Being “Match Tough”
Mentally tough tennis players show a winning attitude from the very beginning of a match, and it does not go unnoticed by the opponent. If you are to be mentally tough and ready to take charge of your match, then it is time to finish your opponent off when you notice their weaknesses.
Four ways to take mental control:
1. Your opponent is feeling weak about his serve, move up and stand near the service line when you receive. Your opponent will know that you sense his fear about his weak serve.
2. Whenever you are the recipient of a net-cord winner, do not lose the next point carelessly.
3. When the net man misses a poach off your partner’s return, hit your next return at him because he might be concerned with his previous mistake and miss again.
4. If you see that an opponent lacks confidence, play most of your shots at him.
Mental Tactics
These tactics are not wrong or unethical. They are strategies for gaining mental superiority over your opponents. 65 percent of tennis is mental, then your ability to dominate mentally is actually more important than your strokes themselves.
Practice Mental Toughness
Being mentally tough does takes practice. You must compete under pressure and experience that stress. While you can practice your strokes by drilling in a no stress atmosphere, mental toughness is the one part of your game that can only be practiced under pressure. The saying “I want to be match tough” is what you are striving to become, you want to be able to close that match out when times get tough. Then you know that you have become mentally tough on the tennis court.
