Why having great mental skills in tennis is the key to winning matches.
Tennis is a mental game. All elite players have the physical and technical ability to excel on the court but what defines a champion is the ability to play under the pressure of competition. The player who wins the match is the player who can adapt to any challenges they face. They must also be able to see any opportunities and be ready to act on them. In the critical moments of a match, it is the player who is able to embrace the challenge and take control of their psychological state that will play the best tennis they can.
Most people often overlook mental toughness in favor of physical power and skill, but a tennis match is full of distractions that are outside of your ability to control. The opponent, umpiring decisions, weather delays and performing in front of a large crowd can all distract players from executing their game plans. For example I was playing a game at an indoor sports facility at hardscrabble and my friends happened to be playing a basketball game at the same time. When their game was done they came up to watch me and I got distracted. I started missing easy shots and tried big powerful shots to show off to my friends.
What can also become a distraction during the match is not the player on the other side of the net but your own mental attitude. If you say to yourself there is no way to win or I can’t do this it is impossible to play well. But a player who does not have the most perfect shots or most consistent serve can still beat a player better than them.
One time I was playing a match and I was playing a kid a grade above me who had a very good forehand that I was struggling with at first. Later in the match I learnt to counter this and still believe I had a shot of winning. My opponent started to get frustrated and started hitting easy balls out and I took advantage of this and won the match.
Most pros agree and say that mental skills are just as important as physical skills. Venus Williams says "Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there." Mental tennis strength is a crucial attribute to be a winning tennis player. In higher playing fields in tennis mental skills are just as essential as a good serve or forehand.
In 2014 Novak Djokovic played Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic could have easily lost that match but won. Most people say that Federe is more skilled overall so Djokovic had to rely on his mental skills to earn him the win. In a pregame interview Djokovic says “I could have easily lost my concentration in the 5th set and just handed him the win.”
This brings me to my next point no matter how good you are in every physical attribute in a tennis match, your chances of winning tennis matches are limited if your mental strength is weak. Every player makes mistakes, but a great player converts every mistake into an opportunity to improve his or her game plan. Like for example, if your technique is not working with your opponent’s approach, then you have to be mentally ready to accept it. At the same time, be mentally alert to analyze the situation and come up with the right counter attack. The game of tennis is as much mental as it is physical.
Some tips I have to be a better mental player are always have a game plan: You should always come up with a plan before the point begins. No matter who your opponent is, Your plan should consist of two specific goals. What you want to make happen and what you want to prevent from happening.
Another thing I suggest is to be patient. You must always be prepared for a long match. If you prepare for a short match you will take too many risks to end the game quickly. Also Prepare mentally for long points. I have lost points too many times because I was not patient enough with my opponent so I slammed the ball out to try and end the point quickly.
Finally Improve shots that usually fold under the pressure of a match. The hardest part of competitive tennis is not learning the strokes, but rather learning to use your strokes under pressure. If you practice enough it will be just muscle memory and then you can focus more on tuning out distraction or following your plan and not worrying about shots This can be done with a hitting partner or a
One time I was playing a match and I was playing a kid a grade above me who had a very good forehand that I was struggling with at first. Later in the match I learnt to counter this and still believe I had a shot of winning. My opponent started to get frustrated and started hitting easy balls out and I took advantage of this and won the match.
Most pros agree and say that mental skills are just as important as physical skills. Venus Williams says "Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there." Mental tennis strength is a crucial attribute to be a winning tennis player. In higher playing fields in tennis mental skills are just as essential as a good serve or forehand.
In 2014 Novak Djokovic played Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic could have easily lost that match but won. Most people say that Federe is more skilled overall so Djokovic had to rely on his mental skills to earn him the win. In a pregame interview Djokovic says “I could have easily lost my concentration in the 5th set and just handed him the win.”
This brings me to my next point no matter how good you are in every physical attribute in a tennis match, your chances of winning tennis matches are limited if your mental strength is weak. Every player makes mistakes, but a great player converts every mistake into an opportunity to improve his or her game plan. Like for example, if your technique is not working with your opponent’s approach, then you have to be mentally ready to accept it. At the same time, be mentally alert to analyze the situation and come up with the right counter attack. The game of tennis is as much mental as it is physical.
Some tips I have to be a better mental player are always have a game plan: You should always come up with a plan before the point begins. No matter who your opponent is, Your plan should consist of two specific goals. What you want to make happen and what you want to prevent from happening.
Another thing I suggest is to be patient. You must always be prepared for a long match. If you prepare for a short match you will take too many risks to end the game quickly. Also Prepare mentally for long points. I have lost points too many times because I was not patient enough with my opponent so I slammed the ball out to try and end the point quickly.
Finally Improve shots that usually fold under the pressure of a match. The hardest part of competitive tennis is not learning the strokes, but rather learning to use your strokes under pressure. If you practice enough it will be just muscle memory and then you can focus more on tuning out distraction or following your plan and not worrying about shots This can be done with a hitting partner or a
simple ball machine.
-Post by Camillo.M
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