Game, set and match

Very recently I happened across a snippet of a conversation between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It seems they had been on a photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton. Immediately regular readers of this piece will be thinking what’s happened to him? The mention of LV, the association with couture, with tennis, with fashion in any regard!! You might be forgiven reader for thinking the Head’s away and someone else is writing this. Well buckle up, it gets better, oh and it is still me….

Both men deserve great admiration for the extent of their achievements, not just the heights they arrived at but the length of time they spent there. Michael Phelps when asked about his success and how he achieved it said that “if you want to be the best, you have to do things other people are not willing to.” This is clearly the case with both men in question, but their conversation went in a different direction. Sure, they could name meaningful successes but both men seemed to share and were closely aligned on the elements that underpinned their successes. 

Nadal led by talking about his family, the people around him and the values they instilled. There was nothing to do with skills or tactics on the court. He pointed to something more fundamental. He pointed to a mentality that sought improvement and was restless to settle, indicating that it was exactly this quality that set the great players apart from those who were very good. Federer agreed and went on to add that surrounding himself with the right people and listening to their advice was crucial.

Indeed, both men pointed to the need to remain humble regardless of their positions in world rankings. The easy affability and the casual shrug of the shoulders belied the intense focus they both shared and demonstrated as rivals. Always being attentive to the advice of others and not allowing ego to get in the way. Working hard, being humble and open to those voices intent on making you a better player, mean the results come. They both looked over their shoulders at those who had inspired and guided them.

I know reader you will be familiar with these themes from this space and the work Embley does with the children. I wonder if, when you look back at your school days, you might identify with voices that were intent on your good? Do you recall a special teacher who inspired you? I am reminded of two examples of this. One in which the footballer Ian Wright is taken back to one of his old clubs and while walking through one of the stands meets his old PE teacher. Wright had thought the gentleman had passed away and after the shock, broke down in tears. The depth of the emotion was directly proportionate to the belief his teacher had in him. Not so much the skills he taught him, the tactics and positioning on the field, but something much more important and fundamental.

The second example is from my own experience. Mr O’ would have done badly against the professional standards of today, his pedagogy would not have suggested excellence but he got it anyway. I looked forward to his classes, we all did. He beguiled us, delighted and challenged us. He could be grumpy and keep us back, surprising isn’t it eh? No angels here, but he didn’t seem to care about that. He loved his subject and seemed quite keen that we would too. He instilled a love of reading, a delight in wonder and an awe in words. Richard Feynman commented that the best teachers do not need to be perfect or to be without mistakes, but the essential for a great teacher is to build enthusiasm in their students. Mr O’ certainly did that. 

All those who know Embley know it too, they experience it routinely. Last night’s ‘Fringe’ illustrated the close working relationship teachers enjoy with their students; the images and feedback from the Embley Tors expedition illustrate how far students who feel the belief their teachers have in them will go and how much they will achieve. I could continue to list racing cars, sailing boats, performances and sporting endeavour, all underpinned by the same belief. Academically we are at a focal point of the school year. Public exams have been in full swing and some students have crested the halfway point and are on the final run in. It isn’t downhill and it isn’t easier, but the end is nearing in what is a marathon of GCSE and A level exams. Here in a very special way, that belief from staff is more important than ever. 

The examination work is important but like Nadal said, you stay humble, work hard, listen to the voices around you and the results come as they come. The results do not define the individual any more than the trophy defines the player. When asked about what they would be remembered for, neither Nadal nor Federer point to a specific competition but to a quality. In fact, they seem to distance themselves from accolades on court and embrace more profound qualities. Nadal wants to be remembered for who he was as a person more than as a player. Federer wants to be a good role model for the next generation more than all of his Wimbledons.

I think it is this quality that our teachers see in us which inspires. The belief they have in us may be less about our capacity to be great tennis players, great academics but about our personal capacity to be great human beings. That’s game set and match.