Tennis: The common link between greatness and criticism

“Go ahead and tell me that I am not good enough and tell me that I can’t do it because I will show you over and over again that I can!”

Sounds interesting, right? But can it be a true statement?

Let’s look at some facts now to check it’s validity:

• Roger Federer, who was told that it will be almost impossible for him to win a GS and claim world no.1 ranking again in the presence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, especially when he crossed 30.
• Rafael Nadal, who has been now sidelined two times with career threatening injuries, has both the times exceeded everyone’s expectations by a long way and made remarkable comebacks leaving everyone in awe.
  • Winner of 3 grand slams in the year 2010.
  • In the year 2013, he has incredibly reached seven finals of the seven tournaments that he has played. Unbelievable yet true.
• Novak Djokovic, who famously told everyone that he can defeat Rafael Nadal on clay and can end his dominance in 2007, was widely criticised as being out of his league for saying such a rash and bold statement. Many said that his youthfulness was making him act like a cynical tennis player and outrightly dismissed his claims then. But look at him now – the only player who is believed to have the potential of ending Nadal’s reign in French Open.

Is it just me or is there a similar chain of events in lives of these great players in tennis? Time and time again, these players have proved the critics wrong over and over again.

There is something about successful people in life, no matter which field they are from, that makes them stand out from the rest of the normal human beings. They are never overburdened by what others think about them. They set their own goals and relentlessly pursue them till they reach their destination.

Be it Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney or Michael Jordan or our very own tennis players, the more you tell them they are done with, the more they feed on your criticism to make sure that everyone else except them bites the dust by achieving their goals and proving to the world that it is not about what others think, it is about what they believe in.

So, the next time if someone comes up and tell you that you ain’t good enough, don’t argue with them as great people never argue or convince others with words. So, then, what do you do? You just need continue on your path, feeding on their criticism to achieve your goals and showing it over and over again who the great one is. Always remember you can do whatever you want in your life as long as you have the determination to pursue your goals relentlessly till you reach them.

I will end with this quote: “It is not the mountains created by other that we have to climb, it is ourselves that we have to conquer”.