Entrepreneurship: Learnings from French Open Final (Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas)

It was fascinating to watch Novak Djokovic (Serbia) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) giving their best at the French Open Final on Sunday evening. Tsitsipas won the first two games and seemed on course to win his first Grand Slam title. However, Djokovic did what he is best at by winning the next three sets and eventually lifting his 20th Grand Slam Trophy!

As an entrepreneur, there is a lot to learn from the match especially the way Novak Djokovic came back from 2-0 down to win the match in 5 long sets. Here are a few takeaways -

  • Your opponent may be ahead during the initial phases (2-0), do not lose hope.

  • Keep innovating, building and testing your product until you start seeing traction (winning shots).

  • Once you have found the customers (rhythm), pick up the pace and go for the kill.

  • Work with defined goals and timelines else you might be too late to recover from the initial loss.

  • It’s a combination of your product, agility, consistency and ability to sustain (stamina) and perform at the highest levels that makes the difference.

  • Play on your strengths and don’t shy away from attacking competitor’s weaknesses.

  • Remember to thank those who supported and also those who were critical as both contributed in ensuring the product market fit and bringing the best out of you.

  • Be passionate and believe in yourself to be successful.

  • And lastly, often you won’t get results quickly so prepare for a longer fight (5-sets) before you can lift the trophy.

Author

Sunil Mishra

Founder & CEO AceNet | Imbibe Consultancy | Bedrock Angel Network