Three points for success

Boris Becker, the former world tennis champion, was asked on a radio programme whether he had always been a champion.

His answer was “No.” However, he admitted that in his younger days he was always considered a future champion though there were other boys who had been better than him and more naturally gifted.

When the interviewer asked what had happened to all those better boys, Becker replied: “They just didn’t make it. For all their talent they didn’t have what it takes” meaning they did not know how to cash in on their talent.

The interviewer asked how Becker had done so.

“You’ve got to want desperately to succeed,” said Becker.

“Is that the secret?”

“Yes, but there’s another. One needs discipline. No matter how much talent you have, you’ve got to have the discipline to nurture and develop it. You’ve got to prioritise and give up a lot of things that can seem very attractive at the time.”

“Is that all?” asked the interviewer.

“There’s another,” said the former tennis ace, “and it’s harder and more demanding than the first two put together. You need humility, no matter how good you are. You need humility to listen to your coaches, to take advice, to test new possibilities, and to admit you don’t know everything. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. These three things are the secrets of my success.”

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