Maintain your focus

Many years ago a player came to the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy to get back into shape and prepare for the senior tour. His record on the ATP Tour listed him as one of the very best to have ever picked up a racquet.

I asked him a very simple question: “What did you do to be one of the very best?”

His answer: “When I walked on the court there was only one thought in my mind and it stayed with me until the final point of the match, I will hit the last ball over the net.”

Who was that person? Bjorn Borg.

Developing the ability to focus and communicate can be difficult because you must filter out all of the distractions that are around you. People differ in many ways, and throughout my career, I have not found two children or adults that are exactly alike. Yes, we recognize this fact, however I have found some factors that apply to just about everyone. Let’s go back several years and point out what some of my students did when they played and how they were able to stay focused:

Monica Seles: She was so focused that at times I thought she was hypnotised. She only saw the tennis ball and she knew exactly where to put it to beat her opponents.

Mary Pierce: Pierce was the complete opposite of Seles, she not only had her eyes on the ball but knew where everyone was sitting in the stands. It was to the point where she could tell if they left the stands for a brief time.

Michael Chang: He not only looked to the ball and his opponent but also to the umpire when there was a ball hit close to the line.

Tommy Haas: He has been a student of mine for the last 20 years, and he looks at everything and anything, and at times his focus goes in all directions. I often say to myself would he have won several Grand Slams if his focus was equal to that of Bjorn Borg’s. No matter what, he will always hold a special place in my heart.

Anna Kournikova: After every single point she would look at her mother. Like Haas, she is extremely special to me, but this hurt her.

John McEnroe: There will never be another McEnroe but hold up a second, what about Jimmy Connors? Both of them could really play the game and I often wonder if they were both Academy Award winners when they carried on with their opponents, the fans, the umpires, and just about everything else – however, they were both winners in so many ways.

Boris Becker: I was Becker’s coach for a few years. He would go completely off the wall throughout the match, but he would never lose focus. He scared the beans out of all those that were watching the match both on and off the court.

How can you stay focused like the best?

1. What has happened is history, play the next point. That is how Andre Agassi played the game and he was pretty darn good.

2. We are all humans and are subject to breakdowns, but you must come back from a breakdown even stronger.

3. The ball is your friend, be kind and patient with the ball and positive results will come your way.

Each and every single day, the tennis staff at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy tries to help every student on and off the court. We always have one goal in mind: Make a positive impact on their life well after they leave the Academy. If you can stay focused on your own goals, your results will only get better and better.