Do You Close Out Your Matches With Confidence. Or Do You Choke On The Verge Of Success?…
It can be tough being a competitive tennis player. You probably have lots of natural ability. Everyone tells you how good you are, on your day. You know yourself that you are good. And you also know, that you should be challenging for titles and trophies.
But time and again, your performances just don’t match that ability. And the more frustrated you become, the worse it seems to get!
Do You Recognise This mtch Scenario?
You have your opponent on the ropes. Its your serve. This for the match. Just hold your nerve and you’ll be off the court in five minutes. A cool drink. A shower. Then time to reflect on a job well done. Or so you think.
Next thing you know, you’ve lost serve and they have momentum. From a match that you had in your grasp, you’re now struggling to think straight. What has happened?
You probably started to feel tense. Feel sweat on your palms. Sense your breathing getting shallow. Why? Because you didn’t believe that you could win. Didn’t believe that if you carried on doing what you were doing, the match was yours for the taking. Or maybe you have simply forgotten how to win.
Don’t be too down on yourself, if you find it tough to close out matches. When you’ve done all the hard work to get into a winning position, then suddenly find yourself losing a game, that was yours to win. Closing out matches is a habit. And a habit I will show you how to develop.
Choking is when a player who performs well in practice, is unable to perform anywhere near the same level in competition. It can also apply to a player who can play well in matches when there is little or no pressure, but chokes when faced with match situations that have more pressure.
Typically players who choke become so nervous and filled with anxiety that they lose all “feel” for the ball. Feelings of self-doubt and anxiety set in, and performance levels drop.
The first thing to realize is that choking is a mental problem. And your ability to take your “practice game” to the court, is critical if you want to be successful.
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There is nothing more frustrating than losing to players, with far less talent than you have. With each defeat, your confidence worsens. You start to get tense on critical points. Your timing starts to go, as you overhit everything. And the more mistakes, you make, the more frustrated you become. Sound familiar?
A run of defeats, can feel like they will never end. You may have forgotten what it feels like to be successful. The harder you try, the worse it seems to get. Frustration eats away at you. You know that you have the talent. It just isn’t being matched by achievement.
But beneath the feelings of uncertainty, there is a confident tennis player, desperate to breakthrough. Maybe now is the time, to break out of the lock of under-performance, blame and anxiety?
My tennis psychology will help you overcome the doubts, and rebuild your tennis confidence. Within days, you will be closing out matches, that you deserve to win.
Remember – As a Tennis Psychologist, I understand why we lose confidence, and more importantly how to get it back.
Here's a list of reasons why a tennis player might lose confidence:
Consecutive losses or a losing streak
A significant defeat to a lower-ranked opponent
Injury or returning from injury
Technical issues with a particular stroke (e.g., serving yips)
Pressure from high expectations (personal, coach, or public)
Negative self-talk or overthinking during matches
Poor performance in important tournaments or matches
Inconsistent training or preparation
Changes in coaching or support team
Difficulty adapting to new equipment or playing surfaces