Once upon a time, there were two aspiring young tennis players, both with identical physical, and mental characteristics. One was willing to experiment with the new, "bleeding-edge" tactics of the day, the other stayed with the tried and true. Let's call one Rod, after an all-time great Rod Laver, and the other Rafa, after the present all-time great Rafael Nadal.
One day, on the way to the courts, Rafa found a new type of racquet that wasn't made of wood laying on the ground and glowing, like a gift from the tennis gods. Rafa took the new racquet to his practice session that day to give it a shot. After all, it was glowing. The new racquet was a bit lighter and allowed him to produce a little more power from the same swing.
"That's bleeding edge, I'll stick with the tried and true," said Rod. "You're always wanting to switch to the latest and greatest."
"Not always, but this racquet is clearly better - I can see the benefit," says Rafa.
Now that the racquet was a bit lighter, Rafa could also get a little more racquet head speed out of the same swing. He noticed that by combining this new-found speed along with a grip adjustment, he could also generate more spin on the ball.
"That's bleeding edge, I'll stick with the tried and true," said Rod. "You're always wanting to switch to the latest and greatest."
"Not always, but this grip is clearly better - I can see the benefit," says Rafa.
After a few months, Rafa's forehand was turning into such a weapon that he began to run around his backhand, in favor of hitting a forehand.
"That's crazy," says Rod. "Look how out of position you are!"
"But this is clearly better - I can see the benefit," says Rafa.
By now a new type of string had come out to compliment the new racquets. It was made of a "fancy, new-fangled" material and gave the player the ability to hit the ball with even more power and even more spin.
"That's bleeding edge, I'll stick with the tried and true," said Rod. "You're always wanting to switch to the latest and greatest."
"Not always, but this string is clearly better - I can see the benefit," says Rafa.
Rafa learned that if he slid into the shot, he could return himself into position faster, negating any loss from running around his forehand, and was able to retrieve even more balls.
"That's crazy," says Rod. "Look how out of balance you are, I'll stick with the tried and true. I like to get my feet in position, be perfectly in balance, and step into the shot."
"Sure, there are times when this new technique makes sense, but not every time. It's just another tool in my toolset," says Rafa.
Rod continued to rush the net at all costs, after all, that's what the all-time greats have always done, it's how the game is played. Yet, by now Rafa could hit passing shots with ease.
Rafa learned that if he stood to receive serve way, way back, Rod's booming serve wasn't as much of a weapon.
"That's crazy," says Rod. "Look how out of position you are! I'll be that much closer to the net before you even return the ball. I'll stick with the tried and true."
But with how much harder Rafa was hitting the ball, and with how much more the ball dipped with the increased spin, that extra step closer to the net wasn't enough. Rafa had taken away Rod's biggest asset by simply standing way, way back.
Rod, getting frustrated, and desperate blurts out, "Fine, then I'll just hit angled serves!"
"Ok, but you're not nearly as good at hitting angled serves," says Rafa, knowing that the cumulation of his slight adjustments has just taken away Rod's biggest weapon and that his remaining options aren't good.
Rafa applied this same mindset difference to training, diet, coaching, and mental work. Within a handful of years, Rod could no longer compete. He had been left behind. And not just by Rafa, but the entire new generation of players right behind Rafa, who were watching the progress closely and implementing the best ideas into their own games. Rod went from being the best in the world to not being able to maintain an adequate ranking to stay on the pro tour.
The very best tennis player in the world in the 1960s, would not even be able to compete in today's game. The game moves on.