Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put it best when he said the key to winning a match is being “really, really strong in the head.” Now, this doesn’t mean that you should return serves with your skull, or replace the forehand with your forehead.

What he means is that, when you get to a certain skill level in tennis, like that found in the US Open, the physical differences aren’t all that pronounced.

It’s the mental strength and tennis strategy that separates the “Djokovics” (ranked no.1) from the non-Djokovics (…the rest).

Tsonga says, “My game, you know, is very good when I have nothing in my head, when I just play my game.” Again, this doesn’t mean he’s not thinking when he’s out there.

It just means that he’s not thinking about anything else but the game at hand. He’s being strong in the head and is mentally tough.  He’s ignoring that suspicious charge on his bank statement. He’s blocking out the show that he forgot to Tivo.

He’s ignoring the fan in the crowd with the really weird Flock of Seagulls haircut. He’s in Zen Tennis mode: Zennis Mode.

Even Novak Djokovic says, “There’s not much difference between No. 78 player  in the world and Nos. 2,3,1,5.” This is quite a statement, considering Novak IS number 1!

What does he mean exactly?  He’s talking about the fact that, physically, all of these stellar athletes (…Andy Roddick, Donald Young, John Isner, Serena Williams etc.)  are relatively around the same skill level. A slightly faster serve here, a slightly better ground stroke there; that’s it.

What separates Novak from his pursuers is his mastery of the mental game and tennis strategy. “It takes mental ability to handle the pressure, to play well at the right moments, and that’s why I think there is a certain difference with top-10 players,” says Novak.

When he’s on the court, all Djokovic is thinking about is the match and the tennis strategy needed to win it. He isn’t thinking about the charges he made with Tsonga’s bank card or the botched up backhand from the point before .

Now, to go even further, simply managing your mental game isn’t enough.  You must MASTER  it!  Like any physical muscle, you’ve got to keep working on your mental muscles.

Novak’s Thoughts On Mental Tennis Strategy…

Djokovic himself believes mental tennis strategy is the ticket, “I think mental strength is something you get over the years playing on the tour, getting experience, and using that experience in the right way.”

Like Novak, I believe the also best way to work those mental muscles out and achieve “Zennis” is by consistently competing.

Nadal’s Thoughts On Mental Tennis Strategy:

And this idea doesn’t stop with the face of Serbian and French tennis. It’s very well alive in Spain as well.  Rafael Nadal knows this as well as anybody.

He says, “If you watch the No.10 player in the world and the No.500 in training, you won’t necessarily be able to tell who is higher up in the rankings.  Without the pressure of competition, they’ll move and hit the ball much the same way.”

And here’s where it gets interesting.  Nadal and Djokovic squared off in Wimbledon earlier this year and you could easily see that the match wasn’t fought on the court so much as it was fought inside their frontal and posterior lobes.

Djokovic’s brain ended up winning, but you’d better believe that it took every last bit of gray matter to ensure the victory. And why not? After all, in tennis, Gray Matters!

Of course, it can be tough to keep the brain focused on the court, even when you’re winning. And if you’re losing, this is where it really helps to master mental strength (…or relaxation).

Wozniacki is living proof that your mental tennis strategy MUST be top notch:

Caroline Wozniacki is living proof of this concept. Her match against Svetlana Kuznetsova looked like a sure defeat at first; she was down 4-1 in the second set after losing the first set 6-7.

But Wozniacki is ranked number 1 for a good reason -  her “mental mojo.” And wouldn’t you know it, she started to remember the mental aspect of the game and came back to win 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 in a 3 hour comeback spectacular.

When asked how she managed to pull off this feat, she simply said what any child knows: “It’s important to stay positive. Tennis is a funny sport. You just have to keep going.”

Thus, Wozniaki became the little engine that DID! She isn’t necessarily stronger or faster than Kuznetsova, but she has the training and mental ability to play the right shot at the perfect time and relax (…rather than become tight) when things become overwhelming. Sure enough, she kept her no. 1 ranking and reminded us of why she’s on top.

So, as you’re watching the rest of the US Open and taking notes, pay attention to more than just the powerful strokes and pounding serves. Watch for the strategy and and critical mental tennis tactics being carefully executed.

After all, your mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Brian
TennisMindCamp

P.S. Check out our TMC Mental Strategy Secrets 101 (…19 H-OU-R-S of kick-butt tennis tips, tricks, and tennis strategy) and beef up your mental game like the big boys, so you can play like one of your favs at the US Open.

Mental Tennis King, Novak Djokovic, has had one of the most incredible seasons in the history of tennis.

Since July 4, when he upset Nadal for the Wimbledon win, he has been the world’s number one ranked player, hands (…and feet) down.

He’s the hottest thing to come out of Serbia since the creation of the fiery national dish of Ćevapčićis came about way back when.

Heck, he’s the most explosive thing to come out of Serbia since the Kosovo war.

But we’re not here to discuss the recipes of international cuisine or underlying causes international combat.

What we’re here to discuss is “INTERNAL combat” – the mental game – the constant battle between the player’s brain and body. For it is here that matches are truly won and lost. Raw talent is important, sure, but talent stays raw until the brain cooks it.

And if your brain isn’t cooking, then the raw talent will rot and start to stink horribly, worse the Zookeeper movie that released in 2011.

Anyhow, Djokovic is well on his way to one of the most impressive seasons we’ve ever seen, but he almost lost a very important match, one he should have dominated.

On Sunday he went up against Mardy Fish in one of the closest matches for either of the players this year. Fish was, shall we say, “fresh” on that day and ready to take on the top ranked player in the world.

But real (…take no prisoners) Djokovic came on late. The man who was filling in for Djokovic looked and sounded like Novak, but he definitely wasn’t the guy who royally slaughtered Nadal several weeks ago.

He also wasn’t the same Djokovic who took on Fish earlier this year and quickly destroyed him 6-3, 6-1. In this match, Djokovic took the first set but Fish came back, won the second set,  and tied Djokovic 2-2 in the third.

Fish was playing wonderfully up to that point. We jest a little with Djokovic, but in truth, he was up against a flying fish – covering the court with ease and executing awesome shot after awesome shot. Second though, Fish was performing more like a shark early in the game.

But then something happened. Maybe Fish started getting too excited about the possible upset. Maybe Djokovic entered that zen moment where he was unstoppable.

Either way, Fish got filleted pretty bad. Ouch! His serves were atrocious, and Djokovic ended up taking the final game 0-40. Fish was served that night – for dinner. But it didn’t have to be that way. What was it that caused Fish to fall apart and fall upon Novak’s massive hook at that crucial moment?

Can’t Forget About The Mental Tennis Queen, Miss Serena Williams

The same thing almost happened to  Serena Williams, the mental tennis queen. She was taking on Australian Samantha Stosur, a player who had beaten Williams before.

Stosur started out strong, matching Williams at every turn, determined not to be a shrimp on the barbie. The two were deadlocked 4-4 in the first set, and neither looked fatigued in the least bit.

They both wanted blood. And wouldn’t you know it, Stosur started out the ninth game very strongly.

She had the game at 40-15 and was no doubt getting ready to say “g’day mate” when Serena came back with an astonishing series of volleys that ended up giving her the important win.

Serena and Djokovic are two masters of the game and already legends in their own right. But they both came so close to defeat.

Sure, Stosur and Fish are extremely talented as well, but let’s face it. Few people thought these matches would be this close. Was it that Serena and Djokovic weren’t focused on their mental game as much as they should have been early on?

After all, they were clear favorites. And did they end up coming back and winning because they reclaimed that same mental game that has allowed them to have such success? I think so .

Oh.. And The Victims of Mental Tennis Royalty:

And how about Fish and Stosur? It seemed like they had the mental game down perfectly, but both floundered at the end, going belly up.

This is understandable, considering that the highest pressure comes during these do-or-die moments, when competition is at its stiffest.

It isn’t easy to keep your head in the game when the stakes get that high, but you’ll find time and again that the champions are the ones who can manage this tightrope without falling over.

For more interesting stories involving Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, click on their respective names.

Oh, and for more tips on mental tennis, click here.

Have a great day, and an even better game,

Brian
TennisMindCamp

There are some players who have that natural, innate skill that makes them perfect candidates for tennis superstardom. There are others who lack a natural ability but have achieved major tennis skills because of their hard work and dedication. Guess what, though? Both of these types of player still have the opportunity to fail. Sucks, huh?

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.

Right now you might be thinking, “Wow, what a revolutionary idea! Hard work and practice makes me better at tennis?!? What other nuggets of wisdom do you got stored up in there, Brian? The recipe for ice cream soup, perhaps haha?” Well, if you let me finish, you might learn something, junior. Effort is the backbone of skill.

The best tennis pro in the world could lose to an inferior player if that player has a lot of heart and the one who is expected to win isn’t giving it his or her all. Haven’t you ever seen The Mighty Ducks?

Basically, the point is to give it your all each and every time you’re on the court. Sure, you may just be playing a pickup game for fun, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t consistently challenge yourself!

Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that you should be busting your fuzzy yellow balls if you’re nursing an injury. Depending on the severity, you may not want to be within twenty yards of a net, service box, or sideline. Take some time and spend it with your bed, instead. Oh yes, there are going to be times when you may want to relax.

To put it simply, lets just say this: When you’re on the court with the intention of “training”, “practice”, or any type of instruction, don’t allow yourself to “take it easy”, “relax”, or whatever you want to call that. Whether you got to your skill level with hard work or natural-born talent, remember that stagnancy happens to the best of us, and it is often that trait that marks the worst of us.

So how can you ensure that you give it your “all” each and every time you step on the court? Here are a few quick and easy guidelines you can use to keep you on your toes.

1: No Excuses: This is an easy enough one to follow. There are plenty of reasons why you may have missed that serve or shanked that backhand, but 7 times out of 10, it’s because of something you did incorrectly. Make sure that you realize that and don’t blame it on external things like the weather, the racket, or not having the right shoes. By taking responsibility, you’ll subconsciously begin to play better before you know it.

2: No Mediocrity: This is in line with what we’ve discussed above. Remember to never be satisfied with a decent return or an “okay” volley. Be happy you made it over the net but don’t be comfortable with it, you know what I mean? Make sure not to pat yourself too hard on the back if you don’t deserve anything more than a light tap or a quick “good job.”

3: Reward Yourself When You Earn It: On the flip side, make sure that your back is patted when it is warranted. If you broke through a previously un-reached barrier or accomplished a goal, by all means get loud and happy about it! Don’t dwell on it too long, though. Accept that there are always new goals and barriers on the horizon.

4: Vary Your Routine: This accomplishes a few things. For one, you’re less likely to get bored and will therefore be less likely to reach a plateau. Also, switching up practices and lessons will help you set and meet different goals at different times. If you try day in and day out to achieve an unrealistic goal, you may quickly lose hope and desire and tire of the chase.

On the other hand, if you have several small “attainable” goals spread out in different areas, you will see encouragement and motivation skyrocket as you reach these goals with ease and fun (…the most important thing).

These 4 mental strategies should definitely make tennis fun again. You have my word.

Have a good one guys!

- Brian

Do you know a tennis player in your area who is at the same level you are and has the same skill set that you do (…same strokes, same level of experience), but you’re terrified about facing him because you’ve been beaten by him the last few times in a row and fear that he might defeat you again… giving you an even bigger headache than before?

I mean, even though you’re virtually the same in every aspect like health, athletic ability, and overall game, one frustrating question is continuously swirling around in your brain and seems like it’ll never go away; “Why Can’t I Beat Him… EVER?

I bet you probably start to feel that you’re probably  just deficient in some unknown regard. And it’s killing you because you have no clue on how to fix it.  And then doubt sets in, and you begin to just accept that you can’t stand up to that particular opponent, am I right?

You start to avoid matches with them and even pretend you don’t see them when they show up on the court so they have no chance to say those words that make you cringe… “Hey, wanna play?” Why?

Because you already perceive what the outcome is going to be, a LOSS! And you don’t want to be put through that type of embarrassment anymore. I mean, who would?

