Tennis
Champions:
Are they born or made?
By Chris Lewis Wimbledon finalist 1983
John Newcombe, former world tennis No 1 and former Australian Davis
Cup captain, once said that the top Australian players of his era
believed that it was their destiny to become tennis champions.
Boris Becker told me that two weeks before achieving his first Wimbledon
title (in 1985 when seventeen years old), he felt as if it were
predetermined.
As a seventeen year old, Ivan Lendl, who, prior to
Pete Sampras, held the No 1 spot longer than any other player in
history, was convinced that he would turn himself into the best
player in the world. He would even tell you so.
When asked by the media about his chances of winning his first US
Open title (in 1975), Jimmy Connors' response was: "There are
127 losers in the draw -- and me!" Jimmy won.
What these former greats had in common was an unshakeable certainty
that they would win. It is a trait that is shared by all top sports
people.
But a question that has always fascinated me is: Are such champions
born, or are they made?
Were Newcombe, Becker, Lendl and Connors born to rule
the tennis world? Or did they become champions because of the choices
they made? Was their success predetermined, as suggested by Newcombe
and Becker? Or was it a result of a single-minded dedication to
making themselves the very best, as implied by Lendl and Connors?
Are champions a product of "nature",
or of "nurture"?
To be a true champion at tennis or any other sport requires very
special qualities. These qualities or attributes can be divided
into two categories -- the physical and the mental. It is my contention
that physical attributes are predominantly a product of chance.
They are determined genetically.
For instance, some people are born with a body structure conducive
to speed, others to strength, and so on. In this sense, a very large
proportion of the population are excluded, from birth, from ever
winning an Olympic gold medal as a sprinter or a weightlifter.
It is the same with tennis. The physical attributes that are required
to become a champion player are such things as good hand-eye coordination,
quick reflexes, and leg-speed. Without question, these attributes
can be developed to their fullest potential with hard work and effective
training methods.
But most people are excluded from becoming the best tennis player
in the world, no matter how much time they spend attempting to reach
their physical ceiling of potential.
Does this mean, then, that champions are born? Were Newcombe, Becker,
Lendl and Connors so physically superior to everyone else that becoming
the best was just a mere formality?
Certainly not. All four were exceptionally gifted physically, but
in my view, there were other players of the same eras who were more
gifted than they were.
What separated them from everyone else were their mental attributes
. . .
· their will to win,
· their determination,
· their perseverance,
· their ability to remain calm under pressure,
· their ability to bounce back from disappointments,
· and the belief that they deserved to win . . .
. . . all attributes that not one of us is born with, but that each
one of us has the power to develop. The only choice is whether we
want to.
It is in this sense that, given the necessary or essential physical
attributes as a starting point, all champions are not only made
-- they are self-made.
Chris Lewis
My background in tennis spans over 45 years. I was the Number One
ranked junior tennis player in the world in 1975, winning Junior
Wimbledon and finishing runner-up in The US Open Juniors the same
year.
As a pro, my best performance was making the Wimbledon Final in
1983, losing to John McEnroe.
Please visit Chris’ website
www.expert-tennis-tips.com. This site provides free tennis tips
and advice for all levels of player. 1983 Wimbledon finalist, Chris
Lewis, offers online tennis coaching and instruction, tennis equipment
advice, tips on treating tennis elbow, reviews of tennis books and
magazines, and advice on finding the best tennis resorts and online
tennis
stores.
