Tennis Psychology

You can beat the player who has your number. Here's how.

Everyone has a nemesis. He or she is your equal in terms of skills, and you have similar records against other opponents. Somehow, though, your nemesis manages to come out ahead in your matches. There’s no way you should lose every time, but you do, and it makes you doubt yourself. Maybe you have some mental flaw, perhaps a character weakness? Soon you don’t want to play against this person, because both of you know who’s going to win, and it’s not you.

Knowing the problem is largely in your head makes it devastating. Fortunately, there is a solution. You have to realise that you have to replace your lack of confidence with emotional discipline.
Never look at your opponent, but rather force yourself to look at the ball continuously, and to divert your mind from the score by mechanically repeating, over and over, “Watch the ball.” It can be mentally draining, but effective.

You can take a similar approach to beating the player who has your number. First, narrow your focus. Between points, keep your eyes on your strings, the ball, your feet or anything neutral nearby. The objective is to stop thinking about your opponent by concentrating on things that won’t trigger negative or distracting responses.

Second, vow to have no emotional reaction to a lost point, no matter how silly the error or great your opponent’s shot. This player makes you afraid and uncertain to begin with, so you’ll have a propensity to get emotional. Be wary and fight it.

Finally, force thoughts about the score and winning the match out of your mind. This is difficult, of course, but try to think of ways to execute your shots and game plan. For example, tell yourself to watch the ball, keep your weight forward, or stay loose. The rituals may vary, but it’s best to keep them simple and unemotional. When thoughts about winning or the score intrude, shove them aside and return to your rituals. Sticking to this tactic for an entire match will take discipline and effort, but the results will be worth it.

This isn’t always going to guarantee results but it will at least make sure you focus on your own game and if you lose it could be that your opponent is just better than you.