How these Tennis Greats use Presence to their Advantage.
In the week when Roger Federer hung up his tennis racquet, it’s worth taking a moment to focus on how these three greats used the present moment to help them perform at their best.
In November 2021, in the twilight of his career, Federer spoke for the first time about the importance he placed on staying present. In an interview with a Swiss magazine he shone a light on how he maintained a sense of presence, even when faced with the most intense points in the biggest matches of his career.
“How can I just ignore a bad point and stay calm? One tip that has helped me a lot is the towel. My trainer told me that I needed something that helps me withdraw into my world for a brief moment. In the end, it was easy to set up, and above all it was very effective. For me, it has become a ritual. Lost point, first reflex – towel.”
Then there’s Rapha’s rituals. To maintain focus on each point he carries out the following before each serve: First he chooses the ball, then adjusts his shorts, touches both of his shoulders, then his nose, left ear, nose again, right ear, wipes the sweat off his head, bounces the ball…you get the picture.
“When I do these things it means I am focused,” Nadal says in his autobiography.
It cuts out any distracting or negative thoughts and brings him into the present moment. I’m not suggesting it’s helpful for everyone to have such a lengthy routine, but for Rafa it’s a way of focusing and staying present that has helped him on his path to 22 grand slams.
Novak Djokovic puts his success down to staying in the moment too. Straight after winning the Australian Open in 2021 he made this comment in his post-match interview with Jim Courier when asked how he secured his 18th grand slam title:
"I use conscious breathing to centre myself. My heart rate was going off the charts and thoughts going round in my head of what might happen, so I needed to close my eyes to calm my emotions and stay present."
There are clear benefits from having a ‘towel’ like Federer, or something that we can use to bring us back to the present moment, and away from unhelpful thoughts and distractions. I used an elastic band on my wrist, which I’d ping and help snap me back into the present moment. The concept of coming back into the moment, and connecting with what’s happening right now, is one of the techniques taught in Acceptance and Commitment therapy, and has been proven to be beneficial in a thousands of peer reviewed studies.
Once you’ve used the circuit breaker to snap out of the distracting or unhelpful thoughts in your mind, take a breath, and then just observe what’s happening around you. Notice the people moving around, the leaves blowing in the wind, or the people talking in the meeting you’re in. This will help get out of your head and into the moment.
It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s not just reserved for elite athletes either. You can give it a go today by trying to notice when you get distracted by thoughts, and then see if you can come back to observing what’s happening around you.