How Do You Simplify the Game in Tennis?
Article Summary
Simplifying your tennis game helps you control emotions, stay composed, and play freely under pressure. When you focus on one point, one cue, or one breath at a time, you clear mental clutter and sharpen your execution. Aryna Sabalenka’s success shows that calm focus wins matches, not frustration or force. By making a pre-match decision to stay composed, using breathing to reset, letting go of errors quickly, focusing on what you control, and maintaining confident posture, you can simplify your mental game and perform with clarity and trust in your preparation.
Tennis is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. When you compete, every rally tests your ability to stay composed, make adjustments, and think clearly under pressure. The difference between winning and losing often comes down to how well you manage your emotions.
When a match isn’t going your way, frustration can rise quickly. Maybe your opponent keeps chasing down every ball. Maybe your serve, usually your strength, starts to break down. In these moments, emotion can take over. You start thinking about missed shots, poor decisions, or what others might think.
When that happens, your focus shifts from execution to emotion. You stop competing freely and start trying to force success. This is when players unravel. To perform your best, you need a clear, calm, and simplified mind.
Simplifying your tennis game means eliminating clutter—mental and emotional. You stop trying to fix every detail mid-match. You trust what you’ve trained. You stay in the moment and commit to simple cues that guide your focus.
Most players complicate their game under stress. They overthink mechanics, judge mistakes harshly, or worry about outcomes they can’t control. The goal is to strip that all away and return to the basics—one point, one breath, one plan at a time.
The world’s best players understand this. Take Aryna Sabalenka, who struggled in big matches early in her career because of frustration and emotional swings. She often allowed missed opportunities or errors to derail her focus. In 2025, Sabalenka made a mental shift. After losing several Grand Slam finals, she entered the U.S. Open with one goal: simplify her mental game.
She didn’t change her racket or mechanics. She changed her mindset. Sabalenka committed to controlling her emotions and playing with composure, no matter what happened. That mindset helped her win her second straight U.S. Open title.
SABALENKA: “Going into this final, I decided for myself that I’m going to control my emotions. I’m not going to let them take control over me, and it doesn’t matter what happens in the match.”
Her performance reflected her mental clarity. She made only four unforced errors the entire match. Her focus and calmness allowed her to stay present and execute without tension. She simplified her game—and the results followed.
Simplifying your tennis game doesn’t mean playing passively. It means cutting mental clutter and competing from your strengths. When you’re composed, you can make adjustments, stay patient, and trust your instincts.
The following five strategies from my Mental Edge workbooks will help you simplify your mental game, control your emotions, and perform consistently under pressure.
1. Make a Pre-Match Decision
Mental toughness starts before the first serve. Before stepping on the court, decide that you will keep your emotions in check, no matter what happens. This pre-match decision sets your intention and builds a strong mental foundation for the match.
Many players enter matches hoping they’ll “stay calm” or “not get frustrated.” Hope is not a plan. A decision is. When you consciously decide to manage your emotions, you build awareness and control. You are no longer reacting—you are responding with purpose.
During the match, when frustration starts to rise, repeat your commitment silently. This simple cue resets your focus and strengthens mental discipline. Each time you do it, you build emotional control like a muscle.
2. Breathe to Reset
Your breath is the fastest way to control your emotions. When your heart rate spikes and frustration builds, your breathing becomes shallow. Shallow breathing feeds tension. Controlled breathing resets it.
Use a deep, slow breath between points to calm your body and quiet your mind. Inhale through your nose, hold briefly, and exhale slowly through your mouth. This simple act releases tension, lowers anxiety, and re-centers your focus on the present.
3. Shake It Off Quickly
Mistakes are part of the game. Even pros miss shots, double fault, or lose easy points. What separates elite players from average ones is how fast they let go.
When you hold onto frustration, it carries into the next point. You start overthinking or playing too safe. The best players learn to reset in seconds. You can’t change what just happened, but you can control how you respond.
Create a short, automatic reset routine for errors. Step back from the baseline. Take one deep breath. Release tension with a physical motion, such as shaking out your shoulders. Then refocus your eyes on your strings or racket logo. Tell yourself: “Next point.”
