Have you had a tennis match when you absolutely dominated in the first set, and then lost all the other sets?
Chances are, at the start of that match you were focused and played well, until something got you frustrated.
It could have been anything – a bad call from the ref, you missed an easy shot or your opponent just kept getting everything back (how annoying is that sometimes).
And it all went downhill from there.
Poor mindset = poor performance
This happens because at this level of tennis we are not taught how important the mental game really is.
Under pressure, our performance defaults to the state of our training.
There isn’t time to think ahead and plan how to put your best foot forward so we need to have a well-trained “autopilot”.
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus
Most players don’t train their mindset (like you would train a muscle) and when put under pressure their mindset defaults to whatever there is – usually overconfidence, frustration, anxiety or hopelessness.
Players get frustrated on court and start losing easy points.
Some people overthink and try to micromanage their shots and tactics, which makes them play even worse.
There are also some players with good technique who lack self confidence during competition, get nervous and make a lot of unforced errors.
A few years ago my own motivation and mental game was unpredictable from match to match.
I remember playing an older guy who I (initially) thought I would beat in under an hour.
Soon after we got into the game it became obvious that his style was sheer consistency.
No matter where I placed the ball, he seemed to get it just in time.
His returns weren’t powerful, but it kept him (annoyingly) in the game.
After a while I started getting pretty pissed with this consistency.
I got more aggressive and impatient with my shots, putting a lot of them out and into the net.
Guess what?
The guy beat me 6-3 6-1 (that competition was played best of 3 sets), although I played decent tennis and was at least 30 years younger!
Later, I found out he was a marathon runner, making it pretty clear how he could keep up.
The moral of the story is that I got frustrated, didn’t know how to recover mentally and that cost me a match.
There were other similar instances, which I will spare for the sake of brevity.
So I researched ways to improve my mindset by watching a ton of videos and reading books.
One of the best tennis mindset books I’ve read was The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey (some of the ideas in this guide are adapted from his work).
Another success mindset classic is Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins, which is a hefty tome but definitely worth a read.
I also observed myself and other players during matches to find out the 20% of things to improve that would get me 80% of the result, which you can learn about here: Elevate Your Tennis With This Proven 1-Hour Drill
Improve your mindset, improve your game
“Success in life is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics” – Tony Robbins
Improving my mental game helped with pre-match anxiety, regardless of who my opponent is (even though I lost to them several times in a row before).
It also helped stay in the zone of calm focus during the game, no matter what happens.
By having a solid mental game you can win more matches and get much more enjoyment out of tennis.
Building up a new mindset takes time, but not as much time as you might think.
Yes, our brain is change-averse to conserve precious energy – after all, it accounts for 20% of our daily energy consumption. [1]
Change is uncertain (read: potentially dangerous, as far as the brain sees it) and it takes energy to replace old neural connections with new ones.
But the key to overcoming this is consistency – build the habit bit by bit, and over time you will fully internalise this new mindset of winning.
The winning mindset for club tennis
My system is made up of two parts: the mindset and the rituals.
The mindset is an array of favourable thoughts and beliefs about your game, primarily focused on removing tension and emotional attachment, while believing in yourself.
The rituals are a set of subtle actions performed on court that give you a quick path back to the good mental state.
The Mindset
1 Excessive effort hurts your game
You need to focus on the ball and the flow of the game, not the technique, positioning or what your opponent is up to.
Your body knows what to do, give yourself space and don’t micromanage every shot.
Overwhelming amounts of outer (spectators/coaches) and inner (self talk) commands make you play worse.
Focus on the flow of the game and trust your intuition to make the best judgement (this works like magic).
2 You’re a scientist collecting data
Every lost point/game/match is just another piece of valuable data for your analysis.
The only way to get better at tennis and win more matches is through experience, and that often involves losing.
3 Don’t judge yourself
There are two parts of “you” – “you-body” and “you-mind”.
When “you-body” misses a shot or gets tired, “you-mind” is quick to judge.
This results in negative thoughts and is then reflected on a physical level as more mistakes.
Best approach is to trust “you-body” and let yourself play as well as you can (remember what Archilochus said).
4 Respect “you-body”
Every successful shot is a miracle of coordination between your sensors, brain, joints and muscles.
Congratulate yourself mentally for every successful shot.
