What it means to be a pro

The differences between being good and winning big

With the ATP Tour returning to Montreal for the annual National Bank Open (formerly known as the Rogers Cup), I am reminded of the subtle differences between tennis players who hit the ball well and those who consistently make bank.

Having split the past decade between tennis and hockey locker rooms, I see commonalities between ATP and NHL vets.

Here are three.

1. Pros win even when they don’t feel their best

I wish I knew the number of Stanley Cups, Grand Slam events and Olympic golds won by athletes who didn’t sleep a lick the night before.

Sports such as tennis and hockey demand strength, speed and dexterity. Yet, professional competitors are routinely forced to adapt to new time zones, different dwellings and unfamiliar cuisines.

Elite athletes are often compared to Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but supercars are fragile. They scrape easily and stall out when mishandled.

In truth, those who find lasting success on the pro circuit tend to see themselves as pickup trucks. Robust, dependable; adaptable.

How to be more of a pro:

• Control the controllables by dialing in your travel, fitness, sleep and nutrition, but be flexible when faced with unforeseen logistical setbacks

• Get comfortable trusting your B game when not everything feels great on a given day

• Be kind to yourself when you’re performing closer to your floor than your ceiling - things will get better if you stick around and plug away

2. Pros take care of themselves, in subtle ways

If you ever get a chance to see an ATP Tour player up-close, take a look at their legs.

Unsurprisingly the vast majority of male tennis pros possess a muscular lower body.

More unusual is the fact that almost all top players shave. Not just their faces but their legs too, so that they could more efficiently receive their daily massages and treatments.

Elsewhere, I recall a locker-room conversation with Denver Manderson, Toronto Maple Leafs skills coach and former AHL & ECHL player, about the importance of massaging the undersides of one’s feet with a tennis or a lacrosse ball after a hard practice. It’s the type of simple, preventative, career-extending work that pros seldom miss out on.

How to be more of a pro: