The king is dead. Long live the king, right? Not so fast, tennis fans. After the brilliant and charismatic Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz defeated one of the three kings of tennis, Novak Djokovic, at Wimbledon, many were quick to anoint a new ruler in the men’s game. Alcaraz certainly seems to have everything it takes to assume the Purple once worn by Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.
But don’t count the old dogs out just yet.
In last weekend’s Western & Southern Open, viewed by many as a warm up tournament for the U.S. Open, Djokovic turned the tables on his Wimbledon opponent in a record-breaking three sets that required three hours and forty-nine minutes of back-and-forth baseline bashing and that ended 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) in favor of the Serb. Yes, Alcaraz is now ranked #1 in the world and Djokovic #2, but sometimes when everyone declares the official changing of the guard, you have to reply, “Not just yet, young fellah…”
The careers of many athletes are getting longer, and it’s not uncommon today to see them competing not only well into their thirties but also into their forties (Hello Tom Brady!) We can chalk much of this up to improved fitness, but let’s not forget the mental part of fitness either, i.e., mindset. There will always be those who choose to go out on top rather than risk a gradual decline. But this does beg the important question of why you would want to walk away and quit doing something you love to do and do as well as anyone ever did it?
A little while back, we wrote in this space about the wonderful place another tennis great named Serena Williams managed to get herself to — a place where she had nothing left to prove and thus “nothing to lose” by playing the game she loved with a freedom from the burden of high expectation she hadn’t experienced in years.
And ditto for Brady, by the way, who came out of retirement at Tampa Bay because the passion to compete and enjoy meaningful work was simply too strong in him, even if the only one he was really competing with was his own standard of performance.
The ability of athletes such as Williams, Brady and Djokovic to constantly refresh offers an important lesson for business leaders looking at, or at least toward, the final years of their careers. Never stop learning and challenging yourself. One business leader who has done so is Kris Pederson, the leader of Ernst & Young America Center for Board Matters. Pederson is a strong advocate of mentoring but of mentoring with a twist: it’s not just something older, experienced professionals do for younger ones. In a recent podcast, she advocated for the practice of “reverse mentoring “to enable the younger guns to hone their mentoring skills helping the old guard” develop skills they lack, such as… three guesses… it begins with the letters T.E.C.H.?
The next time a junior staffer helps you out in a substantial way, says Pederson, reward him or her by including them in a presentation or meeting where their work helped you be successful. “When you do things like that, whether it’s taking them to a conference or out to a business lunch or whatever, it’s golden,” Pederson said.
While it’s safe to say that the racket-breaking, mind-gamer Djokovic hasn’t fully embraced the notion of “fun” in tennis to any serious degree, it does seem clear that he is thriving on having a new adversary and rival to replace the legends with whom he used to do battle. Far from aging him out, young Alcaraz has forced a spring back into Djokovic’s step and rekindled the competitive spirit.
“I don’t think I’ve played too many matches like this in my life,” confessed the Serb, who tore his shirt off like a man half his age following last weekend’s match. “Maybe I can compare it to [Rafael] Nadal finals in Australian Open 2012 that went the distance. [Today was] just one of the most exciting and toughest matches mentally, emotionally, and physically that I’ve ever had in my career.”
And then, turning to the man who practically is half his age, Djokovic said to Alcaraz, “You never give up, do you. I love that about you. I hope we meet in New York. That would be fun — well, for the fans, not for me.”
Can’t wait.
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