Authenticity in the Game of Tennis

Abstract: 

What is the point of making any association between a philosophical concept and a sport? This paper explores the concept of authenticity through the lens of philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s “Freedom of Will and the Concept of a Person” (1971), as interpreted by philosopher Katharina Bauer (2017), and applies it to the context of competitive tennis. This analysis extends beyond sport, offering insight into how authenticity operates dynamically in everyday contexts such as education and the workplace. For a tennis player, this analysis might provide another angle to view a competitive game. This paper argues that authenticity, often perceived as a fixed condition of “being true to oneself,” is interpreted here as a dynamic process that fluctuates under multiple factors, including the pressure of achievement, audience influence, bias, disruptions in attention, the volatility of make-believe, and transformative moments. Using real and hypothetical cases, this paper shows how authenticity can collapse, be restored, or reach its highest level in the flow state.