Tennis Economics: A Parallel

The customers define your success
In his book, The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith makes the simple statement, “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” A business is more successful when the benefits or services it provides are of value to a larger customer base. In other words, there is a direct relationship between a business’ success and its customer base.

If we break down a business into four main qualities, we can say that it:

1. Is bound by laws

2. Has a goal—to be profitable

3. Is influenced by uncertainty

4. Is influenced by competition

Let’s take, for example, a company that sells socks. The more socks it sells to customers, the more the business will strive to continue pleasing customers. Although the goal of the sock company is to become profitable, it is really the customers who will ultimately help it achieve this goal by buying into its products. By understanding and supplying its clients’ needs, the sock company will survive and remain successful. The duality of the business-client relationship is crucial for the economy as a whole.

The modern game of tennis
That same principle can be applied to the game of tennis. If you (the business) can do your best to satisfy the opponent (the customer), you’re not only improving your game, but his as well. As a result, this makes you a better, more valuable player. Much like a business, if we break down a tennis match into four main categories we can say that it:

1. Is bound by rules (the geometry of the court, score)

2. Has a goal—to end with a win and loss

3. Is influenced by uncertainty or luck

4. Is influenced by competition

Both business and tennis are encompassed by the general definition of a game with rules and components, goals, uncertainty and competition. In my previous article, “The Percentage Game,” I discussed how to improve the probability of winning a point by using the geometry of the court to your advantage. This article is meant to complement that idea by discussing how to mentally approach a tennis match.

By comparing tennis to economics, I am intending to change the winning aura of the “ruthless tennis player” to the “business-tennis player.” During the finals of the 2013 U.S. Open, the top two ranked tennis players in the world, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, had long exchanges, but one of these exchanges was particularly mind-blowing … 52 shots to win one point! It is obvious that the game of tennis transitioned from a ruthless approach fueled by John McEnroe a few decades ago when players “went for it” and attacked the net with relentless fervor to a more marathon-like approach. 

The technology behind today’s racquets allows players to hit the ball hard and with ease, thus eliminating the need to rush the net to finish a point. The powerful racquet sparked the need for slower surfaces at ATP tournaments, and the conditioning regimen professional players now implement is a consequence of these changes. Players are more physically fit, faster and stronger than ever—a “Darwinian” adaptation that fuels the long rallies we now see on the Pro Tour. If you want to win, you have to be able to last. It is a 100-meter marathon out there.

Play to make your opponents better
I hear parents and coaches telling kids to go on the court and beat the other player as if it is a boxing match or another contact sport like football or fencing. It instills, in the child’s mind, the picture of a battle and the pressure switch turns on. This may have been true in the past where the exchanges needed to win a match were much shorter. It was a kill or be killed affair. But, I don’t believe this approach is valid anymore. Instead of going on the court with a mindset to beat your opponent, go in to make your opponent better, to work hard to give the other player a good match, workout or practice. Step on the court with the attitude to offer the best services you can possibly offer to the player on the other side of the net and allow yourself to get upset when you don’t make your opponent run for a ball or hit an extra shot. In other words, when you are not working towards their development, but against it.

When an opportunity arises during a point (it is important to define such an opportunity), put the ball away. A short ball, an off-pace ball, a volley or whatever you can best capitalize on for a winner. Make yourself noticed, or in business terms, expensive to the other player. This is a sure way to allow for growth and to become a more “valuable” competitor. Just like the sock company works to create a product of value to their customers, aim to do the same for your opponents. 

You see, the duality of tennis as an individual sport lies in the fact that you are not only playing against your opponent, but also against yourself. If you switch the focus from yourself, and instead work to make the other player better, you will see the game of tennis differently. You will relieve the pressure to win, the pressure you feel overwhelmed with when you step out on the court. The value you create through this mentality is a perception of unselfishness that projects on the other side of the net. It keeps you in check of what you are able to do and what you need to improve. The same happens for your opponent.

This mentality is how you win a tennis match and reach the next level to become more … well, “profitable.” After the 2013 U.S. Open final, although he lost, Novak Djokovic told the press that playing against Rafael Nadal is always a challenge because they always push each other’s games to the limit and make each other better: “Well, I mean, I played especially [well] against Rafa on different surfaces and different occasions. Points like this, where you just feel that there is the last drop of energy that you need to use in order to win the point. Sometimes I was winning those points; sometimes him. It's what we do when we play against each other, always pushing each other to the limit.”

Playing for your opponent obliterates the need to prove yourself, and instead, alleviates stress and pressure. That is not to say that if your opponent is not a good runner you need to move them around the court, or if her forehand is better than her backhand to play more towards the forehand. On the contrary, finding your opponent’s weaknesses is at the core of this approach. By playing the ball to their weak spots, you are indeed making them better by revealing the areas where they need to improve. Again, it is a win-win situation, the most desirable outcome for a game and for the welfare of the participants.