I Spent Two Days at the US Open and Here’s What Every Elite Player Did (And What You Can Learn From It)

I just spent two days at the US Open, surrounded by the best tennis players in the world…literally.  

From the stands, the matches looked like battles of raw power - serves flying at 120 miles an hour, winners ripping down the line, athletes pushing their bodies to the absolute limit. But as I watched closely, two things stood out among these super elite.

The first insight is the focus of this article. The second, you’ll have to stay tuned for. 😉

As I was watching match after match, I started to notice that what separated the great from the very good wasn’t just their shot-making ability. It was what they did in the space between the points.

Every player had a unique routine - bouncing the ball a certain number of times, wiping down with a towel, adjusting their strings, blowing on their finger tips, even bouncing on their toes. To fans, these might look like random actions, quirks, or superstitions. But they’re not. They’re deliberate reset routines, structured ways of letting go of the last point and preparing for the next one.

And this matters, because even the best players in the world only win an average of 52–55% of the points they play. This means they’re losing nearly half the time they step up to the baseline. The difference isn’t in avoiding mistakes, it’s in how quickly they reset.

Resetting is the hidden superpower of champions. And it’s a skill anyone can train.

Why Resetting Matters in Tennis

At the professional level, tennis is a game of razor-thin margins. Entire matches, and sometimes careers, are decided by just a handful of points. A single break of serve, one tiebreak, or one momentum swing can flip the outcome.

Think about this for a moment: an elite player will lose almost half of the points they play every time they step on the court.

If they allowed the frustration of every lost point to linger, the consequences would be immediate and compounding. Their focus would drift from the present moment to the last mistake. Negative self-talk would creep in, reinforcing doubt. Confidence would erode, one point at a time. And once that spiral starts, it’s not just a point that’s lost, it’s momentum, sets, and matches.

With only 20–25 seconds between points, the best athletes in the world have trained themselves to use that small window as a reset. They release the last point, regulate their energy and emotions, and lock back in on what matters next. What looks like ball bouncing, towel wiping, or blowing on their fingertips is actually uniquely crafted routines in action. Reset routines are how these elite players stop negative momentum in its tracks or reinforce positive momentum when it’s on their side.

Why Resetting Matters Everywhere

What I saw so clearly on the tennis court is just as true in every other arena of life: setbacks happen often, and challenges are unavoidable. The question isn’t whether you’ll stumble, it’s how quickly you can recover.

Think about sports beyond tennis. A basketball player misses a free throw and has only seconds to reset before the next possession. A golfer makes a double bogey and must clear their head before the next tee shot. A  defender gets beaten on one play but has to lock back in for the next. Performance breaks down when athletes carry the last mistake with them.

The same pattern plays out in business. A sales pitch gets rejected. A presentation goes off the rails when the technology fails. A meeting gets derailed by conflict. In each case, what determines long-term success isn’t avoiding these moments; it’s whether you can reset quickly enough to show up fully for the next one.

And it shows up in daily life, too. You lose your patience with your kids. You argue with your partner. You skip a workout or break a habit streak. Without a reset, those single mistakes can snowball into negative momentum. With a reset, you protect your energy, recover faster, and re-enter the moment with presence.

The principle is simple: resetting breaks the chain. It stops setbacks from multiplying and creates the space to re-engage with focus.

A Simple Reset Framework

Resetting well isn’t about luck; it’s a skill you can develop. Sport psychology pioneer Ken Ravizza often spoke about the importance of routines to let go of the last play and lock back into the present. What I observed at the US Open, and a skill I work with my clients in developing, maps closely to that tradition.

The framework I use is built around four simple steps: Release, Regulate, Refocus, and Recommit. These steps give athletes, leaders, and anyone under pressure a practical way to recover quickly and step into the next moment with confidence. 

1. Release – Let Go of the Last Point
   Release means creating a clean break from what just happened so it doesn’t bleed into the next moment. It’s about interrupting rumination and signaling to yourself: that point, or moment is over.

• In tennis: Players might exhale deeply, wipe down with a towel, or adjust their strings; all cues that physically and mentally “close the door” on the last point.
• In business: Pausing to take a sip of water after a tough question creates space before moving forward.
• In life: Acknowledging frustration and intentionally letting it go keeps the emotion from carrying into the next interaction.

2. Regulate – Align Your Energy With the Moment
   After releasing the last point, the next step is to notice your physiological state. Are you flat, or running too hot? Performance depends on matching your activation level to the demands of the moment. Too little energy and you can feel sluggish or disengaged; too much and anxiety or tension takes over.

Regulating means using specific techniques to bring your body back into your optimal zone so your physiology supports, rather than sabotages, your performance.

• If energy is low: use activation cues like bouncing on your toes, taking a deep and powerful inhale, or shifting into a stronger posture.
• If energy is too high: use calming cues like an extended exhale, blowing on your fingers, or other grounding techniques.

3. Refocus – Direct Attention to the Controllables
   After releasing the last point and regulating your energy, the next step is to aim your attention where it matters most. Performance breaks down when focus drifts to things you can’t control, like the last point, the score, or what others think. Refocusing means deliberately bringing your mind back to the present moment and to the specific actions within your control.

This shift protects you from distraction, reduces anxiety, and gives your full energy to the task at hand.

• In tennis: Visualizing a serve target or using a mantra like “one point at a time.”
• In business: Redirecting to the next slide, the next client, or the next action step.
• In life: Choosing the next healthy meal or workout after missing one, rather than dwelling on the lapse.

4. Recommit – Step Back In With Confidence
   The final step is to intentionally step back into action with belief and purpose. It’s not enough to release, regulate, and refocus; you need to anchor that reset with a signal that says: I’m ready for what’s next.

Recommitting reinforces confidence, restores presence, and helps you fully engage with the task ahead. This step turns your reset into forward momentum.

• In tennis: A purposeful ball bounce, a fist pump, or a strong step to the baseline.
• In business: Making eye contact, delivering your opening line with clarity, or adopting a confident posture.
• In life: Using a grounding phrase, visualizing the outcome you want, or re-engaging with a smile or calm gesture.

This recovery framework isn’t about superstition or ritual. It’s a set of deliberate tools to manage momentum, regulate your emotions, and step confidently into the next moment.

How to Build Your Own Reset Routine

The routines I saw at the US Open were all different. Some players bounced the ball three times, others seven. Some adjusted their strings, others jumped up and down. The point isn’t the specific actions; it’s that each athlete has a reset routine that works for them.

Your routine should be the same: personal, intentional, and practiced.

Start by experimenting with different cues for each step of the framework, notice what feels natural, and refine until it becomes automatic.

You don’t need a complicated process. The key is consistency, not complexity.

What I witnessed at the tournament reinforced a truth I see across every field of high performance: success isn’t about never making mistakes. It’s about how quickly you recover from them.

What separates champions is the ability to reset in seconds, protect their momentum, and step into the next point, or next moment, fully engaged.

How are you resetting after a setback?