But hey, don’t get too down on yourself. You’re not alone. This is a typical situation faced by literally every tennis player that has swung a racket.

In fact, I’ve witnessed the same thing myself and that’s why I can easily understand how you’re feeling. You want to know why this is happening to you? YOUR MIND IS OUT OF CONTROL. Let me explain.

A while back, I was the top players at one of the earlier tennis clubs I was a member of… until a friend of mine decided he wanted in too. We were both equal in skill and had almost the same number of wins under our belts.

When we first started playing, I lost a couple matches against him (…back to back). At that point, Randy was promoted to the top position on the team. Yea, my spot!

That really started to eat at me. I mean, I was top dog, then I dropped to #2 faster than I could blink my eye. I then started to doubt myself and even thought about leaving for another club across town or even in another state. An athlete’s ego is fragile haha, especially when you’re as competitive as you and me.

But no, I didn’t leave. I stuck with it, hoping it would get better. But in our next meeting, I started to make tons of mistakes that even more than before. As you can imagine, I got REALLY bummed out, and incredibly frustrated.

I really don’t like to lose. I actually despise it. So, I had to do something to change it and start winning again. After all, I couldn’t just sit there and do what I’d been doing and expect something different to happen. That’d be insane

So after a couple days of some intense thinking, I realized that the problem didn’t have anything to do with my strokes at all.

It was all happening between my ears. I was giving Randy the victory before we even stepped foot on the court. I was thinking too much about things that didn’t matter like past matches I lost against him, and how embarrassed I ‘d feel if I lost AGAIN, how awful it would be to see his stupid face grinning back at me at the end, and God forbid, I drop to #3!!!!

At first, I thought that highlighting those ideas would light a fire under me and give me the extra push to do better, but all it did was disturb my mental stability and decrease my confidence level. Why?

Because I was playing, hoping NOT TO LOSE instead of unleashing the killer instinct to WIN! When you do that, your anxiety level skyrockets. My body and muscles were tight before I even hit my first ball. This was the reason I was making so many stupid “unforced” errors.

But once I understood the problem, that I was focusing too much on him and NOT on the game, it helped me to turn things around pretty fast.

In my next match with him, I tried directing my focus to any and everything except my opponent: the ball, my racket, my shoes, the sidelines, anything but him. I didn’t want him in my thoughts at all, because it could trigger a response that I definitely needed to keep under wraps.

Without a doubt, it was mentally exhausting, but it definitely did the job. This approach helped me a lot as I wasn’t focusing my attention on him anymore.

I instead was more focused on my game,  the ball, its movements, my overall court coverage and my shot selection.

The idea is to de-clutter and eliminate the space occupied by your opponent and how badly you want to beat him by re-directing your internal energy on things that won’t distract you.

You’re there to play the points – one point at a time. The only portion of your opponent you should be focusing on are his weaknesses and figuring out a way to destroy and exploit them blow by blow. Or I should say stroke by stroke.

This seemed to solve my problem and I actually won that match 6-1, 6-3! We played a couple of matches after that, and there were few that I won and a few which I lost.

But this time, I only lost the match because he was just playing better. Maybe luck was on his side or maybe it wasn’t my day. However,  I didn’t lose any of the matches because I was busy worrying whether I would win or loose against my opponent.

You should take this approach whenever you face a similar problem. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a tennis player, boxer, wrestler or chess player; just remember that everything lies in your mind. You have to have full control on your emotions by:

So yea, focus on what matters, you playing well and executing what you’ve worked on in practice. Do this from the first  point to the last point, and you’ll achieve great results.  And don’t get upset if he hits an incredible shot from time to time.

Look at it this way, this player makes you nervous and uneasy to start with right? So you’ll already be on edge. These 4 strategies above will help you keep your cool and will help strengthen your emotional control.

And once you have full control over all your emotions, then it won’t matter if your partner is on the same level as you or even “better” then you. You’ll be able to give yourself a fighting chance every single time!

Remember, it’s not just about physical strength or mechanics; every match is a mind game! What do they say? It’s the inside that counts… wink . Exactly!

Have a great day and an even BETTER game.

Brian Hall,

Your Tennis Mind Coach