Tennis is a particularly challenging and stressful sport, not to say that it is more so than other sports, however it has a long list of events that are rarely manageable by a tennis player unless he or she has developed a system to master them and use them in his or her favor to put his or her opponent on edge.
What are these stress-generating events:
- The match does not have a defined duration and over three sets can exceed even three hours if it is very hard-fought.
- Most points are played in a short time and, therefore, in a matter of seconds the point is won or lost. This situation is repeated more than 100 times.
- Each point is followed by a 25-second pause. 100 points, 100 pauses. It is a useful time to think and reduce stress but if it is mishandled it is enough to screw up mentally.
- The purpose of the match is to dominate the opponent and it can happen that the tennis player does not know how to express this mindset.
- It is a sport based on quickness in movement and this is done through athletic fitness but also through mental work done on the court to keep active at all times and send this input to the body.
- The one who makes the least mistakes wins, especially the one who avoids trivial mistakes, called free errors.
- As long as you do not miss the last point, it is possible to reverse the outcome of the match in your favor. Too often the player does not believe in this possibility and consequently does not take advantage of it.
- Knowing how to handle one’s mistakes, without getting depressed or becoming impulsive, is crucial. Encouraging yourself continuously during the match is very important.
- You need to have a game plan but also know what to do when you are struggling.
- Serving is a precision skill so are penalty kicks, free throws or serving in volleyball, you need to have automatized a personal routine allowing you to use this action in the best way.
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