How Do You Push Beyond Your Current Level and Play?
Summary: Leveling up your tennis game starts with mastering the mental side of competition. Negative messages—whether from coaches, parents, social media, or your own self-talk—can hold players back and weaken confidence. To reach the next level, tennis players must learn how to build confidence through consistent work, recognize and lean on their strengths, remove excuses and doubts, and feed their minds with positive self-talk. By applying these four proven mental strategies, you’ll strengthen your mindset, perform with greater belief, and give yourself the best chance to achieve breakthrough results on the court.
How can you level up your tennis game performance when doubts and negative messages creep in?
Many tennis players talk about getting to the next level, but somehow, next-level play eludes them. Often, negative messaging holds players back from leveling up. Negative messages can take hold in a player’s mind, affecting their focus in practice, confidence on the court, and motivation to improve.
Sometimes, these messages come from the outside—coaches, parents, teammates, fans, or even social media. For example, a coach saying, “You could be ranked in the Top-10 if you worked harder and stopped messing around in practice,” plants doubt rather than motivation.
Other times, negative messaging comes from within, such as: “I am not good enough to reach a high ranking.” Self-talk like this can be even more harmful because it directly shapes your belief in yourself.
Whatever the source, negative messaging rarely inspires better focus or effort. Instead, confidence dwindles and performance suffers. To break free, you must take ownership of your mindset, direct your thoughts, and build belief from within.
Taylor Townsend provided a powerful example at the 2025 US Open, when she stunned world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2 in just 76 minutes. In her post-match interview, Townsend shared how persistence and mindset shifts helped her push past years of doubts:
TOWNSEND: “People have always said, ‘Oh, you’re so talented, you have so many weapons, you have so many things you can do, but…’ There was always a ‘but’. I feel like the work I’ve been putting in has eliminated that ‘but.’ I’m emerging as a new person. I feel like today I leveled up. I’m really just so proud of myself.”
Townsend’s success shows that leveling up in tennis isn’t about waiting for the perfect opportunity—it’s about maximizing every moment of practice and every chance on the court.
Belief in your ability to grow can turn potential into breakthrough performance. The following four strategies will help you level up your tennis game mindset and results.
4 Mental Strategies to ‘Level Up’ Your Tennis Game
1. Build Confidence Through Work
True confidence doesn’t appear overnight—it’s earned through consistent effort. Every time you put in quality reps at practice, stick to your conditioning routine, or stay focused on mental training, you’re building a foundation of trust in yourself. When you’ve logged the hours, your mind won’t question whether you’re ready—you’ll know you are.
Confidence built through preparation allows you to step on the court calm, collected, and ready to handle pressure situations. This is one of the most reliable ways to level up your tennis game performance when it matters most.
2. Know Your Strengths
Many players spend too much energy worrying about weaknesses instead of leaning into what they do best. Ask yourself: What shots or skills give me the edge over opponents? Maybe it’s your serve, footwork, or ability to stay composed during long rallies.
Identifying your strengths gives you a game plan to fall back on in tough moments. By relying on your strongest weapons, you increase your chances of playing with purpose and maximizing your performance. When you focus on strengths, you give yourself a clear path to level up your tennis game consistency across matches.
3. Get Your “But” Out of the Way
Doubts often sneak in with a small word: but. “I can win, but I always struggle under pressure.” “I’m talented, but I’m not consistent enough.”
These phrases limit your belief and create hesitation on the court. To level up, you must eliminate that word from your vocabulary. Replace “but” with confident, unconditional statements: “I can win.” “I am prepared.”
Removing excuses and doubts frees you to commit fully to every point without holding back. Doing this regularly is a mental shift that helps you level up your tennis game confidence.
4. Listen to Your Positive Self
The inner voice you choose to listen to has the power to shape your mindset. If you constantly reinforce negative thoughts, your performance will suffer. On the other hand, uplifting and encouraging self-talk builds momentum and focus.
Before matches, develop a few positive statements you can repeat, such as: “I am prepared, I am confident, I am ready to compete.” Over time, this habit shifts your mindset toward belief and resilience, helping you perform at your best even in high-pressure situations.
Listening to your positive self is a critical step to level up your tennis game mindset and results.
FAQ – Tennis Mental Game
Q1: How can I mentally prepare for a tennis match?
A: Mental preparation starts with a consistent pre-match routine. Focus on your breathing, visualize successful points, and repeat confidence-boosting affirmations. A strong routine calms nerves and puts you in the right mindset to compete.
Q2: What is the fastest way to build confidence in tennis?
A: Confidence grows through consistent work. The more you train your skills, fitness, and mindset, the more trust you’ll have in yourself during competition. Preparation is the most reliable way to level up tennis game confidence.
Q3: How do I stop negative self-talk during matches?
A: When you notice negative thoughts, pause and replace them with short, positive statements like, “I am prepared” or “One point at a time.” Training your mind to shift focus builds resilience and reduces the impact of doubts.
Q4: What are the best mental strategies to improve tennis performance?
A: The top strategies include building confidence through preparation, knowing your strengths, eliminating doubts and excuses, and listening to your positive inner voice. Together, these methods help you level up tennis game performance and consistency.
Q5: How can I stay confident after making mistakes in a match?
A: Mistakes are part of tennis. Instead of dwelling on them, reset quickly by taking a deep breath, focusing on the next point, and reminding yourself of your strengths. This bounce-back ability is what separates average players from those who continue to level up tennis game performance.
Related Tennis Psychology Articles
- Tennis Podcast: Staying Confident When Moving Up A Level
- Madison Keys’ Mindset for Upset at Australian Open
- Never Show Opponent You’re Upset During Matches
- Download our a FREE Tennis Psychology Report
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Dr. Patrick Cohn is a tennis psychology expert with Peak Performance Sportss, LLC. Learn cutting edge mental strategies based on 35+ years of experience in mental performance coaching with professional to junior competitive tennis players. He is the author of The Mental Edge for Tennis 2.0 audio and workbook program.