The Tennis Channel previewed an upcoming 60
Minutes interview of tennis player Rafael Nadal by Jon Wertheim, Tennis
Channel commentator and Sports Illustrated executive editor. Nadal ended 2019
with a number 1 ranking in the world and with 19 Grand Slam titles, only one
behind Roger Federer. The clip starts with Wertheim asking Nadal to talk about
the importance of doubt in his game. Nadal: “If I don’t feel doubt I’m going to
be in trouble. Doubt is very important to my success.” Wertheim expressed
surprise at Nadal’s answer because Wertheim thought top performers wouldn’t
claim doubt as their strength. Nadal’s reply: “If you don’t have doubt it probably
means you’re being arrogant. I think it [doubt] is good for me because I feel
alert. Tennis is a sport where things can change very quickly.”
I think what Nadal refers to isn’t doubt in oneself but
doubt in the outcome, maybe even doubt in how well you will perform that day
against that opponent. I also think Nadal is saying that you can’t assume
you’re going to win a match against someone whom you’ve beaten before. By
avoiding overconfidence you stay alert and not allow yourself to be lured into
complacency. As is commonly said in professional sports that’s why the games
are played: the outcome is not guaranteed. The underdog can sometimes win if
they’re having a good day and the presumed winner is having an off day or
doesn’t adjust to something their opponent is doing differently.
In an interview after the 2017 French Open Nadal also said
that doubt drives him to improve the weaknesses in his game. This reflects his
belief in an growth mindset in which you think you can improve with thoughtful effort as
opposed to a closed mindset which believes our talents are set in stone and
can’t be expanded. You think either you’ve got what it takes or you don’t. Nadal
applied this open mindset when he changed his service motion before the 2019
Australian Open to boost the speed and penetration of his serve.
On the other hand if the doubt we feel reflects a
fundamental lack of belief in one’s abilities it would undermine our
performance in the heat of competition. It can make it even more likely that we
will choke under pressure.
I’d summarize it this way. Doubt about outcome keeps us on
our toes while competing and drives us to improve. However doubt in ourselves
makes it more likely we won’t step up to the challenge.
