Tennis Psychology for Junior to Tour Pro Players
Improve Your Mental Game of Tennis with Sports Psychology Expert Dr. Patrick Cohn
Do you think Serena Williams gets nervous and has some performance anxiety before matches? If you said no, you’d be wrong. Even the number one tennis player in the world is human and can get nervous before and during big matches. After watching the Women’s final at the 2013 French Open, you would think Serena [...]
Some tennis players, even top pros, maintain the false belief that they are weak mentally if they have to use a sports psychologist or mental coach for tennis performance. Even Andy Murray believed this idea earlier in his career, but not today after winning the 2012 US Open! Murray has embraced the idea of using [...]
How do athletes deal with negative thoughts, doubts, and high expectations? With the pressure of being No 1 in the world, Novak Djokovic overcomes his mental gremlins to win the finals of the 2011 Rogers Cup. He felt as if a target was on his back. “Well, it is probably a little mental advantage when [...]
Rafael Nadal, the number two-ranked player in the world, is known for his mental toughness on the men’s tennis circuit. He’s won countless tournaments on his aggressive style of play and mental toughness including the 2011 French Open. But last week, Djokovic defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in the 2011 Wimbledon final. Did Nadal [...]
A hallmark of championship athletes is their ability to recognize the mental barriers that limit their performance. Three years after winning his first grand slam title at the Australian Open in 2008, Novak Djokovic’s hoisted the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup for the second time, defeating Andy Murray 6-4 6-3 6-2 in the 2011 Australian Open. [...]
A common mental tennis challenge is that young players get trapped in a training mentality, which cause them to over-thinking or over-analyze their technique during matches. The problem starts in practice when you spend too much time in the practice mindset working on your strokes. Part of this training is critical to your improvement, but [...]
To end the 2010 ATP Tennis season, Roger Federer faced off against Rafael Nadal in the finals at the ATP World Tour Championships. The Federer-Nadal rivalry has been built up over the years, with 21 meetings in previous tournaments. A win for Nadal would have left many people convinced that he had eclipse Federer for [...]
Before the U.S Open, ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert stated that “a win in New York gives Rafael Nadal the best season ever by a man.” On September 12, Nadal did just that, becoming the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles. However, winning in New York wasn’t [...]
The zone is a state of supreme focus that help athletes perform at their peak when they become totally immersed into their performance. Athletes depict the zone in many ways, such as the driver merges with the car; the tennis player joins her mind with the ball and court; the swimmer becomes one with the [...]
To compete at the top of your game you need to have confidence in your ability to succeed. Number 1 ranked tennis professional, Rafael Nadal understands the importance of confidence to win tournaments and succeed in tennis. “I rely on my confidence to help me win,” said Nadal. “I have total confidence that I am [...]
