“I WAS LEADING… THEN LOST 5 GAMES IN A ROW”

While stroke mechanics and fitness are crucial, they pale compared to the advantages of being mentally resilient, strong, and adaptable. This article will deal with a topic I have expounded on for years: the importance of mental training and highlighting how it can make or break a player's performance. 

TENNIS IS A MENTAL GAME

People often describe tennis as a mental game; coaches are happy to make that statement but later continue emphasising technique and form in their practice sessions! Everything returns to the status quo. Nothing is done on the practice court to reflect the importance of having a resilient, strong and adaptable mindset during competition.

...in competition, the battle is fought against 

an opponent and also within one's own mind. 

Your ability to stay focused, composed, and confident during crucial moments can be the deciding factor between victory and defeat.

RESILIENCE UNDER PRESSURE:

At its essence, mental strength in tennis is the ability to handle pressure. As the stakes rise, making sound decisions and effectively executing your strategy is key to mental strength. Players who succumb to pressure easily will always struggle in competition to win matches.

Developing mental resilience is an ongoing process, it's a muscle that requires practice and self-reflection. Techniques such as visualisation, positive self-talk, and mindfulness can help you strengthen your mental game. 

A big part of being resilient in matches is having a high level of self-belief. I've met players who are great players but have low self belief. They don't believe that they are as good as they really are. I've also met players with very limited games but high levels of self-belief. Guess which player achieves the best results? 

To be resilient, you must believe you can get past the problems within a match and, eventually, navigate your way to victory.

ADAPTABILITY & FLEXIBILITY:

Tennis is dynamic, and players must adapt quickly to different situations and opponents. It is vital to adjust game plans, tactics, and strategies in response to each opponent and their strengths and weaknesses. 

Tennis is an open-skill sport, meaning that unpredictability will be present in every match. . Expecting predictable outcomes is only going to lead to frustration. 

Even the scoring in tennis is unique. You are continually asked to start over; even after winning a set 6-0, or a game to Love, you will be asked to start at 0-0 again. This type of scoring system demands that you are flexible in your thinking and can maintain your focus in the moment and not get too wrapped up in the scoreboard.

During his most dominant year, Noval Djokovic only won 54% of the points he played. That's an astonishing 47% points lost, even as the world number one. 

If you want to be successful in tennis, you 

need to get over negative events in a match quickly.

Being mentally flexible allows players to move on after a disappointment, giving them an edge over their opponents. It's normal to be disappointed, but the best players are able to get over disappointment quicker than others.

OVERCOMING OUTSIDE SITUATIONS:

In tennis, players often face external factors that can disrupt their focus and concentration. Weather conditions, crowd noise, decisions against them, or personal distractions can all impact performance. The mentally resilient player acknowledges these distractions but maintains their focus on the game, not allowing outside situations to affect their performance negatively.

Nobody likes injustice; sometimes, you can be the victim of something outside your control during a match. 

Perhaps sulking hurts competitive players more than any other mental issue. Players faced with an injustice during a match start to feel sorry for themselves, or they may be demonstrating to those watching the match how unfairly they've been treated. 

This period of sulking can last from 5 minutes or until the match's completion, depending on the player.

If you're serious about winning matches, you'll need to stop your 

sulking, or at best, limit feeling sorry for yourself to 5 seconds, 

then resume fighting.

THE ROLE OF STROKE MECHANICS AND FITNESS:

While stroke mechanics and physical fitness are undoubtedly important in tennis, they are not the sole determinants of success, particularly at the higher level.  A player with flawless technique and exceptional fitness is not guaranteed success. Without the mental skills mentioned here, no amount of technique or fitness will win you matches. However, combining technical, physical and mental attributes will set you apart as a great player.

Rafael Nadal is a player who has been able to 
bring his mental strength to the level of his
awesome game and incredible fitness 

CONCLUSION:

In tennis, mental strength is a crucial component of success. While stroke mechanics and fitness lay the foundation, the mentally resilient, strong, and adaptable players rise above the rest. By recognising the importance of the mental game and investing in its development, tennis players can unlock their full potential and achieve greater success on the court.