4. Accept What You Can’t Change
One of the fastest ways to lose composure is to dwell on things outside your control—bad line calls, lucky bounces, or the opponent’s behavior. When you focus on what’s uncontrollable, frustration grows, and focus shrinks.
Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up. It means acknowledging what happened and redirecting your energy to what’s next. The past point is gone. The scoreboard doesn’t define you. The only thing that matters is the next ball.
Before or during a match, write down two columns on paper: “What I Control” and “What I Don’t Control.” Under “What I Control,” list effort, focus, routines, and body language. Under “What I Don’t Control,” list line calls, opponent’s behavior, and weather. Review it before matches until it becomes automatic.
5. Maintain a Confident Presence
Your body language reflects your mindset—and influences it. When frustration shows in your posture, your opponent senses it, and your confidence drops further. Standing tall and calm helps you stay composed and project strength.
Even after mistakes, maintain confident posture: head up, shoulders back, eyes forward. A strong presence doesn’t just send a message to your opponent—it sends a signal to your own brain that you’re still in control.
After each point, win or lose, return to your ready position the same way. Keep your posture upright. Walk with purpose. Tell yourself one short phrase like “I’m steady” or “Stay strong.” The goal is to condition confidence through body language.
Simplifying your tennis game means stripping away the noise. You don’t need to think about ten things at once. You don’t need to force results or perfect every shot. You just need to play one point at a time with focus and composure.
When you control your emotions, your focus sharpens. When you breathe and reset, your body relaxes. When you accept what you can’t change, your confidence stabilizes. And when you maintain a strong posture, your presence becomes unshakable.
Simplify your mental game. Make a clear pre-match decision, use breathing to reset, let go of errors quickly, focus on what you control, and project confidence through posture. The more you simplify, the better you perform.
Tennis is not about perfection—it’s about consistency, control, and clarity. When your mind is calm and your focus is simple, you play your best tennis.
FAQ: Simplify Your Tennis Game
1. What does it mean to simplify your tennis game?
It means focusing only on what matters during a match. You eliminate distractions, manage emotions, and play from a calm, clear mindset. Simplicity frees you to perform your best.
2. Why do emotions interfere with performance?
Strong emotions like frustration or anger hijack your focus and cause tight muscles, rushed decisions, and inconsistent play. Managing your emotions keeps you centered on execution.
3. How does simplifying help me stay calm under pressure?
When you simplify, you focus on one thing at a time—your routine, your cue, or your next point. This limits overthinking and gives your mind direction.
4. What should I do after a mistake or bad call?
Reset quickly. Step back, take a deep breath, and use your cue phrase, like “next point.” Dwelling on mistakes only adds pressure and distracts your focus.
5. How can breathing help me during tough matches?
Controlled breathing lowers tension, clears your mind, and improves concentration. A slow breath between points helps your body and mind reset instantly.
6. Why is posture important for emotional control?
Your body language reflects confidence. Standing tall, keeping your head up, and walking with purpose reinforces mental stability and communicates strength.
7. How can I trust my preparation more?
Confidence comes from repetition. Before each match, remind yourself of your preparation: “I’ve done the work.” Trust allows your instincts to take over under pressure.
8. What’s one mental cue to simplify my tennis game?
Use a short, clear cue that brings you into the present, like “see the ball,” “smooth,” or “commit.” Keep it the same every point until it becomes automatic.
9. What’s the biggest mistake players make under pressure?
Overthinking. When players try to fix their strokes mid-match or chase results, they lose rhythm and confidence. Simplify your focus and play your game.
Related Tennis Psychology Articles
- Tennis Podcast: Simplify Your Mental Game
- 5 Ways to Play Mentally Tough Tennis
- 4 Strategies for Solutions-Oriented Tennis
- Download our a FREE Tennis Psychology Report
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Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness CD and Workbook Program
“Tennis Confidence 2.0” audio and workbook program teaches you how to overcome a lack of focus, low self-confidence and other mental game obstacles you experience when you play in tournaments. Learn practical mental game strategies to help you take your practice game to matches and use all your strokes.
“So far the program has been going really well! My son is doing the workbook and listening to the audio part and has been enjoying it! He has played better the past couple of weeks and he said the program is helping him focus and not get quite so frustrated.”
~Tara Mariano, Sports Parent
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.