A Commitment to Tennis Is Like a Commitment to Life

So it’s been seven seasons coaching a men’s and women’s tennis team, filled with scores of young people who are just trying to find themselves. However, so many just don’t know the meaning of the word “Commitment.” It’s a special word that is associated with words like “Responsibility,” “Dedication” and “Obligation.”

I am going to associate the word commitment to tennis, and more specifically, collegiate tennis. Here is what a committed student/athlete tennis player sounds like …

“I will finish college and honor the commitment I made to the coach. How can I impress the coach and keep doing better? How can I topple the number one player on the squad? I must do better and try harder. I cannot go out to party as much as I used to because I have a match tomorrow. What can I change about myself so I can keep improving?”

This is what a student who is not committed might say …

“Well I gave it my best shot and it just did not work out. Playing collegiate tennis is overrated anyway. What does this mean anyway, I am not playing professional tennis? It does not matter in life after all I just don’t need to try that hard.”

So, if you are a coach of any sport, there are some important questions that you should ask a potential player if he/she is playing for the right reason. Coaches have to measure commitment and try and take it to the next level. This topic is important because I see it all too often, not just in tennis, but in all collegiate sports. The commitment level for young people has really waned, and the rate of student/athletes is now at approximately 33 percent who do not continue on with their sport after their freshman year. I see that ring true on my tennis team at Oneonta State where the percentage indicated is pretty close and mirrors that statistic. So, what is the reason a tennis player might quit? There is a plethora of answers, but I will list a few …

►They get cut as the players in college are better.

►Not getting enough playing time.

►The coach is recruiting better freshman coming in than the present skill level and you have to earn your spot every year.

►Work ethic.

►Losing passion for the sport.

►The athlete does not work hard enough in the off-season.

►The athlete does not train out-of-season independently.

►The player cannot handle the daily grind, as it’s too taxing and pressure-packed.

►The player does not take their student/athlete responsibilities seriously enough. Many athletes are very socially immature and it causes them to fail in college.

►Some players get kicked out of school for underage drinking, or on-campus drinking or substance abuse.

Tennis is a difficult sport and just take a step back for a second and take a look at all of the things you have to worry about in the game …

►What kind of ball are you receiving?

►Where on the court are you positioned?

►What are your opponents’ skills and abilities and how do you break them down?

►Where is your opponent positioned?

►What type of surface are you playing on and what sort of adjustments need to be made?

►What are the playing conditions and how well do you adapt to playing either inside or outside?

►What is your own physical and/or mental state?

►What is the score?

►You are out there on your own … can you figure certain situations out on your own?

The game of tennis is demanding enough on its own without throwing collegiate level academics into the mix. It’s not for the faint of heart.

But those committed athletes and tennis players stand out when they go into the real world. Commitment is a strong word because those employers and grad schools will look at that trait to see if that person is committed. Employers want committed individuals as do graduate schools. While all sports and those athletes committed to their collegiate career are impressive, tennis players take life skills that are very unique and translate well to the workplace. One trait that stands out to me is that many sports are timed. There is a definitive ending when the buzzer sounds. A tennis match, in theory, can go on indefinitely without any defined finishing time. Remember the Australian Open final in 2012 that pitted Rafael Nadal against Novak Djokovic that lasted nearly six hours? The two combatants were mentally and physically spent beyond human comprehension. They did not give into one another. If the match had lasted another two hours, I still do not believe either would have given in.

In college, you can play 25 or more matches over the course of a season, in both singles and doubles, over a two- or three-month campaign. One has to repeat that act of commitment over and over again during that time period. Tell that to a potential employer or grad school interviewer and I like your odds of getting the job or accepted to that school.

I am proud to give recommendations and references for those individuals who commit to their efforts on a collegiate tennis team. I am sad when a player quits and I cannot provide them the reference or recommendation they might need when they move on beyond college. Not because I do not want to help that person, but I cannot. That individual did not commit to something they said they would.

Commitment is hard, nobody said it was easy. A tennis game is when you have to dig down mentally and find that extra gear. Life works the same way and the commitment to succeed in any endeavor equivalent to those in tennis. It’s that simple … it’s hard and doing something hard and succeeding at it is well worth it.