A Lesson from the U.S. Open Tennis Tourney and Shifting Surfaces

The 144th US Open tennis tournament began on Monday, August 26 in Queens, New York City. The fourth and final Grand Slam of 2024 presented a new and intriguing analog to sports to spirituality. This metaphor is still a work in progress, but that's okay. Why? Because the very place in which I work and spend most hours of my day is too. I have found there is a lesson to be learned

Tennis is unique in many ways. It is both offense and defense. It's individual and doubles', featuring men's, women's  and mixed competition. And, tennis is one of the only sports played on multiple surfaces. While each golf course is unique, whereas some pools run faster than others, though some sports compete on grass vs. turf, tennis is played on clay, grass or hard courts. Each surface demands different tactics and techniques to win the game.

This is not new to tennis, but  this year, the players feel the added challenge of playing on hard courts because their training for this "season" was interrupted by the Olympic Games. Whereas players typically matriculate from clay at the French, to grass at Wimbledon to the hard surface at the Open, the Olympics brought the competition back to Stade Roland Garros and its bright orange clay.

This is notable because each surface requires an athlete to adapt their playing style and strategy based on the specific bounce, speed, and movement characteristics of each surface. Such variables make it difficult to excel on every surface, every time. Essentially, a player who dominates on clay might struggle on grass due to the vastly different playing conditions. The fact that Rafael Nadal won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles on the clay courts o the French speaks to this truth.

I never gave much thought to this aspect of tennis. I considered it a novelty, as opposed to an added challenge. The impact of the Olympic Games in Paris however, highlighted the impact of those differences serving as an invitation to think again. 

Anyone who has had a home or work place remodeled will understand that building up requires breaking down. Passages and pathways we once took are now closed, blocked, rerouted and redirected. To me, it feels as though the surface has completely changed. Tennis players, I stand with you in solidarity?! I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

I reached out to a colleague to schedule a meeting about a student. I asked, "Where can I find you?" He replied, "I have no idea where to find me. I have gotten some work done in the male dressing room behind the theater yesterday and today. I’m unmoored." Obviously the male dressing room wasn't a viable option. I let my office be the mooring ball. 

So how do we manage? How do the athletes proceed?

Unmoored or unstable, a new surface requires maybe something more than a new strategy. It demands a little more attention to detail—looking up and looking down, rethinking where and how you might do something. Furthermore, a different surface reminds us you might not be able to control the controllables today or even tomorrow... but in time you will find your bearings.  

It's strange that sometimes we get reminders of what we already know: nothing in this life is permanent. Once you shake things up, you find a way to settle them down. This isn't a bad thing. The displacement lends itself to easy conversation with others about how they may be handling the shifting surface. 

Yes, it's very different to share a classroom with five other teachers representing three different disciplines but with ongoing communication and asking for help from others, we are making it work. I imagine it's not much different for the athletes. With practice, coaching, patience and a positive attitude, a player can focus on what it takes to make it to Arthur Ashe Court at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Complex!

Here's to anyone who is walking and working on new surfaces—keep grounded, find your moorings, play to your strengths and work on your weaknesses. And enjoy the U.S. Open!

Photo Credits
Nadal on Clay
Arthur Ashe
Coco