Keep it humble though – a “pat on the back” rather than “popping the champagne” (you don’t want to get overconfident).
5 Be present in the now
You can literally forget about the score, the past and the future and focus on winning the current point.
Treat every new point is a fresh start and you will pave your way to victory one stone at a time.
6 Your opponent is not a friend or a foe
Your opponent helps you determine the level of your game.
Think of them like a wave you want to surf – the larger the wave, the more skill you need as a surfer to ride it.
If the wave is too large – don’t get frustrated with it.
Simply take notes on what you need to improve to be able to ride it later.
7 Everyone has their own motivation to be on the court
Mine is to get good physical and mental exercise, the joy of winning and the fun unpredictability of the game.
Find yours and remember why you are here.
If you just enjoy the rush of tennis then winning every game in the season suddenly doesn’t seem as important.
The Rituals
1 Focus on the ball to play “in the zone”
This requires monomaniacal concentration on that yellow dot at all times.
Keeping your eyes locked on the ball gives a target to your brain, which then orchestrates the musculoskeletal system to perform the physical action of hitting it.
After some time it starts to feel like a meditation, you become more intuitive and your level of tennis skyrockets.
If you were to take away only one tip from this guide, make it this one.
2 Have an intent to attack the ball
This feels like an invisible string or tense connection between your forehead (third eye) and solar plexus.
You can think of this as your mind and heart tuning into the same wavelength of a unified intention to hit the ball.
In contrast, you may know in your heart that you can hit the ball very well but your mind has doubts and the result is a poor shot.
Your whole being should be aligned (in a way) on a singular intent to attack the ball with confidence and determination.
3 Stand with calm readiness when receiving a serve
This exudes confidence to yourself (most importantly) and to your opponent.
Remember that being locked up with fear or anxiety of an incoming serve tightens your muscles and literally restricts your movement, making you play worse.
When you are in a well positioned but relaxed stance, you’re ready to take on any serve with confidence and control.
As Tony Robbins writes in How To Reset Your Mind And Mood:
“Your body language sends signals to your brain about how you’re feeling and operating. If you have poor posture, it only lends itself to poor emotions or a negative state. Good posture and alertness produce a more positive state and are key to how to change your mood.”
4 Use incantations to program your brain
You need to tell your brain what you want it to do well.
For example, if you are serving, you can say to yourself three times “I am focusing on a perfect serve” as you walk back to the back line.
Telling yourself what you expect of yourself gives a clear program to your brain for processing and actioning.
This is a quick version of Intention Setting described in the Winning Pre-Match Tennis Routine guide.
5 Restore focus and get rid of emotions (whether good or bad)
We are emotional beings by nature, but emotions can get in the way of great performance on court.
Here’s a sequence of imaginary rooms that you mentally walk through, as you walk back to your position or during a break.
Bathroom – here you wash off (shower) or flush (loo) anything that happened during the last point. Whether you hit a massive winner, or lost a very frustrating point, you need to get rid of any associated emotions. You will perform best with a cool head.
Lounge – imagine yourself in the most relaxing room in your house on a sofa or in an armchair. Give your mind and body a quick break by deeply inhaling and slowly exhaling.
Office – here you create an action plan for the next point. What tactic will you use? Does your opponent have a weakness you can exploit? Make a quick plan now so you’re not distracted during the game.
Hallway – once you’ve washed off the emotions, had time to relax and come up with a battle plan, now is the time to walk out on court in confidence. Back straight, shoulders wide, chest high – you need to exude confidence to yourself and to your opponent. You mean business.
Here’s an awesome video that goes through the whole process.
Wrapping up
Using this system of mindsets and rituals will help you immensely on the court.
You will become more confident and in control, while giving yourself “breathing room” to play at the best possible level.
And guess what?
The better you play, the more you win.
Here’s to your new mindset!
What mindsets help you win? Do you have a favourite ritual to get yourself back on track mentally? What’s the weirdest ritual you’ve seen someone else use?
References
[1] Baumann O. How Much Energy Do We Expend Using Our Brains? [Published 2024 April 12]. In: Bond University News [Internet]. Gold Coast (QLD): Bond University; 2024 April-. Available from: https://bond.edu.au/news/how-much-energy-do-we-expend-using-our-brains.