Carl

by Carl
(Los Angeles)

I believe there is a percentage that is born, a percentage that is developed and a roll of the dice!

Champions Are Born

by KB

The mental aspect is something I've wondered about for years. As a junior I had a great game, a brilliant coach who believed in me and a supportive father (mother was ok but wasn't in the least sporty so didn't really get it), I was physically one of the fittest, had real determination and commitment, yet when I got onto the court to play important matches my game would often disappear. I would completeLY tense up and felt powerless against it. I saw a sports pyschologist, tried all sorts of things to distract myself but in the end I didn't have the mental ability or self belief despite wanting it more than anything in the world and knowing that objectively, logically, I had a far better game than most of my opponents.

This being the case I really believe that champions are born, that the greats were destined to greatness. Their genes AND their upbringing made them who they are, people who are just physically AND mentally incredibly talented. They have their parents to thank not just for bringing them into the world but for bringing them into the right environment (raising them in such a way that they believe in themselves and their abilities). Sure they have to do the work but then, they're genetically programmed to do it.

The are born + made.

by Sergio
(Boston)

Mental attributes can be determined genetically as much as the physical ones. The brain is another "organ" of the body and therefore is under the same genetic rules than the strength of your legs. Some people are born "shy" and others are born "bold", genetically. Hard work is needed to improve both mental and physical attributes. It might be possible that mental traits are more flexible than physical traits and respond better to hard work, but this is yet somehow speculative. In my view, to be a good player you need to be born with good traits in both categories: physical and mental. To be a champion, you need to add hard work to your good gens!

Made

by Sean
(Idaho)

Yea Roger had God given skills but he still had to put his life into the sport.

Nurture over Nature

by Duey Evans
(Texas, USA)

There is no doubt that in order to have a champion you must start with a person of outstanding potential. However, all things being equal physically and mentally, nurture plays a far greater role than nature.

It is far easier to keep someone from being champion than to create one.

Born with Potential? Make it into something.

I believe that all good players are born with potential. It's a matter of how you develop it that seperates the winners from losers.

Born and Made

by Benjamin Driguez
(Paris)

As for many issues, it's a little bit of both of course.
As a true tennis fan, I'd like to think that these champions were born, that they had this destiny and that it was "meant to be".
But if you look at most players and at their development, you realize that these champions were made for the most part.
They had this amazing talent in the first place, you cannot deny that. Most of these players were already dominating the competitions at an early age, when practice and hard work were not a factor.
Richard Gasquet for example, could beat any 12-year old in France when he was only 10! And e was in the front cover of the tennis magazine at age 9!
In his case, you can say that he was practically born a champion. He could do things nobody else could do, and he wasn't practicing more than the other to achieve that.
But a lot can happen after these young categories, since athletes are exposed to lots of distractions when they're teenagers.
Their physical development can be disrupted by injuries, they can lose their motivation because if they experience an "overdose" of tennis etc.
You can never predict that someone is going to be number 1 in the world for sure. Too many factors come into play to be a great champion.
Some athletes are amazing but don't get a chance to develop their games because they don't have the infrastructure for it. That's why you see so many players cheating on their age when they are in the juniors. That was, they can get recognized and sponsored to travel and play international tournaments.
I think you need you need an amazing talent in the first place, a real "gift". You need passion,work-ethic, confidence, talent and courage to excel at the highest levels of the game. If you don't have all these characteristics, it's impossible to become one of the greats.
Federer and Nadal dominate today's tennis scene because they are real professionals, who never miss an opportunity to improve. Even though they probably are the most talented, they're also the ones who work the hardest. So it's not surprising to see them win almost all the grand slams since 2005.

its all in your head

yes. it is all in your head if you dont think you can be a champion. you can, if you believe you can.with the good Lord anything is possible, anything. Every living human being on the face of this earth has the choice to be what they want to be, its simpley a matter of internal drive and want. Any one can transform themselves all long as you have youth on your side!

Born or made

by Dalton Crobes
(Saudi Arabia)

All great greatest athletes are born to be made. Not just born to be or made to be.
Whatever sports or endeavors you have to, you must posses both Inborn talent and you need to explore and develop it. Even how gifted you are and don't know nor interested to utilize it , it's nothing. Even how hard you train, practice and research if you don't have an inborn talent, you can not make it.

50-50

There is a thought in modern psychology that a persons personality is 50% nature , 50% nurture. I think the same is true about tennis playing ability. Some people are just not born natural athletes. They can work their tails off, but they have a physical limit to how well they can play. But some people are born with tennis in their blood. They have the right coordination of fast-twitch muscles, hand-eye coordination, and core strength. How hard they work at is up to them. So there are many different kinds of players. You get the kid who has always been one step above the competition while slacking around at practice, or the kid who isn't the natural phenom but knows if he works hard enough, he just might get that shot at glory.