Mastering the inner game - and age really is just a number (thankfully!)

One of the things I love most about watching sport is observing the inner game. Everything from penalty shootouts in the recent Women's World Cup to yesterday's phenomenal men's Wimbledon final provide opportunities to learn how the world's top performers operate, think and respond to pressure.

Watching yesterday's Federer vs. Djokovic match made me think. Both players are amongst the greatest athletes in the world. Both were hungry to win and neither was giving up.

As the hours went by, it was more and more difficult to determine who would finally raise the Wimbledon trophy. Whilst Federer played a strong and consistent game throughout, he seemed to struggle more when it came to crucial points in the match.

On the other hand, it was clear that Djokovic genuinely thrived under the immense pressure at these times. He was a master at coming back when it looked like he was way behind. He showed massive determination (and, you could almost say defiance) when things didn't go as planned - instead of falling apart when he was on the losing path, he somehow used this to focus even more intently on recovering his game and, ultimately, win.

Both Federer and Djokovic played impressively - both showed laser-sharp focus, determination, resilience and stamina for nearly five hours - super intense concentration and a hunger to succeed. They were able to perform like this because they each had a purpose. They each had an end goal in mind - a vision - that drove them to keep going.

I gathered a lot of great insights from the match, as you may well have done.

Thinking about the way each player responded to pressure, where do you fit in? What's your response to pressure and how easily do you recompose yourself when faced with a challenging situation?

Lots to think about...

And, most importantly, our minds are more powerful than anything else. For example, Federer is proof of the power of self-belief, hard work and determination. Given his "mature" age as a tennis player, he said, "I hope I give other people the chance to believe. At 37 it’s not over yet."