Great men’s final yesterday, wasn’t it?  Now, even though many of us kind of expected Federer to take it,  Andy still had a great chance believe it or not, to win this match and take claim to his first grand slam victory.

Oh yea,  he could ‘ve very well done it, if he would’ve handled the nerves better and avoided the 4 mental mistakes below.

Check em out to make sure you can avoid them too in your next match…

Hey guys,

Ever been behind before, and you felt there was no coming back? Trick question, I know.  We’ve all been there. But only a few of us are actually able to get out of it, and turn things around.

How did Venus Williams comeback from dropping a set this past weekend? How did Peyton Manning regroup and get the win after it looked like they we’re done before halftime started? Why is that?

Well, as with most things, it starts in your mind. When you feel a match starting to turn into the other opponent’s favor (…like you going down a break or lose a string of points all together), you tend to mentally panic.

You don’t like the fact that the much needed control is leaving you. And almost immediately, you see the “whole” match flashing before your eyes…

One of the things that plague players and keep them from seeing success on the court is trying to  be too perfect. Now, usually when I tell that to players, they look at me weird at first. And you probably are too 8-).

But hey, don’t get me wrong.  Trying to “attain” is perfection is a great thing. Ya know, you do want to show extreme hunger and try to get better every chance you get.

Now let me ask you a question… Have you’ve ever played a match against an opponent who isn’t a power-monger and doesn’t really hit the ball hard, but his game still makes you feel rushed and off balance?

Well, if so, your opponent hitting the ball on the rise is probably one of the biggest reasons why you felt so uncomfortable.  And as the famous quote says,  “Success imitates Success.”

So if you want to make your  next opponent uncomfortable without having to put more on your stroke  and widen your margin for error at the same time, then I suggest you start doing it too.

Sure it’s ok to have great mechanics. And yea, it’s even better have sound strategy, but the ability and the willingness to push yourself to the limits is one of the biggest difference makers in the sport today.

The winning players, they’re hungry for it. And they’ll do anything in their power to get it.

You see this in the way players like Andy Roddick and “Raffa” Nadal go after every single ball like it was their last.  They DON’T QUIT!

Have you ever come into a match and just sort of “gone with the flow?” You know -  “letting the game come to you.” Now if you have, and you lost the match in the process, that quote was probably a big part of it.  And to be honest, I really don’t like that quote at all.

It’s trying to convey the message of “not forcing. But it’s really unclear and pretty vague. And it tends to lead a lot of players in the wrong direction. They end up taking it too far and then find themselves being too passive.  As a result, a lot of players…

Showing your excitement is a great thing… AFTER THE MATCH. That’s right, during a match, I recommend you put a lid on it and don’t let the world see your insides. You need to control them and keep them under wraps.

A great way to regulate and control your emotions during a match is to show no reaction at the end of a point. That’s right, keep your eyes on the prize so to speak, the win…

People who have god-given skill usually get big-headed and don’t keep up their practice and skill-building. They’ll never reach their full potential and will eventually sit stagnant in a pool of their own smugness.

Those who bust their own chops in order to get better and better sometimes get bogged down in a routine, become bored and similarly let themselves taper off in their practice, reaching a plateau from which they may never rise any higher.

So how do we avoid becoming one of these terrible examples? No, the answer isn’t steroids; it’s consistent, dedicated, hard work day in and day out…