Lesson from tennis

When I was around twenty years old, while attending college at Indiana Wesleyan, someone introduced me to tennis. I fell in love with the game immediately. However, I struggled because I did not immediately hit the ball with top spin. One day, after some instruction, it happened. I hit the ball with top spin, and experienced what it was like to do so. From then on, my game improved. I needed to take another major step with the serve, of course, but it was all much fun.

            Among the aspects of the game to which I had to become used to were unforced errors. By that, tennis players mean points your opponent receives, not because he or she made a good play, but because you missed a relatively easy shot. The unforced error in tennis admits that the opponent does not always make a good shot in winning the point. Sometimes, the reason for failure to make the point is in us. When I play tennis, I have to accept that I will make plenty of errors like that.

            Of course, tennis professionals do not make many such errors. They make so few unforced errors that they can count them.

            Jana Novotna, of the Czech Republic, a player who at one time was ranked second in the world and who would — before her career was over — earn more than $11 million on the circuit, was just five points away from history. Leading 4-1 in the final set of the 1993 Wimbledon women’s championship, she was about to upset the legendary Steffi Graf.

            Novotna seemed confident — playing smart and aggressive in front of the center court crowd with members of the British royal family looking on. She had just hit a wicked backhand that skimmed the top of the net and fell short on Graf’s side, catching Steffi flat-footed. 40-30. Leading in the third and decisive set, 4-1, and one point away from taking the game, one game away from taking the set, one point from taking the match — thereby capturing the holy grail of tennis.

            Then it happened.

            Her serve for game point went straight into the net. The next toss and strangely halfhearted serve had the same result. Double fault.

            On the next point, she reacted slowly to a high shot from Graf and shanked the return. The next shot again went straight into the net. Suddenly, the set was at 4-3. Then 4-4. Then 4-5. Novotna began to crumble. Minutes before, she was a world-beater, and now she was playing more and more like a beginner with every shot. At match point for Graf, Novotna hit a low, cautious, shallow lob that Graf smashed for the winner. Game, set, match.

            At the awards ceremony, Novotna leaned over to the Duchess of Kent to receive the runner-up trophy and the white-haired royal whispered something into the devastated tennis player’s ear. Then, in a moment of compassion, the Duchess pulled Novotna’s head down on to her delicate shoulder and the young player began to sob.

            What happened? Officially, Novotna’s collapse had to do with what tennis statisticians officially deem as “unforced errors.” Throughout sports, we have the phenomenon of the choke. Something happens mentally, and the mind takes the body down the path toward failure.

            Greg Norman, “The Shark,” had a seemingly insurmountable six-stroke lead over Nick Faldo going into the final round of the 1996 Masters Golf tournament. A short shot on the unforgiving ninth hole at Augusta caused something in Norman to snap. He began to hit shots into the water, missed short putts, and shot bogey golf for the rest of the round. By the time he and Faldo walked up to the 18th hole, Nick had a four-stroke lead. When it was over, mercifully, the victorious Faldo embraced Norman in a gesture of compassion. “I don’t know what to say ... I feel horrible about what happened. I’m so sorry — I just want to give you a hug.” With that, both men began to cry.

            The 2004 New York Yankees: Up three games to none in the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox and going home for game number 4. However, they lose. Boston wins, and then goes on to win the series against St. Louis for their first World Series title in over 80 years.

            Consider an industry where perfection is critical. None of us would want to be on the receiving end of an unforced error by a pharmacist. Many companies pay the same bill twice. Insurance companies often misrate drivers. Companies lose customers all the time because of little mistakes.

            In the sports world, examples abound where good players suddenly go bad. The stakes might be high on the court or on the field; however, unforced errors can have even more serious consequences in business and in other areas of life.

            The unforced error in tennis is a way of saying something like, “My bad.” It was my fault. We need that type of instinct in us spiritually as well. Of course, we can always find reasons we have done something wrong. Yet, spiritually, we need to take responsibility for who we are and the decisions we have made. Romans 8:1-11 uses the language of responsibility, where we set our minds on the things of the flesh, which leads to death, or the Spirit, which leads to life and peace. Paul refuses to let us off the hook when it comes to the fruit of our lives.

            I still love tennis, even if I do not play as much as I did when younger. I love tennis, even when I often have unforced errors. Even the unforced errors are part of the process of learning to play tennis well. We need to have enough insight, however, to know if our choices in the game of life are leading to death or to life. What fruit is coming into your life as a result of the decisions you have made?