I would like to take this opportunity to set the table straight, at least from my vantage point of competitive play for many years, and coaching and teaching the past 33 years: why play if you are not loving it! Really, and I sincerely mean it, what is the point of taking the time, developing skills and physically committing to an activity that doesn’t bring deep joy and countless smiles to one’s life?
If you saw the interview with Tiger Woods following this year’s Masters, this became even more apparent, even at the highest level of sport where often competition is only about one thing and one thing only, the result. Tiger even went so far as to say that you won’t see him smiling out there unless he is playing well; pathetic! I wonder what he is thankful for?
The opportunity to play a lifetime sport like tennis or golf is such a blessing, much less to be able to make your living doing so. This is always a choice, even Andre Agassi who said he hated playing tennis, showed no class in deferring this blame to others. Why didn’t he walk away from the game where he was adorned with fame, fortune and countless opportunities, no one held a gun to his head?
The truth is just like when we get about of bed in the morning, we can’t really foresee the day we will have, but we can shape it by our attitude about it. This is particularly powerful in sport because you really have total control over your attitude but very, very little control over the outcomes. Players who play with passion, such as Steve Nash, Rafael Nadal, Gustavo Kuerten, Martina Navratilova, don’t place blame, play with heart, smile more, and are truly more enjoyable to watch. What is it they know that so many others do not, perhaps that they are playing a game they love, why not truly enjoy the opportunity while it lasts?



