When it comes to analyzing professional sports, it’s easy to nitpick and tear apart a team or athlete for their flaws. After all, they are literally getting paid to train, compete, and, most importantly, win games and championships.
It’s their life, so to speak. At the end of the day, though, they’re human beings just like the rest of us.
They make mistakes. They might not be sleeping well and can’t focus like they need to. Something else may be happening in their life that makes competing one of their last priorities.
There are many factors to account for, but no matter the circumstances, the show must go on. TV scheduling won’t wait for the athletes; the athletes must play when the networks want them to. When the cameras are on, so is the pressure to perform. Viewers expect to see high-level competition, and any excuse for a different result is often neglected.
What if the tables were to turn, though, and the spotlight suddenly went from the athlete on the screen to the watcher in their living room? The same viewers who are so quick to criticize would likely crumble if faced with the pressure that golf and tennis’s best do.
Golf and tennis are no different from other sports when it comes to the impact that underperforming or simply not being able to play well can have, as it can frustrate anyone, no matter their skill level.
However, golf and tennis are unique in that they are sports where patience and slowing down are encouraged to a greater degree. That’s not to say those characteristics aren’t present in other sports, but the “country club sports” are attributed to a particular type of elegance, and, if I may, beauty.
Perhaps it’s because of the lack of physicality between players or that the sports are individual efforts, but The Masters and Wimbledon wouldn’t be the famous tournaments they are without the plush and swanky vibe surrounding them. That’s proven by how sometimes the biggest story coming from the tournaments is which celebrity is in the stands and the latest fashion design they are showing off, making the sport even more stressful and intense.
Throughout the rounds of golf and tennis matches I’ve played over the last year or so, my on-course and on-court mindsets have shifted, leading me to gain a new perspective when criticizing and analyzing players’ performances.
I used to set the bar high when it came to a fresh round of golf or tennis match, but recently I’ve adjusted my mindset to truly try and enjoy the experience. Nowadays, I’m satisfied simply going out on the course or court and playing. Any opportunity to play either sport is a luxury, and any time I mishit a fairway shot or sail a ball out of play, I attempt to remind myself (and, admittedly, sometimes fail) of that.
When you think about the tournaments at the highest level and the coverage they receive, one can better understand how unimportant their casual round of golf or tennis match with friends really is. The point of them may be to compete and improve, but the sports are also meant for the purpose of enjoyment.
An example of this is how analytical I used to be toward American male tennis players, given their lack of success in the 21st century. 22 years without a Grand Slam champion would make any American tennis fan frustrated, but when I developed a fresh viewpoint, I began to realize winning a Slam is much easier said than done. Additionally, the longer the drought continues, the pressure to break through and win one continues to rise, making a successful outcome even more difficult.
We viewers are also not the same breed as the professionals who commit countless necessary hours on the driving range or hitting against a ball machine to become the best of the best. I’m not talking per week or month, but a daily habit of repeating the same drills, shots and swings so that they become muscle memory. We may think we understand the work the players put in, but we will never actually experience anything close to their training ourselves.
So, when the next major tournament or Grand Slam comes around, my new mindset as a player ideally will prevent me from criticizing too harshly, and instead, enjoy the sports for what they are and cherish how they came to life.