Playing Your Best Tennis Under Pressure

 Welcome to session number fifty two of The Tennis Psychology Podcast. Dr. Patrick Cohn at Sports Psychology for Tennis, is a mental game of tennis expert and helps tournament players, tennis coaches and parents improve confidence, focus, and composure using sports psychology strategies.

In this week’s tennis psychology session, Dr. Cohn teaches you how to play your best when it matters most. Many tennis players tend to under perform in close matches. Listen to this mental game of tennis podcast to learn how to play your best tennis under pressure.

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Did Federer Psych Out Murray?

The TV media had a lot to say about Federer’s post-match interview after he beat Tsonga in the semi-finals to jump into the finals at the 2010 Australian Open. Going into the finals, Federer said that it was more important for Murray to win the first set than him. Translation: He felt Murray was under more pressure to win the first set than him. Federer said he was just being honest and not trying to pull off any locker room psych outs.

Was too much read into his comments? Did he really psych out Murray with his comments? Did Murray play tight in the first set? Based on Murray’s first serve percent in the first set, you can conclude he played tight and controlled the first two sets.

Although Murray would not admit he was nervous the first set…

“Throughout the match, I didn’t feel nervous. It’s obviously against him, he puts a lot of pressure on you with the way that he plays. You need to focus really hard, throughout the match,” Murray said.

Based on my experience, I think the match was more important for Murray. I think he wanted to win badly. Nothing wrong with wanting to win badly, but something this can turn into playing too controlled or tight. When you want to win badly, you sometimes play to NOT screw up or make mistakes.

Federer has won grand slams in the past. He’s not as hungry as Murray to win. This allows him to play more relaxed. “My game is not as taxing as other players’ games. I also think I have a very relaxed mind when it comes to the game of tennis. I’ll definitely try my best on the court. I’m professional the way I’m supposed to be,” said Federer after winning the championship.

Perspective in life can also be helpful in times of adversity. Experienced players have the advantage of great perspective of tennis in the over role in life.

“But off the court, it’s a matter of relaxing and enjoying it, you know, seeing friends and families. There’s more important things than tennis, after all. I think that’s something I’ve always had a clear vision of how my life is, you know. I think that’s also helped me to go through better and tougher phases because I know this is an incredible trip I’m on, said Federer.

Many people questioned Murray’s game plan and strategy. They thought he was being too passive and not playing aggressive enough. When asked about the expectations he felt from his fans in the UK, he said they do not play a role once you step on the court. But does your off-course demeanor transfer to the court?

“You know, once you get on the court, [expectations] are not what you’re thinking about at all. And then obviously after the match, you know, I would have liked to have done it for everyone back home, you know, won the tournament. Obviously for myself and for the people I work with as well.”

Tennis is such a huge mental game. Strategy and tactics aside, I think Federer had the upper hand with his mind game. He did not feel the expectations to win like Murray. Federer knows how to cope with the pressure of a grand slam final. Murray put too much pressure on himself to play the perfect match.

Winning the Mental Game Battle

Tennis is a mental game. You’ve probably at some point in your tennis career lost focus, composure, or had trouble regaining confidence and momentum during a match. If you’ve struggled with any of these mental challenges, you know how important the mind game of tennis is. The mental game of tennis is important for tennis pros as well.

At the Chennai Open, Marin Cilic experienced the mental grind of a tennis match. Cilic reached the finals only to compete against Stanislas Wawrinka, a player he’s never beaten before on four different occasions. Wawrinka lead the first set 5-3 breaking Cilic’s serve. Cilic then battled back in the first set to even it at 5-5 and ended up pulling out the first set in a tiebreak. In a thrilling 2 hour 40 minute match, Cilic clenched his first victory against Wawrinka winning the title and the match, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3).

”This was the longest final I have played in and also the toughest. It was a mental battle out there with a lot of long rallies and returns. It is not easy to maintain your top game over such a long match. It makes me very proud that I have once again come out well in the first week. It was not easy to adjust to the heat. A lot of sweat and hard work went into winning this week. I am very pleased really, very happy,” said Cilic.

Long, grueling matches can make it difficult to stay patient and focused for the entire match. You might become impatient trying to end the point too quickly. You might focus on your missed chances to win the set. You might question your ability to pull out the match. All of these thoughts don’t help you perform your best.

Maintaining your focus is crucial during long matches. Tiebreakers especially challenge your focus when every point counts.

“The two tiebreaks … it was important for me to win the first one to get the mental advantage as it had a lot of rallies, it had a lot of running, and the match went for almost three hours. It wasn’t easy to maintain yourself on the court all the time mentally and to stay focused,” said Cilic.

When you lose your focus on the match, stop, regroup and refocus on what’s important. You have plenty of time in between points to refocus from distractions. Put the last point behind you and approach the next point as if it were the very first point of the match. Think of the next point as starting the match without any mistakes. Once you’re ready to play the point, focus on the cues that matter most, such as the placement of your serve or return of serve.

Your tennis psychology tip is to stay patient and pace your focus during long matches. Stay committed to your strategy, focus on what’s important and keep believing in your ability to win the match.