Gabriel Décamps is Worthy to Win! Gets a Win Over the #1 Player in the World, Earns Yukatan G1 ITF Title

​One of the best things about the work I do is having the privilege to work with athletes who are open, ready and willing to understand the message of Worthy to Win. I enjoy seeing any of all of those I have worked with experience a breakthrough moment. Today I want to spotlight Gabriel Décamps for his recent success at the Yukatan G1 ITF event in Mexico in November.

Gabriel is well coached and has a strong support system through his parents, siblings and extended family. He has worked tirelessly on developing his game yet felt that his mental skills needed to be stronger. Mental skill is an important aspect of development for any athlete in addition to all the physical training.  Gabriel noticed, “In this tournament I could see that a lot of players forget to work on their mind because they were so upset on the court.” Specific mental skills range from effective routines and rituals, mental and emotional activation, staying calm and focused etc… but there is a deeper meaning behind mental training. That meaning is to understand what it means to experience the worth that is inside of every athlete and person by doing something that you have never done before. When is the last time you had a breakthrough in performance?

In a conversation I had with Gabriel after he won the Yukatan ITF tournament he told me that even though before the tournament he felt he could win this event, as he played each match he did not focus on the importance of winning that next match. He said, “I was focused more on being ready to fight for each match and each point as I played”.  In the quarter finals he faced the #1 ITF ranked junior in the world, Miomir Kecmanovic from Serbia. “People were saying this will be a very tough match. I said to myself, you can win this match. I am prepared. Then I just played my best tennis and played freely. It was just another match in my life. I played point by point and competed. I felt I could do it and so did my coach. Mentally I was not thinking about my opponent. Just playing my game. This made me feel free.”

After winning the first set Gabriel said, I wasn’t believing what was happening. I was thinking, “How can I be beating this guy?” He came on strong in the second set and won it 6-0. I said to myself in-between sets, “I am Worthy to Win and I just played my game”. I was so sure I could win. This brought me confidence. I was mentally prepared. I was smiling and having fun on the court and it reminded me that I love the sport of tennis. When every point is difficult it is fun because it pushes you. I felt the joy for playing, it was amazing.”

From my perspective, Gabriels breakthrough win started long before the match. It started back in August when he decided to work on his mental skills. He called me for the first time and said his confidence had dropped and he wanted to find it again. From the first time I talked to him I could tell he was serious about turning things around in his mind and in his game. He also had confidence in me and in what I could do on the mental side even though we had never met, he was in Brazil and I was in the US but it didn’t matter – he just trusted the process and was willing to do the work.

Breakthroughs begin in the quiet moments of reflection as a person comes to understand himself or herself and why they do what they do and get it straight in their head. In the introduction of my book, Worthy to Win, eight-mental habits to your next breakthrough, I talk about what is called the Worthiness Dilemma. I experienced this dilemma as a kid who was desperate to feel good about himself through the only thing he really knew, competitive sports. As I grew older I felt the effects of this dilemma through a confusion about who I was and an ever growing desperation to feel complete through accumulating more athletic wins.

Athletes of all ages and levels can fall victim to the Worthiness Dilemma. As Gabriel Décamps found out, learning the truth about your worth means distancing from the “need to win” and just go play your game.  One important part of that distance is a mindset not so focused on earning points, status and the next win. The first step to getting to the win is deciding that you are willing to work on your mindset. The result of that work is believing that you are Worthy of the breakthrough!

​For more information on Worthy to Win Mindset Development email: joey@worthytowin.com or call 801-725-4940.