Build an Emotional Support System

tennis support team

Surround Yourself With People Who Build Confidence

How many times have you experienced setbacks in your tennis career?

When you are going through a setback, do you have someone to rely on for support or do you feel all alone during that hardship?

Setbacks and hardships are difficult emotional challenges. Without having a support team, setbacks can take a toll on you mentally and physically, creating further problems for performing at your peak during competitive matches.

Setbacks come in different forms and intensity, such as injuries, long-term illness, slumps, under-performance or bad matches, conflict with teammates, coaching changes, etc.

When you experience a setback, a support team can help lessen the intensity, provide a different perspective and help you work through your circumstances.

Recently, a tennis player reached out to us on our Mental Game of Tennis Survey asking for advice regarding how to get over being dominated in a match:

“It always takes me way too long to calm down after I lose a match, especially when my opponent crushes me. I’m miserable for days and want to quit tennis. Please help.”

When you know you can win a match but lose big, it is hard to process what happened. You go through many emotions and self-judgments. You question if you have the talent to win future matches. Sometimes, you feel like you never want to play another match.

Your emotions are so intense that you can’t seem to get out of your bad mood for days. Even worse, you don’t want to talk to anyone about your match, especially your coach and parents.

When you don’t have a support team–a group of people who can help you process and learn from difficulties–your self-confidence and self-worth suffer.

Your support team should be a group that encourages you through difficult times, such as Mental Game Coaches, positive teammates, tennis coaches and supportive parents.

A strong support team can help you move forward, lessen the sting of setbacks, build the confidence necessary to overcome future challenges and provide the comfort of having people in your corner.

Bianca Andreescu Uses a Support Team

WTA player Bianca Andreescu recognizes the value of a strong support team. Andreescu has gone through many difficulties: losses, knee injury, long lay-offs, personal difficulties and the coronavirus pandemic.

ABDREESCU: “I had amazing people in my life at the time. I had my parents, my close friends that really showed who I was. They just kept telling me, ‘Don’t let this little setback deprive you from what your actual dream is.’  It’s super important to have people around you that really want the best for you.”

All players go through difficulties and so all players, even top-ranked players, benefit from having a strong support team.

Putting together a strong support team will keep you pushing forward through the difficult times and help you bounce back quickly from setbacks.

How to Build a Strong Support Team:

Who should make up your support team? Ask people you trust or feel comfortable with if you can come to them when you are experiencing tough circumstances.

Your support team might include, a trainer, coach, mental coach, parent, and friend or peer.

You want to have your support team in place before you hit hard times so you have the confidence knowing you have people on your side.


*Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast on iTunes
*Subscribe to The Tennis Psychology Podcast on Spotify


Improve Your Mental Game for Tennis

Tennis Confidence 2.0

Tennis Confidence CD

Tennis Confidence: Mental Game Strategies for Tournament Players” is Dr. Cohn’s program to help tennis players, coaches, and instructors improve the mental game of tennis is just 8 easy to learn sessions. Tennis Confidence: Mental Game Strategies for Tournament Players Audio and Workbook program is ideal for any junior, collegiate, and tour professional player. Tennis coaches and instructors would also be wise to teach the strategies in “Tennis Confidence 2.0.”

Tennis Confidence is a complete mental training program developed Dr. Cohn. You learn the same strategies Dr. Cohn teaches his personal students to help them improve mental toughness and consistency – from managing unrealistic expectations to coping with perfectionism.

Read more about Tennis Confidence Program>>

Leave a Comment