What Tennis Players Like Novak can Teach us about Life and Being our Best

Learn these vital life lessons from the best of the best!

At this time of the year the Australian Open is on (January 14–28) where the best of the best of the tennis world come out to play.

For me it's a reminder to be the best at what I do and to stay committed to excellence.

I've never played tennis and am not a mad tennis fan either, but love the peak performance, energy and overall mindset of elite tennis players.

In particular I love Novak Djokovic and have been studying and observing him.

Tennis at his level is thrilling to watch but also for me teaches vital life lessons that we can all apply to our lives even if we don't play tennis.

I honestly believe each of us has the ability to be a Novak in some aspect of our lives whether that’s our work, our parenting, cooking, etc.

The Novak effect

I call these life lessons the ‘Novak effect’ as I've learnt them directly from him by closely watching and observing him.

One of the things that really stands out for me when it comes to Novak is his incredible determination and self-belief.

Novak understands that success in life is really 95% mindset and 5% strategy.

Another way is the 80/20 principle so 80% mindset and 20% strategy.

His mindset is so strong that it's clear that apart from exercising his body he exercises his mind. Its mind gym first and then physical gym.

Just watch this short press conference below and you'll see his strong determination and belief in himself come through which is all mindset.

Video Player | AO (ausopen.com)

Lessons to apply to your life from Novak

Novak has taught me the following main lessons that I can apply to my life to be at my best and so can you:

Mastery of mindset

Tennis is as much a mental game as it is a physical game and Novak understand this and so works continuously on his mindset. Mindset starts with self-talk. You need to constantly program your mind with the right thoughts. This involves monitoring your mind and carefully selecting what you allow in and then making your self-talk work for you not against you. Most people have a tormentor in their head putting them down.

Setbacks into comebacks

Novak is the master of this as he comes back stronger after each challenge. In 2021, he was deported out of Australia for his refusal to get vaccinated, but he came back a year later and won the Australian Open. Talk about turning setback into comebacks or stumbling blocks into stepping stones to success. Its turning pain into power, adversity into advantage. This is what resilience and courage is all about in life.

Use your critics to inspire you not destroy you

All of us have critics and naysayers even if not as many as Novak with his high-level fame but we can learn from Novak on how to handle them. He beautifully uses criticism as fuel to prove them wrong. Again, turns around to his advantage! One year at a tennis match a lot of the audience was jeering at him and cheering Roger Federer. He came out saying “I just replaced the name Roger with my name, so I heard them call my name.”

A sense of humor

I believe a sense of humor is one of the greatest assets you can have in life. It helps you navigate challenges better and provides you with an interesting lens from which to view life. Not to mention it gives you magnetism and charisma. On the tennis court Novak has often used his humor. He was asked about the secret to his talent and jokingly said that he climbs a tree at the highest point and hangs upside down on one of the highest branches for 33 minutes and three seconds and that’s the secret to winning a grand slam!

Grounding yourself

It is so important to be grounded in yourself in order to have that sense of balance and overall life integration (work, family, other interests etc.). Novak for the past 15 years in Melbourne, Australia has visited a tree which he likes to stand under and meditate. I need to go find this tree! Whether it's meditating under a tree, walking near water, journaling, we all need something to ground us. That way we feel more centered and retain our sense of integration and balance in ourselves.

Regulate emotions

Stoic philosophy is big on emotional control and emphasizes the importance of controlling emotions. Novak has had emotional outbursts where he gets angry at the umpire, tennis officials and even at the crowds but he is the master of reset. That is, he takes a pause and resets to get out of emotional disturbance and come back into emotional equilibrium. Most people react instead of responding. Learn to respond not react and reset (take a pause) and you’ll avoid a lot of confrontation in life.

Self-belief

Self-belief and self-esteem go hand in hand, and I would add self-confidence. Without self-belief it's hard to achieve your dreams and just live life at a satisfactory level as you play small and settle. Novak has incredible self-belief which is inspiring. His critics would say he is arrogant and full of himself, but I disagree. Boasting and bragging are never good, but a healthy dose of self-belief is good. Novak recently said, “I played really well and am proud of myself.” So, he should be and so should you with your achievements.

Watch and learn from others

Novak has said that he observes his opponents to learn their strengths and weaknesses. He does this both on the court and off the court. Both in business and in life we need to be watching others and learning. That is studying the environment and people around us and learning from them. Remember we learn from everyone. But to be the best at something learn from the best and rinse and repeat. Learn from failure (its feedback) and use it to get better.

Renewable energy

Novak’s energy is truly renewable, as he makes playing four rounds of tennis seem like child’s play. Whereas most other tennis players are exhausted, grunting and suffering from cramps and foot problems by the second and third sets. For the most part Novak seems to avoid this. What’s his secret? Superhuman strength? Maybe? Or perhaps it's his incredible knowledge of his body. He is so in tune with his body, his overall circadian rhythms and uses it to his advantage. Learn to be more in tune with your body.

Incredible work ethic

Along with his talent Novak understands the importance of hard work and so has worked hard to get to where is. He has earned his title and even his right to choose what time he wants to play a match. What about you? Have you worked hard to earn what you now have or aspire to have? Remember hard work often beats talent as its the consistent execution of good day in day out that gets you to your destination.

Be a student in life

Just by simply observing Novak when he is being interviewed you can tell he has a student mindset where he keeps himself open to constant learning and getting better and better. More people need to have this as to many people operate with a closed and static mind which is a sure way to stop you from reaching your best. Commit to continuous self-development, learning and growth and your thinking will be more enhanced but so will be your overall life.

Make work your passion

Passion and work go together for Novak. How about for you? He recently said he has no intention of retiring and will continue to play tennis as the fire is still burning. The fire is his passion. That’s what drives him not the money. Just think how much better off people would be if they woke up fueled by their passion to go to work not the need to pay bills and simply get by. We owe it to ourselves to be happy at work. We spend so much time there so we might as well enjoy it.

Compartmentalize your roles in life

Though he is a mega super star Novak understands it's just one role he plays in life. It's one slice of the pie, one piece of the lasagna as I like to say being Italian. Yet so many people seem to forget this thinking that their work or some other aspect of their life is everything. Remember there’s always a price to pay when you focus too much on one area of your life at the exclusion of others. Novak has said he isn't just a famous tennis player, he is also a husband, father and a son. He understands the roles!

Develop your focus

Focus is power Tony Robbins once said and I think Novak would agree with him as he is the master of focus on the tennis court. The reality is your ability to focus in life will determine so much of how your life turns out. If your scattered here, there and everywhere it will be almost impossible to achiever your goals or just have a functional life on a daily level. Learn to develop your focus. Some things to help are meditation, mindfulness, games like chess, and sports like archery. They all foster high level focus.

The End

No matter who you are or where you currently find yourself in life these lessons from Novak apply to you too. We all start somewhere.

I guarantee your life will transform like night and day by the consistent implementation of these lessons.

If you have the money, consider even hiring a life coach or peak performance coach to help you.

The top performers like Novak all get coaching, sometimes they have several coaches.

But you can start small. If money is tight just get a virtual coach from YouTube like Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, or Bob Proctor.

But make sure you implement a system around the coaching, so you have structure and order.

For instance, one month could be studying mindset, the next month goal setting and so one. This way it’s a structured DIY learning program.

Remember after listening comes the doing, that is taking action on what you are learning. Give yourself weekly and monthly tests and exercises.

Next time you tune into the tennis and see Novak remember the lessons he has to teach you and all of us for that matter.

To Novak and Being the Best,

To Creating a Better You,

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