The Fist Pump

Camera flashes. Chants. Applause as he walk onto court.

Those brand new shoes.

The crisp of his outfit. With his own logo on them.

The best racket money can buy. With his own logo on that too.

It looks glamorous. Effortless. Stuff of most people's dreams.

But behind that grace was:

Thousands of hours perfecting footwork.

Millions of balls hit on quiet practice courts.

Endless drills until precision becomes instinct.

Weight sessions. Rehab. Recovery. Even surgeries.

The mornings no one sees.

The nights no one talks about.

The pain nobody cares about.

Tennis, for all its glamour, is lonely, high stamina, mentally draining individual sport. Did i mention lonely?

You book your own stay.

Plan your own travel.

Hire your own coach.

Pay your own physio.

You carry your own bags onto court no matter how successful you are. Every. Single. Time.

And once the match begins, you’re alone.

No teammates. No backup. Just you and the next point.

When he wins a point, there is barely any time to celebrate.

Just a clenched fist.

Then reset. Onto the next point. The next rally.

Business leadership isn’t very different.

People see the wins. The headlines.

They see the calm. The confidence. The control.

What they don’t see are the unseen hours.

The tough calls. The self doubt. The weight that never gets off your shoulders.

And yet, like Federer, great leaders don’t linger.

A quiet fist pump.

Then back to work.

In the words of Federer himself, "It's just a point." Leadership is about moving on quick. From agony or ecstasy. You don't have time to dwell. The next challenge always awaits.