Lessons from the 2019 US Open Women’s Tennis Tournament
This past weekend, Bianca Andreescu, a 19-year-old Canadian, won her first Grand Slam singles title in her first appearance at the last major tennis tournament of the decade. Bianca made history in many ways – first person ever to win the US Open in their debut at the event; first Canadian to win the US Open and first person born in the 2000s to win the US Open, among others.
Bianca defeated Serena Williams (6-time US Open winner and 23 Grand Slam singles titles holder) in straight sets to win the coveted title. For tennis enthusiasts, particularly those present at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the win was adventitious. However, for those who understand that thoughts are a predictor of performance, Bianca’s win was no surprise.
What makes Bianca’s win special? The battle started in her mind way before she arrived Flushing Meadows, NY for the tournament. As the Kung-Fu master in Kung Fu Panda 3 said: “Before the battle of the fists comes the battle of the mind.”
You might wonder why Bianca won over the 6-time US Open winner and 23 Grand Slam singles titles holder. Afterall, Serena is perhaps the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT), male or female, to play the sport. She clearly has the stuff that champions are made of. True. However, during an interview before the finals match, I heard things that made me conclude Serena was complacent and not “hungry” for the win. Had she won, she would have tied the record for most Grand Slam titles. In the interview, she said “24 is inevitable. I’m looking at 25.” One might consider that confidence. An experienced performance coach would know better.
19-time Grand Slam singles title holder, Rafael Nadal said: “You can miss technically, but I hate to miss mentally.” He was, essentially, alluding to the fact that mindset is key!
Let me break down how this historic win was won in the mind before the court (and of course, relate it to sales).
Visualize the win:
This is perhaps the main catalyst for success. Bianca had visualized playing the finals many times in her mind. Not only did she visualize playing the finals, but she visualized playing with Serena Williams! How is that for being specific? “This wasn’t the only time I visualized playing the finals with Serena Williams”.
Also, when she was 16, Bianca wrote herself a fake US Open winner’s check as part of her efforts to visualize success. She kept updating the amount on the check as the real prize money rose.
Be fearless:
Bianca always pushed herself with every game. She played like she had nothing to lose – and she really had nothing to lose. According to hear coach: she played “mostly fearless for a big part of the match. A big, big part of the match.”
Create a positive environment:
Relying on her parents and her team to keep her spirits up was one of the best things she did. The people around her helped her stay focused and on track when she didn’t have much faith in herself.
Focus on getting better:
Throughout the year, her focus on learning different things about herself and working on getting better as a player and a person. She never let successes or failures define her; instead, she embraced every opportunity as a learning opportunity to improve.
Never give up:
You’ve visualized the win. You give it all you’ve got. You surround yourself with great folks. You keep improving yourself and your game. You go through ups and downs… You doubt… No matter what, never give up! We witnessed the triumph, but most of us didn’t know about the injuries and losses through the year. With all the ups and downs she experienced, Bianca stayed focused on her goal. In her words, “I’m really glad I never gave up on my dreams.”
As sales professionals, it is essential to visualize your success, give it all you’ve got, create a positive environment, focus on getting better and keep going at it! It all starts (and ends) in your mind. What are the dominant thoughts in your head? Are you complacent or hungry? Afterall, you are only as good as your next shot!
Share your thoughts.
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