Recently I watched "Breaking Point" on Netflix.
The series describes the successes and challenges of professional tennis players such as Nadal, Kyrgios and Fritz. It particularly focuses on how they deal with difficult moments throughout their career. I believe there is a lot we can learn from these moments that we can apply to our life.
Here are the 3 things that I learnt about success, mindset and achieving after watching Netflix's the Breaking Point:
Talent is not everything. Tennis player Nick Kyrgios is a skilled tennis player but has not been very inconsistent with his training. Many believe that Kyrgios is one of the best tennis players in the world but due to his inconsistency and month-long breaks of not playing tennis, he hasn't become the best tennis player in the world.
Lesson: Consistency and determination win over talent alone.
It's all about cultivating the right mindset. Watching Maria Sakkari play against Iga Świątek showcases what happens to a player's performance when the negative mindset and self-doubt kicks in. When Sakkari started to lose against Świątek in the Indian Wells final in 2022, she started to get frustrated. As a result, her frustration impacted her game negatively which eventually led to Sakkari losing the final.
Lesson: Cultivating the right mindset, avoiding self-doubt and frustration is critical to long-lasting success.
Success is about handling expectations and pressure. Throughout the series, it is apparent that the tennis players who know how to handle pressure and expectations are the ones that will eventually become all-time greats. Learning how to handle both effectively is critical to playing well, keeping your focus on the game and not getting distracted.
Lesson: How we handle and deal with pressure and expectations determines our success in the long-term.