WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE HISTORIC EDITION OF 2021 US OPEN?

This year we saw an absolutely historic US Open edition!

In the women's draw, this is the first time since 1999 that two teenagers, Emma Raducanu 18 years old and Leylah Fernandez 19 years old have advanced to a Grand Slam final. Last time it was also the youngest 18-year-old Serena Williams who won against 19-year-old Martina Higgins. It was also her 1st Grand Slam victory. She now has 23! What is the most remarkable in the performance of Emma Raducanu is that the young British champion managed the feat of getting out of qualifying to win the tournament without losing one single set!

In the men's draw, the moment was even more historic for Novak Djokovic who had two challenges to overcome to definitely enter the legend. The 1st one: to win a 21st Grand Slam title and thus overtake Federer and Nadal. The 2nd one: to win in the same calendar year the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open and thus become the 1st player to achieve the Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969. For his opponent Daniil Medvedev, winner of the Masters 2020 but having failed twice in the final at the 2019 US Open and at the 2021 Australian Open, the challenge was to win his 1st Grand Slam to enter tennis history. In an individual competitive sport like tennis, pressure plays an important role. And it was of a totally different nature in the two finals.

For Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, the pressure was positive on the two rookies' shoulders who had nothing to lose and played their game thoroughly with the unconsciousness of youth without giving too much thought to the stakes. The next step for the winner Emma Raducanu will be to see how she manages her new status and her media exposure to stay focused on what allowed her to win her 1st title and become a serial winner.

For Djokovic, accustomed to the pressure of high-stakes finals and a master of turning around the most compromised situations and ultimately winning, the pressure of history undoubtedly weighed heavily in the outcome of the final. Without minimizing the performance of his opponent, he was far from playing one of his best matches. No doubt he will bounce back and turn this failure into a stepping stone to winning other Grand Slam tournaments!

Medvedev learned the lessons not only from his lost two finals but also from his Masters victory to show perseverance in his quest and transform the pressure into positive energy to win his 1st Grand Slam. With his talent, his high level experience and his qualities as a Chess Master he will certainly become in the years to come the leader of the New Gen of men's tennis and turn into a serial winner.

It is interesting to transpose this psychological and emotional dimension of competition into a totally different field: that of sales.

SO WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE 2021 US OPEN FINALS?

Just like top athletes, salespeople are in constant competition and must constantly face the pressure of results. For junior salespeople, the unconsciousness of the beginnings and the blind confidence of the youth can make it possible to approach high-stakes appointments without pressure and to sign large contracts. It will be necessary to ensure that this is not a one shot victory but that it leads to consistency in the results. For more experienced salespeople used to signing medium-sized contracts but who regularly fail when it comes to signing large contracts, their ability to be resilient, to persevere, to keep working and to progress is undoubtedly the key to sign their first “Grand Slam” contract. Finally for sales serial winners accustomed to signing large contracts, faced with the contract of the century the pressure can be so huge that they can completely miss their oral defense appointment. It will then be necessary to use this experience to transform it into a lever for future success and reach the next level.

In conclusion, I would say that it is always possible to sweep aside this notion of pressure with a phrase that teenagers often use: “Pressure is for tyres”. But pressure in sport as well as in business is real. The good news is that experience, consistency in the analysis of wins and losses and the quality of preparation can allow everyone to learn how to manage it and turn it into positive energy!

I wish you the best for your next Grand Slams! Winning regards, Antoni Girod