I’m going to get straight to the point with this one, because it’s extremely important.

Confidence is one of those things you MUST have if you want to win. It’s that simple. Deep down inside, you MUST feel that you can take on any opponent at any given time. Oh yes, I said *ANY* opponent, and I mean it .

A player who isn’t confident in himself has a high probability of losing the match even before the first ball is hit. So how do obtain this feeling? Well, confidence is generated by your complete mastery of your technique. This means practice and more practice. Aren’t you excited? Before you ask… Nope, there are no shortcuts.

You have to master your strategy and technique. Why? The biggest reason for your lack of confidence is due to your uncertainty. You’re very unsure, and many times, outright lost out there on the court. If you had your strategy down pat, you’d have the necessary tools to guide you in making the right decisions throughout each match you play.

But when you’re clueless and very uncertain, your muscles tense up, your brain cramps up, and fear and frustration set in. Because let’s face it, no one likes to look like they don’t know what they’re doing out there. It’s a part of human nature.

Now, the only way to cure that bug is practice and repetition. And repetition is the mother of skill. But I’m going to be honest with you, getting the motions, movements, and techniques that work best for YOUR individual game plan is going to take some time.

But once you’ve done this, you’ll be prepared for anything. No more uncertainty, and the possibility of surprises out there during the match will be virtually zero. The only person that’ll be surprised out there is the guy on the other side of the net.

Oh and there’s more, when you have a high level of confidence in what you have learned and practiced, it will not only show in your your results but it’ll also show in your movement and body language as well.

Your poise, coolness and ability to clearly show that feeling on your face and in your posture will cause your opponent to really take a step back and say “Wow, this guy must really be good.”

And even if you don’t have a strong enough skill set just yet to beat your opponent outright, that’s completely fine. He’ll certainly think you do. And either way, you’ve just acquired a tremendous psychological advantage. And we all know, when you have the player’s mind in your hands, the victory should soon follow.

My advice to you is this. If you want to excel in tennis and build up your mental tennis game, don’t try to act confident. Instead, be confident by putting a lot of elbow grease in your practice and endurance workouts. And you’ll definitely reap the benefits.

- Brian

TennisMindCamp

Story provided by ESPN.com -

VINA DEL MAR, Chile — Fernando Gonzalez will defend his home title in the Movistar Open after defeating qualifier Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals Saturday night.

Gonzalez will play for his fourth Movistar title in his sixth home final.

“I’m playing better and better every day,” he said. “I feel super well and confident for tomorrow, but if Acasuso beats me (Sunday), I know the cup will still be in good hands.”

Gonzalez beat Cuevas in the semifinals for the second straight year, this time in convincing fashion. After one break decided the first set, he broke twice to lead 4-0 in the second when he appeared to be angry at Cuevas for hitting him in the back.

It will be the 22nd final on the ATP Tour for Gonzalez, who’s 7-2 against Acasuso. Gonzalez has won 10 titles, including Vina del Mar in 2002, ’04 and ’08.

After losing the first set, Acasuso broke Robredo’s serve twice to force a third set. The Argentine, who didn’t play last month because of a right shoulder injury, then broke second-seeded Robredo for the match after more than two hours, evening their career matchups at 3-3.

“It was a very hard match, as it always is when I play Robredo,” Acasuso said. “I’m very happy because this was my first tournament this year and it’s proving to be a very good start.”

The final will be his 11th on the tour. His third and most recent title was here three years ago.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press