The LA Women’s Tennis Championship was amazing, wasn’t it? There was some amazing tennis being played!

There were tie-breakers, match points saved, break points saved, ball crunching serves, and wonderful fans all over. It was quite amazing, and I had a lot of fun.

Now if you watched it (…I know you did b/c we just talked about immersing yourself in the sport and watching professional competition just last week ), you should have picked up some very valuable tips. I sure did.

There was strategy being used from everywhere you could imagine: on the serve, the return, behind the baseline, at the net, and even in the chairs during change overs.

But, you know what the funny part was, with all that great stuff happening, what stuck with me the most didn’t happen while the players were on the court.

It was what was said in the reporter-filled interview session after the very entertaining semi-final battle between Flavia Pennetta and Maria Sharapova.

When asked about how the tempo was being dictated and controlled during the match, Pennetta replied “I was 3-1 down and I was thinking it was over, but I just tried to fight.” “It was a little bit difficult for me. I started to feel a little pressure. She’s a great champion, it was not easy to beat her.”

She was describing a situation that all of us tennis players face no matter the skill level, being behind in a match. And the powerful part was  that she didn’t crumble. She fought back hard! It wasn’t easy. But I can tell you, the  “hard” work paid off, and since then she defeated Sam Stosur in the finals and is now the 2009 women’s champ here in LA.

See, it doesn’t matter if you’re the #1 player in the world or just purchased your first racket this morning, you eventually will find yourself down in a match. But the key is to not let that defeat you. And the first step towards that is understanding what’s happening to you. Then, and only then, will you be able to keep a horrible let down from happening. 

The problem is that you sometimes, don’t have that Pennetta “fight to the end” mindset. On occasion, when things aren’t going your way, you may start to mentally break down.  You allow the defeated thought process to slither into your mind and get you frustrated and even embarrassed.

Some things that’ll probably be swimming around in your head sound like this, “Well, she’s already beating me, she’s probably going to win it anyway,” “I can’t hang with her (…she’s just better than me),” or “Look at all these people watching me make a fool of myself !”  Heck, you even start questioning if you should be on the same court with them period.

All these elements are a product of mental killers like doubt and lack of confidence.  But the funny part is that the reason for that mental error is actually created by very good intentions. Oh yea! It’s because you’re so darn competitive when you’re playing.  You want to win so bad, you try your absolute hardest, and if the things you try don’t work right away, all that negative stuff starts to happen almost instantly.

The important things are:

1. Stay confident. Remind yourself that you deserve to be there just as much as your opponent.  Know that you’re not down and out, until the last point is played.

2. Recall when you’ve been in similar situations and you’ve made a great come back.  That will immediately fill you with life again and you’ll get that “second win” that you’re so desperately looking for.

3. Think Positively: Visualize yourself making good strokes and executing excellent court movement.  See yourself exploiting your opponents weakness and really making him pay for it. It sounds cliche, but it’s true.  Sometimes, you have to “see it to believe it.” If you visualize the opposite, you will only see negative results.

4. Don’t be afraid to change: Yes, using strategy, and having a top-notch game plan is ultra important if you want to win.  But if it’s not working, continuing with the same plan is flat out crazy haha. It’s actually the definition of insanity.  If you keep doing the same thing and looking for different results, that’s insane.

So, you never want to stick with a plan that’s ineffective (…something my coach always told me, and it’s true). If you see something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to alter it or “tweak” it a little. You may just find your opponent’s silver bullet or the kryponite that’ll slay your adversary easier that you thought possible.

5. Realize that the match is a marathon not sprint: There will be ups and downs. So, don’t go ballistic if you lose a game or you miss 1 break-point chance.  There will be opportunities to get it back, trust me.  Just breathe, and head over to the other side to continue the match, because if you let those things get to you, you’ll be digging yourself a deeper and deeper hole that you may not be able to crawl out of.

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You’re NEVER out of a match until the final applause. So you have to play that way. And I’m telling you, when you make that thunderous comeback to take the victory, that win is 10 times as sweet and feels 10 times as good. I mean, when I was down in the final set at the UCLA Tennis  Academy 5-1 (…0-30), and came back to take it 7-5. You can only imagine the rush I felt. And I became a much better player because of it, and so will you!

Have great day, and and even BETTER game,

Brian Hall, Your Tennis Mind Coach

TennisMindCamp

webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

P.S. What did you think about this tip? If this post helped you in anway, I’d love to hear from you and get your feedback, becuase you guys are the reason why I do this. So, just put your ideas and questions in the blanks below when you can.

I’m glad to see you made it… especially on a Monday. I want to address something that I saw some of the best players in the world suffering from this past week in the 2009 French Open.

I mean this “something” was everywhere, on the courts, in the stands, in the (…soft drinks). Ok not the soft drinks… laughing. But it definitely had a major affect on last week’s tournament results.

That “something” is the idea of doubt. The concept of doubt is an element that you want to avoid at all costs… if at all possible. Now this is easier said than done, I know.

The reason for that is because, many times, it’s something that you usually don’t see coming right away. It often appears without warning, and before you notice what’s beginning to take place, it’s already too late.

That’s why I refer to it as the “silent killer.” By the time you recognize your sense of uncertainty, it’s already started to take over your core, which is your mind, and eventually the match.

Hey, and it doesn’t matter if you’re an amateur playing in the park on weekends or big-time pro. Sadly, doubt comes for everyone. California local, Alexa Glatch, got a heavy dose of it in her match against Lourdes Dominguez from Spain.

After storming out the gates of the 2nd set to a 5-2 lead, her nerves took over, eliminating her chances of closing out that set and her hopes of winning the match.

“I wasn’t exactly sure what to do, I think, at times,” “You know, it was just that little bit of doubt that cost me.” Said Alexa.

Don’t get it twisted though. Just because doubt won this battle doesn’t mean Alexa is some kind of push over. Tons of players were experiencing doubt and problems of uncertainty last week. It has nothing to do with skill set. It’s all in your head.

And that’s not just me who thinks this way. Fabrice Santoro, a very seasoned tennis vet, echoes the same feeling. He said this game has changed from when he started to play.

The danger of doubt has never been more critical than in the today’s game, when every player fights tooth and nail like a pit bull shredding a T-bone on like every single point. You have to be fierce and almost mentally invincible if you want to win out there.

Now what Santoro said is true, but don’t get discouraged. There is still hope . Although, it’s rare to see the warning signs, there is a way of preparing for a “doubt attack.” You can protect yourself by being prepared and possibly guard against it having an affect on you… EVER!

How? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you probably won’t become invincible. But if you understand why doubt, in your sport, in this case tennis, is created in the first place, then you’ll elevate your level of awareness and give yourself more mental protection in the places within a match where its most likely to rear its ugly head.

In tennis, doubt is mainly allowed to attack you through two common mental handicaps (1) Self Comfort and (2) Fear of Failing.

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These two doubt forms greatly affect an athlete’s ability to perform at the highest level, but you can make sure this doesn’t happen to you by following the two following steps.

1. Have a positive attitude - A positive attitude will make sure you have a fighting chance to win every match you play. Even if you just hit a bad shot, focus on what you did correctly. You’ll see an immediate improvement in your overall play.

2. Stick To Your Game Plan. When the pressure is at it’s greatest, when you’re trying to close your opponent out, remain calm and execute your the same strategies that helped you get to 5-1 or 5-0. Nothing else matters. If you lose, it’s not your fault. Your opponent just played better. But at least, you made him EARN IT! That’s what’s important.

Have a great “doubtless” week guys.

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com