🎾 A Silent Game That Changed the Way I Think

For me, Tennis was never just a sport.
It became a direct reason for a level of focus and attention I never expected.

The serve: its mental impact is bigger than you think

From the moment you prepare for the serve, anticipating where the ball will land, setting up your stance, choosing the type of shot, deciding the power, locking your wrist, selecting the target spot on your opponent’s court, reading their positioning, planning your next move, and recovering quickly back to neutral.

All of that happens within a single second. Sometimes even less.

The slightest distraction often means losing the point and slipping into that frustrating mental spiral we all hate.

It’s not an easy sport.. and that’s the beauty of it

From what I have said, you might think tennis is difficult and complex. And to be honest, it is.

That’s exactly what makes it special, and the reason behind my passion for it. By nature, I’m drawn to high-intensity sports (even my support for Al-Ittihad and Liverpool reflects that lol 😄).

From the outside, tennis looks calm and quiet.
On the inside? It’s a mental battle that demands moment-to-moment focus and emotional control.

Almost like a long, ongoing war.

And that’s what teaches you how to focus on what truly matters, while shutting out noise and distractions.

The golden secret: mental flexibility

Losing a point does not mean losing the match.

The moment you lose a point, you reprogram your mind.. quickly. You forget what just happened, reset, and prepare for the next point as if nothing went wrong. No excessive self-blame. No emotional baggage.

This is a principle I try to carry into my professional life as well.

A failed deal? A delayed project? Not the end of the world. Just one point in a long journey.

Roger Federer once mentioned that he won only 54% of the crucial points he played throughout his entire career.. the rest were won due to opponent errors. Yet, he still won over 80% of his matches.

He always emphasized mental strength over perfection.

A side note that no one asked for:
My personal legend in the game is Novak Djokovic “Nole.”
And in the current generation, I’m a big fan of the Italian champion Jannik Sinner. His emotional control and mental discipline are truly remarkable.

As the Italians say 🇮🇹
Dai Dai Sinner!!

Deep focus

ne of the most beautiful things about tennis is that it forces you to be fully present, to focus only on now.

There’s no time to dwell on the previous point or overthink the next one.

This helps me reach a state of deep focus. I won’t pretend I’m perfect, my colleagues at work would probably disagree loudly.. but I constantly remind myself: Progress over perfection.

Finally.. why tennis?

Because it combines mental and physical training at the same time.

It gives you strong physical fitness, but quietly builds something even more powerful: mental endurance, deep focus, and immunity to noise.

I see tennis as something that extends far beyond the court, its impact reaches the smallest details of daily life. And I believe that’s the true purpose of sport in general.

It’s about building a lifestyle, not just filling an hour of your day.

Mental sports like chess, puzzles, and problem-solving are incredibly beneficial.. but as Mohammed, I personally prefer the blend of physical and mental effort.

A word of gratitude

From this space, I want to express my appreciation to the first person who ever taught me how to play tennis:

Mohammed Roshdi
Thank you Bro & Coach 🤍

If you’re interested in tennis, I highly recommend watching this interview with Novak Djokovic. He speaks beautifully about sport, mindset, and life in general:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoAoefT3VJc&t=27s

Have a great day!