“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t” - Jack Dempsey

Michael Jordan. Tom Brady. Wayne Gretzky. Leo Messi. Lebron James. Steph Curry. Djokovic. Federer. Nadal. Phelps. Nolan Ryan. Tiger Woods.

These are some of the greatest athletes of all time, and the most important thing they have in common is a “Champions Attitude.” Not a good attitude. Not a great attitude. A CHAMPIONS ATTITUDE.

And there’s a big difference.

It shows up when things are going against them. When they don’t feel well. When they’re hurt. When they’re tired, and when they’re facing adversity.

They don’t back down.

They rise up. 

THEY SCREAM. THEY ROAD. THEY GET LOUDER. STRONGER. TOUGHER. MEANER.

THEY GET THIS LOOK IN THEIR EYES THAT LETS YOU KNOW THEIR RAISING THEIR FOCUS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. And it doesn’t matter that they’ve been trying hard and doing their best. The situation is asking them to give more, so they’ll give more. No excuses.

And that’s what makes the difference between a good attitude and a champions attitude. 

The ability to raise their efforts and focus no matter how high they need to raise it to. If something is standing in the way of what they want, they’ll do whatever it takes to succeed.

No matter what.

Players with good attitudes don’t do that. They’ll play and train with full physical effort, but when it’s not their day, it’s not their day.

It’s a bummer.

It stinks.

Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.

No.

“There’s no tomorrow. Right here. Right now. I’m not leaving without my victory. It has to be today.”

At least that’s what a champion would say.

Good attitude players will give you WHAT THEY THINK is 100%, and if it doesn’t happen, they’ll be sad or frustrated, but they’ll at least be happy with their efforts because they’re tired so they must have given it their all.

Not champions.

They need the win. 

At least that’s what they’re telling themselves in the moment. Afterwards, when it’s all said and done, they’ll accept defeat, recognize it’s not the end of the world, get back to work and get ready for the next one just like a good attitude player would. 

But in the moment, they will not accept losing. Not while the game is still going on and they have a chance. In those moments are where champion’s are made and they’ve been waiting for those moments their whole life.

It’s a hard thing to explain to someone if they haven’t gone through something incredibly difficult and challenging, and refused to back down. It can also seem like an unfair thing to explain to a young athlete. When talking to a child, a psychologist probably wouldn’t be too happy with a coach saying physical effort is not enough, and that deep inside that child has an extra gear, a 6th or 7th gear they need to tap into to take their game to the next level.

I’ve had to do that before. It’s tough and I need to be careful with my words, but I’m not in the happiness business. I’m in the high performance business. I’m in the growth business. I’m in the “I’ll be happy when I’m improving as a tennis player while trying to achieve my goals” type of business. 

If they don’t see a path towards more growth and success, they won’t be happy. That’s not how my kind of players enjoy the game. This is not an after school activity for them. Yes, they love the sport, feeling the ball on the racket, running, sweating, and playing with their friends. But they also love to compete. It’s the thrill of a lifetime for them, and losing sucks. Winning is fun, and that’s the fun I’m trying to help them have.

It’s not for everyone. I say it all the time. There’s multiple ways to enjoy tennis. Choosing the right path is important because that’s where you’ll find true happiness. Neither one is wrong. But if being the best tennis player you can possibly be during competition is the tennis journey that’s for you, then you need to know the difference between a good attitude and a champions attitude, and embrace it.

Enjoy the grind and good luck out there!