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As July arrives and attention turns to The Championships, Wimbledon, it’s a timely reminder of just how demanding tennis is, not just physically, but mentally.
After about 70 minutes of a typical match, I often notice my own concentration starting to drift. Footwork slows slightly, decisions take a fraction longer, and shots I would normally make become less consistent.
Watching Wimbledon, it’s clear even the very best players experience the same challenge. The difference is how they manage it.
Curious about this, I started looking into how professional players maintain focus during matches. What I found wasn’t just relevant to sport, it translates directly into business.
Because in business, we often do the opposite. We power through meetings, emails, and decisions for hours at a time, assuming we can maintain constant concentration. Tennis suggests that might not be the most effective approach.
The Problem with Continuous Focus
Tennis demands intense mental engagement. Every point involves reading your opponent, anticipating their next move, adjusting tactics, and managing emotions, all under pressure.
The same is true in business. Whether analysing financial data, leading meetings, or making strategic decisions, your brain is constantly processing information and making judgements.
These processes rely on what psychologists call executive functions: decision-making, problem solving, emotional control, and situational awareness.
But these functions draw on a limited supply of mental energy. Just like physical stamina, cognitive stamina fades, which is why performance often dips after around an hour of sustained focus.
Why Focus Starts to Fade
As July arrives and attention turns to The Championships, Wimbledon, it’s a timely reminder of just how demanding tennis is, not just physically, but mentally.
After about 70 minutes of a typical match, I often notice my own concentration starting to drift. Footwork slows slightly, decisions take a fraction longer, and shots I would normally make become less consistent.
Watching Wimbledon, it’s clear even the very best players experience the same challenge. The difference is how they manage it.
Curious about this, I started looking into how professional players maintain focus during matches. What I found wasn’t just relevant to sport, it translates directly into business.
Because in business, we often do the opposite. We power through meetings, emails, and decisions for hours at a time, assuming we can maintain constant concentration. Tennis suggests that might not be the most effective approach.
The Power of the Reset
Watch a Wimbledon match closely and you’ll notice something subtle but powerful: players rarely rush into the next point.
Instead, they pause. They step back, take a breath, adjust their routine, and reset mentally.
Players such as Rafael Nadal became well known for their between-point routines. While they may appear ritualistic, they serve with a clear purpose, slowing the mind, regulating breathing, and refocusing attention.
Anyone who has watched Wimbledon will also recognise how quickly momentum can shift. A player can dominate one game and struggle the next. The difference is often not technical ability, but focus and the ability to reset rather than dwell on the previous point.
Crucially, tennis breaks performance into small, manageable focus blocks. Players don’t try to maintain perfect concentration for hours. They focus on one point at a time, resetting in between.
Research into cognitive performance supports this. Our brains tend to operate in natural cycles of around 60–90 minutes, sometimes referred to as ultradian rhythms. After this period, concentration declines unless we pause briefly.
Elite athletes instinctively work with these cycles. In business, we often ignore them.
Lessons from Centre Court for the Workplace
Wimbledon offers a useful reminder: performance isn’t continuous, it’s structured.
One of the biggest lessons is the value of micro-breaks.
In tennis, resets happen constantly – between points, games, and changeovers. They help players maintain clarity and composure under pressure, particularly on fast grass courts where lapses in concentration are quickly exposed.
In business, however, we often move straight from one meeting to the next or work through long stretches without pause.
Research shows that short breaks every 60–90 minutes can significantly improve concentration, creativity, and decision-making.
A few simple habits inspired by the court can help:
- Pause briefly between meetings or tasks
- Take a few slow breaths to reset mentally
- Stand up or move for a minute or two
- Hydrate regularly
- Ask yourself: What matters most for the next task?
These small resets can make a noticeable difference to how you think and perform.
Performance Over Endurance
Wimbledon also highlights an important mindset shift: performance isn’t about endurance alone.
In many workplaces, productivity is still measured by how long we can keep going. But sport teaches a different lesson. The best performers don’t just push harder, they manage their energy.
The goal isn’t simply to last longer. It’s to maintain high-quality focus.
You wouldn’t expect a player on Centre Court to compete without breaks between games. Yet many of us expect our brains to perform at peak level for hours without pause.
How James Todd & Co Can Help
Running a business means making decisions every day, often under pressure and with limited time. It’s easy to fall into the habit of simply pushing through.
But just as on Centre Court at The Championships, Wimbledon, sustained performance comes from clarity, structure, and the ability to reset.
At James Todd & Co, we work closely with business owners to simplify financial decision-making, reduce unnecessary pressure, and provide clear insight into the numbers that matter most. Whether it’s improving financial visibility, planning ahead for tax obligations, or helping you focus on the key drivers of your business, our aim is to give you the clarity to make better decisions.
When the financial side of your business is organised and under control, you can spend less time worrying about the numbers and more time focusing on moving your business forward.
If you would like to discuss how we can support you and your business, please get in touch with the team at James Todd & Co.