying to match
themselves up against their opponent. Physical, mental and technical abilities will improve the player’s
tactical options but the big players kept things very simple. They were able to keep unforced errors down
to a minimum, keep consistent depth and pace on the ball and know when to change the direction of the
shot when their opponent was out of position or not expecting it. They wouldn’t wait for the ball and take it
early to take time away from their opponent and if they were in a losing battle they would figure out other
options e.g. loop the ball up, play slice, hit short angles etc. This awareness and ability to execute won
them the matches and the lower level players were very short on options and struggled to play anything
apart from their one-dimensional game.
4. Emotional control
Some of the players I felt needed more discipline with themselves as they really disgraced themselves and
I saw no one play well when they were hacked off. The girls were very aware of everyone else around
them and they tended to beat themselves up if things were going wrong. Again, there were girls getting
angry and showing poor body language when they were up against it which did them no favors. In both
categories the top players dealt with pressure well and would swallow frustrations very quickly to get their
heads back into the game. When a top player was not performing well or losing a match they should be
winning, they managed to bide their time and be patient until their opponent’s level dropped or they found
a formula to break their opponents down.
5. Physical presence
There were some massive kids at the event and in some matches it looked like adults playing little
children. Although physical presence is a big part of the game, more times than not this didn’t put off the
smaller players. They were obviously used to playing bigger people and enjoyed the challenge especially
when they used their athleticism to time some amazing returns and make their opponent run around the
court. Body language and posture was a clear indicator as to who the warriors are. None of the top players
slouched. They all walked with confidence, made strong eye contact and had good in between point
routines.
I think that a lot of those players in the middle tier could be very good if some of the areas mentioned were
addressed. Obviously it takes a lot of hours of practice to be good but much of the elements I have
discussed will come from the players personality, are hey taught charcter traits (and been held
accountable for them) home life and parental upbringing but how much work and awareness is spent on
this? Not enough !
Talent without character is like a Ferrari with no gas. Its useless without the fuel that drives it.
Character drives talent toward greatness.