The motivation in life
Dominic Thiem, the prince of clay, a worthy heir apparent to the throne of Roland Garros, was knocked out in the first round of the very same tournament. First time since 2015, Thiem has been eliminated in the first week of the French Open. This has culminated in a forgetful clay season for him. However, the reason quoted by Thiem makes you wonder about the importance of having motivation and goal in one’s life.
A tennis player’s biggest motivation is to win a major, commonly known as a Grand Slam. Every player gives their sweat, blood and tears to achieve the most illustrious prize in professional tennis. Years are dedicated by a player, from juniors to ITF/ challengers to ATP/WTA level competition. They are on the road throughout the years honing their skills, climbing up the ladder and increasing their chances to win a major. And when that moment arrives, it either acts as a launch-pad for more success viz., Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graff etc. or it may act as a peaking point in one’s career.
Dominic Thiem, too, won a major in the 2020 US Open, defeating his close friend and tour rival Zverev in a thrilling 5-sets match. However, this was Thiem’s first major after reaching 4 finals. In the previous three finals, he was unable to cross the finish line. The closest he came was in the 2020 Australian Open final where he was 2 sets to 1 up but then ultimately fell to the ever-determined Novak Djokovic.
One would have expected Thiem to have a launchpad from this win but it acted the opposite. After the US Open victory, Thiem reached only one final out of the 8 tournaments he played, even worse, he reached Semis of only 2 of those tournaments. The first-round exit at the French Open has left people with more questions than answers.
In the post-match press conference, Thiem himself confessed that the US Open victory changed his outlook of viewing the game. After achieving one of the primary goals of a tennis player, he is admitting that things have changed and he knows he is playing nowhere near the level required to go deep into the tournaments. Also, a month ago, he admitted the same that winning a major at US Open changed his perception of the game.
Thiem, unknowingly, touched a sensitive topic (at least for me). Motivation in life. In August 2019, I cleared the Chartered Accountancy course in my third attempt. I gave everything during the preparation period. There was a study schedule, eating schedule and break schedule and life revolved around the same. I was cut off from the world and was living a life in a box. Once I became CA, I was again just following a protocol, wasn’t enjoying the moment. Maybe I was concerned with the societal norm of getting a job as quickly as I can. But still, there was a hollowness inside, as if there was no motivation left within. “What’s next?” was always the question. The lack of motivation was again felt, this time expressed to my parents, I am severely lacking motivation. I have lost interest in what is unfolding in my life. There is a huge lack of instincts that makes life and conversation dull.
I don’t know how to get out of this trap, how to seek motivation, how to reignite the spark that makes conversation with people interesting. Maybe even Thiem doesn’t (for the troubles of his own) but one thing is sure that we both have to reconcile our respective lives. Hope.
