Читать книгу The Performance Mindset - Anthony J. Klarica - Страница 14

Tennis is a global sport that draws an estimated 60 to 85 million players. There are about 160 000 coaches and almost half a million tennis courts around the world. A wide range of factors other than talent contribute to becoming a top 50 tennis player. For many weeks of the year, junior tournaments brim with young players hoping to forge a career in the big time. Four times a year, 32 of the best juniors qualify to play in the junior Grand Slam tournaments around the world: the Australian Open in Melbourne, the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, Wimbledon in London or the US Open played at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Reviewing 10 years of junior Grand Slam finalists from 2001 to 2010 is fascinating. The top two from any of these tournaments are rated as among the top junior players in the world at that time. From this achievement and standing, one would expect that on average they would go on to become at least top 50 players in the world at any stage in their career in open tennis. But that's not the case.

Of all the junior male Grand Slam finalists from 2001 to 2010, the average career‐high ranking was 126 (not including two players who did not achieve a ranking inside 1000). Of all the junior female Grand Slam finalists from 2001 to 2010 the average career‐high ranking was 65. This data includes the players who did go on to become world number one. (In my review of the careers of 10 years of junior Grand Slam finalists I have not included 2011 onwards. This was to make data more valid by taking into account that players who played in a junior Grand Slam final after 2010 may have still not reached their peak ranking.) You would imagine that such data would sway the total pool to more players reaching at least a top 50 rank at some stage in their career. But it doesn't — so why not?

Keep in mind that a junior Grand Slam finalist is likely to attract greater support and encouragement from their national tennis federations or sponsors through funding, coaching or other means. This support would likely contribute to an increased opportunity to transition from a top junior to top 50 in an open career.

Naturally the answer to why more junior stars do not progress as high as one would expect is complex, and every sport has its own nuances. Some juniors win based on early physical maturity. In tennis this is negated somewhat by the relative importance of the skill component. Tennis players also travel for many weeks of the year to accumulate points and earn prize money as income. This is often with limited support or financial security, particularly for players outside the top 150 in the world. Injury and access to resources, including coaching, also impact possible progression. And as players transition from junior to open tennis, their competitors tend to be older, physically more developed and more experienced. This indicates that opponents in a one‐on‐one battle could have the advantage of 10 years' training, conditioning, maturity and mental skill development. Athletes in many sports transition from being top of the tree as a junior to a drop in results or selection when they join open ranks. Winning can be tough and they can face stretches with few victories, compared with their junior competition experience. Having been to junior Grand Slams around the world, I can vouch that some seriously good players are reaching finals. With some of the challenges mentioned, however, it is apparent that a performance mindset is necessary to convert a successful junior career to an open one.

It takes a particular mental fortitude to persist with the lifestyle of an athlete and, with the prospect of an insecure future, to chase their goal of becoming a top 50 or top 100 player in the world, let alone reaching the top 10 or number one. Mindset becomes a determining factor to capitalising on the initial foundation laid. Dealing with losing on the open tour, being patient when progress is slow, and sustaining motivation, commitment and work rate are all challenging. And they all involve mindset. I've found this a very common story — and not just in world‐class tennis.