Tennis and work - my worlds overlapping
While my break was predominantly family time and house DIY projects, I did squeeze in some time for one of my favourite hobbies, tennis, and listened to a recent interview with Sir Andy Murray (3x grand slam champion and 2x Olympic gold medallist) where he reflected on his tennis career and life since hanging up the (playing) racquet.
The interview ended up being a cross-over of my two worlds, as many of Sir Andy’s reflections are relevant to us in the world of work and business, and thought I would share these below as we enter the 2026 working year.
Celebrating success
When reflecting upon his career, some of the things Sir Andy would have done differently include:
Enjoying successes more - he was focused on getting to the next tournament rather than celebrating the huge win he had just achieved
Stop the comparison cycle - he continually compared himself to peers Federer, Nadal and Djokovic; and while this likely attributed to his drive for success, it did thieve him of joy of achievements along the way (e.g. being runner up in a grand slam felt like a failure when realistically it was an amazing achievement)
I know I have definitely been susceptible to these at times throughout my career and as a business owner. My active mind is always thinking about what is next, and as a result, I haven’t always stopped to reflect on a win or what I achieved. Celebrating our successes along the way is so important, regardless of how big or small they are.
Utilising data
In tennis, Sir Andy discussed how data serves (pun-intended!) a useful purpose to aid players to train more effectively and reduce injuries, as well as providing statistics to assist with match strategy against opponents.
We all know the importance of using data in our work, which helps us operationally and also strategically. But this got me thinking about whether we utilise data enough? Is there more opportunity to utilise data? Are we collecting data effectively in order for it to be used? Data is crucial to informed decision making and strategy in our work and we need to maximise its utility.
Making adjustments
When asked about his opponents, Sir Andy shared how his great rival, Rafael Nadal was one of the best at adapting his match strategy during a match, based on how the match was unfolding.
This is a great skill for us to also have in a work context, ensuring we are responsive and adaptive, and our strategies are refined to be relevant and based on changing circumstances and situations that arise.
When filling my ears with tennis content I wasn’t necessarily thinking this would have relevance to my work, but I am grateful for the reminders this interview gave me. I hope you find them useful too as you embark on your year.