Three and a half hours, 7 match points saved, injury timeouts for cramping, 95 degree weather, and a great opportunity. This was the setting in the semi-finals of a 14-and-Under Super National event. Down 6-1, 5-2, 40-15 after only 35 minutes, my player, who I will call "K" was struggling mightily. After a great win in the Quarters, in which he played very well, his game suddenly abandoned him in the Semis. But resiliency kicked in and K saved four match points in the 5-2 game. His opponent tightened up and cracked open the door for a comeback. Over the next three hours, K would go on to save three more match points, win the second set in a tiebreaker, go up in the third set before getting tight himself, deal with a long injury timeout from his opponent for cramping, and ultimately drop the deciding set 6-4. His opponent would spend part of the evening in the hospital getting IVs, and would amazingly show up the next day and take the title. K, even in the loss, would be left with something equally great; recognizing the opportunity hiding behind adversity.    

Later that evening I asked K what was going through his head during that 5-2 game, facing two match points. His response; "At first I was just embarrassed at how fast I was losing, so I just tried to hang on as long as I could to make it look better. Usually when I get that far behind I am not able to get back into it, but I kept telling myself I could do it this time. At 3-5, I was still way behind, but it was at that point when I started believing that I really could come back. So I just thought of it as a challenge and I kept pumping myself up after each point. I lost but I felt like I did something I had never done before." It was in that moment that K saw the opportunity, which had been disguised by the challenge and adversity he was facing. The opportunity was to overcome a challenge, to prove to himself that he could come back, to fully commit to the competition in front of him. If K had simply rolled over or quit competing at 5-2, he would have never experienced the emotional and physical roller coaster ride. Further, he would have missed an opportunity to learn something about himself and become a more resilient and confident player in the process. 

How do YOU approach adversity and challenge? How do you view situations like playing the #1 seed first round, or having to play in windy conditions, or having inconsistent play during matches? If you are willing to redefine what "challenge" means to you, then adversity can represent an opportunity to learn about yourself, to experience new things, to persevere, to build confidence, to develop new skills.  Start thinking about what adverse moments impact you the most. Is it playing on certain surfaces or in certain conditions? Is it playing against grinders or counter-punchers? Is it dealing with weather delays or injury timeouts?  Identify what challenges you the most and then come up with solutions to more effectively deal with those situations.  Shift your mindset, focus on a positive approach, and then act on it.