‘Every time I lose I feel I get 10x better‘ – Serena Williams. Winning and Losing are a part of the game, but what matters the most is the Effort that went behind! With wins, one gets fame, titles, and prize money but even the losses ensure one doesn’t go empty-handed, giving one valuable lessons. On top of that, Mental Toughness is the hallmark of all great tennis players. When the going gets tough, the mentally tough players like Serena Williams get even tougher, and here’s a sneak peek into the minds of one of the greatest to ever play the racquet sport.

Since tennis is a highly competitive sport, to get an edge in the matches players have to hone their mental toughness. Serena Williams has won 858 matches in her career and lost 156 in total. Among the biggest losses in her career, the 2018 and 2019 US Open finals stand taller than the rest. Nobody expected Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu to win against the 23-time Grand Slam champion, but they did! “You never play safe to win” – that’s the way Williams has always approached her games no matter if it’s against the superstars or the rookies. The mentality was always the same, she loved to dictate the matches on her own terms. 

During a conversation at the YouTube show ‘Hot Ones‘, the tennis legend revealed that it’s easier to see players’ mental state through the screen but much more difficult to detect it while they are on the court. However, she, at her time on court, basically used to see whether her opponents were taking their chances or playing it safe. If they played safe shots, then Williams used to step up her game and be more aggressive. Because she feels, “You never play safe to win. I don’t, I mean I’ve lost some times where I haven’t played safe but at least I felt good about going for it. I like to go all out.”

Closing in on history, a victory in both 2018 and 19 US Open would have put Serena on par with Margaret Court’s record-breaking 24 Grand Slams. While those titles ultimately eluded her, Serena’s illustrious career likely leaves no room for regret. Why?

“Failing allows you to fall and…” – believes Serena Williams

With all those 156 losses in her career, the American tennis legend has learned that “sometimes you don’t know how to be better if you are always doing it right. You can just kinda stay in this plane. Failing allows you to fall and rise up higher than you could if you didn’t fail.” There was a point when she was desperate to win 18 Grand Slam titles.

This excessive stress impacted her performance and she started struggling a bit. Then her coach advised her to set higher goals and this changed her entire mindset. She became more relaxed and won five major titles later before ending her career with one title short of Court’s astonishing record. That’s exactly how mindset plays a huge role in improving one’s game. She has faced many similar ups and downs in her career but what helped her see through it was the same ‘mental toughness’.

Speaking on her mental toughness she once said, “My game is my mental toughness. Just not only to be able to play, to win but to be able to come back when I’m down. Both on the court and after tough losses, just to continue to come back and continue to fight, it’s something that takes a lot of tenacity.“

To her, it was always about giving that fight against her opponents without looking much into the results. That’s how she showed the path to thousands of tennis players who now see her as an inspirational figure.