“You can work harder than you thought possible…and still lose.” ~ Roger Federer

This past June, tennis great Roger Federer gave the commencement speech at Dartmouth College. If you’re not a tennis fan, Federer is a former professional tennis player, who “graduated” (retired) in 2022. He was the five-time year-end No. 1 in the world. He’s considered, by many, to be the greatest tennis player of all time.

In his commencement address Federer shared three “tennis lessons” with his audience; lessons which have helped him in his transition from tennis. His “tennis lessons” can be applied to career transitions as well.

Effortless is a myth

Basically, Federer notes that it takes a LOT of work to be effortless. His game was often described as “effortless.” In truth, he notes, he had to work very hard to make it look easy, and much of that work came during endless training sessions,  when no one was watching. 

Sure, Federer had natural talent. But his talent was less a gift, and more about having grit — the desire and ability to work harder (when no one is watching) than anyone else. Talent has a broad definition. It includes discipline, patience, and self-belief. Some people are born with these aspects; everyone has to work at them.

It’s only a point 

Every tennis tournament ends the same way: One player gets a trophy; everyone else goes home a loser. 

Federer noted that in his 24-year career he won about 80% of his matches. But, he only won 54% of the points played. Even top-ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play. “When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot.”

When you’re playing a point, it’s the most important moment in the world. But, win or lose, when it’s behind you, it’s behind you, and you’re free to focus on the next point, and the next one after that. You move on, adapt, and grow. 

The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. They’re the best because they know they’ll lose, again and again, and they learn how to deal with it and move on.

Life is bigger than the court 

Federer noted that a tennis court is a relatively small space, and that while he realized that tennis could show him the world, it could not BE the world. And, he also realized that regardless of his talent, he would only play a few years of his life. He knew he needed to have something in his life other than tennis. He began a foundation that provided early childhood education opportunities in sub-Sahara Africa.

Federer noted that philanthropy can mean a lot of things:  starting a nonprofit; donating money; contributing ideas, time, energy to something that is larger than ourselves. We need to find our own ways to make a difference. “Because life really is much bigger than the court.”

Why it matters

Federer’s three tennis lessons apply beyond the game. They’re also relevant to our careers. 

We can be the smartest person in the room, but it’s those folks who work hard between the meetings and the presentations — when no one is watching — that make work look easy. We need to realize that raw talent isn’t enough to “win” at work.

We all make mistakes. Stuff, as they say, happens. But dwelling on mistakes doesn’t help us move forward. If we get hung up on what we did wrong, we’ll be paralyzed and not move forward. The same holds true, by the way, for victories. When we score big at our work, we need to appreciate it and move on. We’re only as good as our last “point.”

Finally, there’s more to life than work. Work may provide a means to an end, but it shouldn’t define us completely. We’re more than our jobs and our compensation. We need to find meaning in activities beyond work. The corollary is, of course, that our work can’t intrude into our personal lives. While at work, we owe our employers our time and expertise; beyond that time employers can’t expect our immediate attention. 

There’s a lot of wisdom in Federer’s address. If you’d like to view it, you can see it here.

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