Tennis has many challenges, and from playing for 15 years, I have seen, experienced, and obsessed over them all. Tennis is one of those games that's not all about the athleticism, it's about becoming mentally and physically tough to overcome all of the obstacles you may face on the tennis court.
1. Overcoming the fear of losing.
Before my match even starts, as a player, I am preparing for what my opponent is going to try to do. I have to prepare myself to focus on her during the warm-up. Is she going to volley a lot? How good is her serve? Does she have a better forehand or backhand? Sitting there wondering what kind of shot she is going to hit when she returns my first serve or wondering if she'll be able to clench the game point of deuce easily is unbelievably strenuous on your fear of losing. A lot of the game of tennis is unknown. You don't know if your opponent will hit a good shot, or make it to that short crosscourt shot. I have had to accept the fact that I will lose, but all that I focus on is if I tried my best or not.
2. Anxiety and pressure.
When you're in a long match against a tough rival, it's 80 degrees out, your team and parents are at the fence watching you, and you're almost out of energy, there's a whole lot of pressure on you. Most of the time it's like you know you're capable of winning, but your mind gets in the way. Thought after thought about what's going to happen with your team record when you lose or how mad your mom is going to be come rushing into your head as you're about to return the serve at 40-40 deuce, match point. A lot of the fear of losing and the anxiety and pressure comes from the consequences of losing the tennis match, not exactly the present thought of losing the point, game, or match.
Make sure you have fun. Tennis is a sport you should always love.
3. Playing a pusher.
If you're a tennis player, and you've played your fair share of pushers, I give you tons of credit. We all know that pushers don't exist in the professional arena, but growing up and playing a pusher in your high school season was absolutely the worst. The dreaded pusher is a player who lobs back almost every shot, who doesn't have a lot of pace, but has extreme consistency. They are miserable to play against. But I also give you pushers out there credit for making me a better player. I've had to become more consistent myself, and be patient in order to win against you. I have had to find my own set of tactics to use against all of you pushers. So I guess I should say thank you for helping me improve, but I still hate running into you on the court.
4. How to stop losing to the same opponent.
There is something about meeting the same opponent every tournament that really grinds my gears. My junior year of high school, I played an old teammate of mine 3 times before I could finally beat her. The anxiety of playing an old friend so many times and not being able to clench out a win totally ate me alive. But, once I told myself I was a better player than that, I met her in the finals of a conference tournament and finally won.
5. Not being able to play the same way you do in practice.
How many times have you thought to yourself: "I wish I could play this match as well as I can play in practice..."
This is so common in competitive tennis and is also one of the biggest obstacles. I have had to understand WHY this happens to me. Why my performance at practice can be so much better than my performance in a match. I have realized that my main issue is caring. When I'm practicing I don't care if I miss an occasional shot or make a mistake here and there, but in a match, I care too much and worry every time I make a mistake. In practice, there are no major consequences or no negative outcomes, but in a match, there are so many consequences of losing. I have had to practice as if I am playing a match and approach all practice drills with total commitment. This gets me in the constant mindset of focusing my strokes and having 100% commitment to my game.
Throughout the game of tennis as a high school and now college player, I have found one thing I am trying to achieve: blocking negative outcomes and thoughts from my mind. When I am relaxed and playing tennis the way I know how to play, I do so much better. I have dealt with my fears and have found time to focus on the mental portion of my game. I encourage all players out there to stride towards becoming mentally tough and keep up the good work.
