High Performance Tennis Vibe

The tennis world is fascinated by the seemingly left-field combo of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

The former raging against the twilight of time (& amazing crop of generational youngsters), appointing the recently succumbed to that very Winter three-time Grand Slam title champion latter, as coach in his quest for one more major crown at this year's Aussie Open.

In widely reported remarks, Coach Murray was asked how his new role was going.

“At times it’s very enjoyable. But high performance is not supposed to be laughs and jokes and messing around. In all the times I’ve been on tour, I haven’t seen that from any of the best players in the world. I’ve seen it from some of the lower-ranked players, and that’s one of the reasons why they’re not there. The best players take it seriously and they want to improve, and it’s not always easy. It’s demanding, but it’s extremely rewarding when you make a breakthrough in a practice and something starts to feel a little bit better.”

Quite the insights to unpack there.

I've been in Sales offices where it's paper planes darting around, practical jokers rife and banter fests. And also where the pressure is intense, without a hand scrawled progress board, only dour head-down environment and micromanagement amplifying solely problems.

As with many a fine line, there is a happy medium. An optimal ground between these two poles. Yet one that simply must be underpinned by what the Scot here, in my view rightly nails.

The constant has to be striving for continuous improvement. How very kaizen. Which evokes how process is central to sustainable, No.1 ranking performance.

And by that, regular readers will know I refer to that pattern of events unique to you that, when in train, guarantee you shall prevail.

Sure, there's plenty of smiles along the way to be enjoyed. Yet more importantly there is the challenge of knowing where you're headed, where you're seeking edges, and to remember along the way, what success you can mark.

It certainly isn't always easy. But those rewarding moments come with breakthroughs that release that feeling of being 'better'.