This is one of twelve excerpts from an exclusive interview with Nick Chappell at the 2022 Columbus Fall Challenger. They will be posted over time in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Tennis Acumen: There's a spectrum in players’ motivations, Nick. There are guys that absolutely love to win and guys that are more motivated because they hate to lose. Where do you fall on that spectrum?
Nick Chappell: Oh. I would say I'd love to win. I'm not a crazy competitive guy in everything I do off court. I'm pretty relaxed and I take that to my play. I really enjoy the process of getting better. I like the ins and outs of how I'm doing, what I'm doing. I try not to take the losses seriously. I know some people feel like they can't lose, ever. And I do a pretty good job of using losses to improve. So, I am definitely more on the side of enjoying the wins.
Tennis Acumen: I had a moment three and a half years ago. Challenger in Savannah, on the clay. Sitting in the lounge, Riley Opelka walks off court. He had just lost and he's just pacing outside, steaming. He's just devastated by the loss. When he came inside and sat down next to me, I said: “ Reilly. Look at me. If you don't play guys that can beat you, you'll never get better.” And his shoulders just relaxed. So, the pressure of avoiding loss, I think, is pretty heavy on some guys.
Nick Chappell: Yes, definitely.
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