I think we all learned a valuable lesson today that Andy Roddick, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe  have already lived and learned from many times over. It’s better to keep our mouths shut when we get upset, because it could really cost us.

When you see something happen to you during a match that you don’t agree with like a bad line call, the possibility of your opponent quick-serving you etc, you have to do your best to remain calm.

Because if you allow yourself to explode mentally, then you may have just given away a game, set, match, or even the possibility of a Grand Slam Championship!

Now, I know don’t need to tell YOU how important it is to stay relaxed out there on the court after what we saw today. Defending champion and hometown favorite, Serena Williams, was charged with a point penalty in the worst possible situation, on match point.

The reason for the deduction was because Serena lost her cool and began screaming emphatically at a line judge for a calling a foot fault on her 1st serve. And the point that this happened on couldn’t have been any more significant. The ruling gave Kim Clijsters a 6-4, 7-5 victory!

Now to Serena’s credit, the initial foot fault that started all this comotion was a horrible call.  In my book,  that is the wrong call at the end of any match, let alone in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. This isn’t because a foot fault is a ridiculous call at that this stage of a match (even though it is ). It’s because it wasn’t even a foot fault.

The TV replays showed that Serena’s foot was definitely behind the line when she served. Many would even say that it was close but not close enough to make the call.

That being said, both you, I, and Serena knows it’s wrong to verbally antagonize and chastize an official. Even as blatantly “off the mark” as the official may have been, there’s a line that should never be crossed and Serena did it pretty early on by saying, “I’m going to shove this ball down your f—— throat”.

If you were watching the match, you could also say that Serena probably would have lost the match even without the foot fault call. Clijsters was playing some unbelievable tennis and Serena couldn’t win a point on her second serve to save her life.

Serena’s impact was gradually depleting and her game going out of commission.  But when she threw a terrible tennis tantrum, she slammed her hand down on the  self-destruct button .

This shows you that if you want to succeed in this game, you have to control your emotions.  It always starts from the inside… out in tennis. If the mind is unstable, then your results and winning percentage will plummet.

I know this isn’t easy, especially if it’s match point in one of the most important matches of your life. So, I’ve created a cheat sheet to help you cope and avoid a mental break down in one of your matches no matter the circumstances. (Check them out below)

4 Steps To Handling Bad Calls

Step 1. Understand that they do happen. Honest mistakes are made. Sometimes your opponent may miss one or two. If it was a close call, it’ll be tough, but just let it go. A lot of times, one point isn’t going to decide whether you walk home with the trophy or not. And those things usually find a way of balancing themselves out anyway.

Step 2. If it becomes a pattern and he seems to be consistently “hooking” you or it’s a very big point, don’t blow a gasket. That’d be helping your opponent more than anything. You’d be surprised at how quickly the tables can turn if you allow your emotions to run wild.

Step 3. Take a couple long deep breaths and allow yourself to get your mind and body centered once again. You want to do this asap, before your anxiety shoots through the roof, because once it blows, it’s very difficult to bring back down.

Step 4. Once you’ve calmed down, remind yourself to stay aggressive and that you’re the one in control. Many times, the reason for bad calls that are intentional is because your opponent knows you have him on the ropes, and is terrified. So, don’t ease back into the game. Lay your foot on the gas, and really take it to him (…or her), and you’ll be in great shape!

Enjoy the rest of the Open…

Brian, Your Tennis Coach