In my last blog, I covered the career and mindset of tennis legend Andy Murray.
Since the Australian Open is still happening, I thought it would also be great to understand what we can learn from perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time, Serena Williams.
Serena Williams’ records are absolutely incredible and is one for the ages. She has won a total of 23 Grand Slams and going for a 24th Grand Slam at the Australian Open. The record is currently held by Australia’s own Margaret Court.
Serena has been completely unrivaled throughout her career by just completely dominating the tour. Perhaps, her older sister Venus comes the closest to a rival.
When we break down Serena’s game, it appears that she is just a naturally gifted athlete and tennis player who is stronger than the rest of the women on the tour. Yet, nothing can be further from the truth. Yes, she has all the tools with hardly any weaknesses. Yet, Serena trains vigorously and harder than anyone else on tour.
Thus, the first attribute we can take away from Serena is to:
- Train harder than anyone else. A direct quote from Serena states, “there’s obviously days that I don’t feel like training. But, there is no day that goes by that I feel like losing”. Serena was asked about being lucky and stated, “luck has nothing to do with it because I spent many hours, on the court working for my one moment in time”.
- There’s always something you have to give up for success. Everything comes at a cost. Are you willing to pay for it? To me, success is very simple. It is following a recipe. Yet, I know that I need to spend my time developing myself and adding value to others. That means know that I cannot watch Netflix for 10 hours/day.
- Always love yourself and do not be concerned with others. Serena is very conscious ensuring she is continuing to work on self love. She also does not follow what is being talked or written about her. It is very crucial for us to love and accept ourselves fully to master achievement and live a fulfilling life.
- We are allowed to make mistakes once in a while. Even though Serena is perhaps the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time), even she is human. Sometimes her competitive fire gets the best of her. Serena believes to accept and learn from them, so we can become better on and off the court.
- Lastly when the mast is on the line, remain calm under pressure. Why does Serena, Michael Jordan, and Tom Brady deliver in the clutch better than anyone else? It is that they remain cool, calm, and relaxed. All of them feel that all the work and preparation have gotten them ready for this moment. They know it is their time to shine.