By contrast, his victor, the excellent young Serbian, Novak Djokovic, who won in three straight sets, really did play the bigger game and was an absolute joy to watch.
The Mental Game of Tennis
Was it only me, but did anyone else notice Andy come on to the court and play the match with 'defeat' written all over him? Djokovic however, had a spring in his step (even with a plastered knee and shoulder), moving around the court chest out, shoulders back, a smile on his face - even though obviously concentrating on the task in hand. He looked as if he was enjoying playing tennis.
Contrast this to the Murray slouch; shoulders down, face looking bemused into a grimace, breaking only to shout expletives every time he missed a shot - which happened a lot. Whilst he has undoubtedly done much work on technique and strength, what he also obviously needs is to work on his inner game - the mental game of tennis. Whether it's with a mentor, someone who's been there and done it before, or a mental conditioning coach, he needs to figure out a way to enjoy his game, whether winning or losing.
Mental Coaching & Training
Yesterday, we saw two very different mental games at play. Dvokovic wanted to win and believed he could, whereas Murray wanted to win but doubted he could. That slight difference can so often be 'the difference that makes the difference'. Federer also played a negative mental game in his semi-final and lost, as did Nadal before him - and I know Nadel was injured, but 'positive' Nadel may well have carried on, and won that match.
In tennis, as in business (there are so many parallels, which I'll discuss another day), talent, fitness, strength and dedication, are all important. The thing is, if you have a plentiful supply of them, as Andy Murray does on the tennis court, and yet still somehow play the smaller game when we can all see he's capable of playing the bigger one, that's the real sadness of yesterday's loss.
Grand Slam
On paper, Andy Murray can still win a Grand Slam final in the future. However, if you look at the inner games he tends to play in his head, then winning a tournament actually looks very unlikely.
An in form Federer is simply graceful to watch. Nadal 'in his zone' he is a force of nature. Watching Djokovic yesterday was an inspiration - I felt better for having watched a player so obviously at the top of his game.
...and Murray, let's just say he was a disappointment. He wasn't just beaten, he was wiped off the court, with a whimper and a scowl.
If You See Andy, Tell Him
So, if you know Andy, please give him my number and tell him to call me! Because until he plays a better mental game of tennis, winning a Grand Slam first in his head before he ever steps on to a court - and I know we're all talking Wimbledon here - doing it for real might just remain a 'shoulda, woulda, coulda' pipe dream.
2 comments:
Hi Mike,
Great meeting you at the weekend.
I didn't see the tennis but I understand what you mean.
I ran some training at work a couple of weeks ago in an attempt to help people visualise what they want to achieve. It came up during the session about a TV programme (that I also missed!) about people that live on the sea. Specifically, this referred to a guy who can dive to the sea floor holding his breath for 8 minutes unaided, walk on the sea floor and spear fish. This was achieved by a lot of meditation as preparation and obviously takes a lot of practice.
Whether Andy Murrey gets this sort of training or not, I guess we don't know, but if he does, I guess he needs more practice on visualisation.
Best wishes,
Hi Marty, great to meet you, too. I didn't see the fisherman programme either - though it could still be on iPlayer, will check later.
You're right, there's been so much research going back 50+ years on mental conditioning. It's used in business, politics, sport and so many areas of modern life, though it's surprising how some top people still don't use or apply it, and miss achieving their full potential.
Let's hope Andy gets the message pretty quick. He's good, I just want him - as a Brit and a tennis fan - to be the best.
Have great week!
Post a Comment