Juniors in the United States talk about the pressure to win. The pressure to get their UTR up and get into college division. The pressure to win because success in tennis is unfortunately how they define their self-worth.
Can you imagine having to win just so your mandatory military sentence is not so intense?
In Israel (and maybe other countries too), if you’re one of the best amateur athletes in your sport, you’ll be allowed to continue training while completing your service. If you’re not one of the best, it will be more difficult to train.
How do you work around that pressure?
There’s no quitting to get away from the stress. There’s no “oh just play for fun” or “don’t worry about the rankings.”
Your ranking does matter as a junior. Your success does matter. It can legitimately change your life.
Sure, for American’s, if their ranking isn’t high enough, they might not get to play college tennis where they wanted, but they have the option to go to college, get a job, and move on with their life. They’re not forced to go to the army.
So it’s an extremely difficult balance in Israel. Focusing on winning now has been proven to limit development, therefore limiting success in the future. Focusing on learning, developing, and letting the winning happen when it’s meant to happen is the best way to improve the fastest.
But how do you tell a kid that they need to focus on their development when their success as a junior determines if they're wearing combat shoes or tennis shoes in a few years?
So for the American’s or citizens of a country that don’t have a mandatory military service, please appreciate the life you have. It’s not like that everywhere else.