Overcoming Pressure to Win
When you are expected to win, do you still play well or do you become overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed?
Does your confidence get shaken when expectations are high?
A big part of confidence in tennis is managing emotions and expectations.
You would think a high ranking would be a boost to confidence but it often has the opposite effect.
Confidence requires you to play your game in the present moment, focusing on the process instead of the outcome.
To keep confidence high, you must recognize and take advantage of your strengths.
Think back to a time when you have battled to improve your ranking…
You worked on your conditioning, your technique and focused on your gradual improvement…
The result of your hard work and focus was better tennis play and you started stringing together some successful matches…
All the while you were focused on the process or what you needed to do in order to improve your tennis game…
Then, when your rank was high, so were the expectations to win…
You started getting nervous and fearing, “What if I lose to this lower ranked opponent?”
You started to focus on outcomes (winning or losing) and began to play tentatively…
You started to play “not to lose” and made unforced errors. Your performance became inconsistent… As a result your confidence took a huge hit.
Serena Williams will be entering the 2014 French Open as the reigning champion.
Serena reached a milestone and moved into fifth place for most weeks (178) as the WTA Tour’s No. 1 player.
Along with Serena’s milestone comes the sustained expectation to win.
“There is so much pressure to win every match. It’s bigger news to lose than it is to win.”
Serena’s adviser and coach, Patrick Mouratoglou acknowledged the difficulty of high expectations to win:
MOURATOGLOU: “This is really new to be dominating that much. It’s different from the past, because if you look at her career she’s been No. 1 several times, but many, many times she was not No. 1 when she came to the Slams and she was really relaxed.”
Serena plans to deal with the pressure of expectations by adopting a relaxed approach and a focus on the present:
SERENA: “Usually I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I have to defend.’ This time I’m going to be cool with it… It’s more a calming [approach]. I’m taking things in stride as opposed to expecting things that are to come.”
Try these tips to play confident tennis despite expectations…
- You should focus on your strengths. Seeing the things that you do well keeps you confident and focused on your strengths.
- You need to understand that “pressure” is something you do to yourself. That is good news… it means you have the ability to change your perception about matches.
- You should learn relaxation strategies to calm yourself so you can play in your optimal zone.
Successful tennis players have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in tournaments. We’ve developed Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players to help you do this.
Learn Proven Mental Game Strategies To Perform Your Best On The Court!
Are you (or your players) performing up to your ability in competition?
Do you bring your best and most confident game to matches?
Successful tennis players have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in tournaments.
If you are ready to improve your mental toughness and perform with ultimate self-confidence in matches, Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players can help you do this!
Use Tennis Confidence to help boost your mental toughness in tennis and discover powerful and proven mental game strategies that have helped professional athletes win!
Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players
What are mental game customers saying?
“I want to let you know that your Tennis Confidence CDs have been extremely helpful to me. I listen to them in the car, and the program is helping me overcome a lifetime of tournament performance anxiety. Thank you!”
~Wing Wu
Download Our Free Tennis Psychology Report!
Discover if you are making one or more of these “costly” unforced mental game errors during matches!
Download our free Tennis Psychology Report:
Six Unforced ‘Mental Game’ Errors Tennis Players Make Between Points
You’ll discover:
- How your mind can be your best or worst asset on the court.
- If you are using your mind effectively between points.
- One strategy that can help you let of go the last point.
- The top mental game skills you need to master to boost your confidence and performance between points.
Click here to download your FREE report today: Six Unforced ‘Mental Game’ Errors Tennis Players Make Between Points
What are tennis players saying?
“Dr. Cohn, one of my goals is to become a world-class-coach, There are a few coaches from the US who inspired me the most-John Wooden, Son Shula, and Pat Riley. After working with you, I now also list your name among the most influential coaches in my field!”
~Franz
Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our mental coaching students saying?
“Since you last worked with AJ in early September, his National ranking has improved from 349 to 148. His tournament record at one point, since talking with you was 17-4, with 3 of the 4 being in third sets or tiebreakers and 2 of those matches being the same player, whom he has since beaten (you may recall he was on an 0-9 losing streak when we contacted you). His tie-breaker record is at least 90% through last weekend when he won the 18s District tournament with a semi and final match tiebreak win. Your help has definitely improved AJ’s results and his on-court demeanor has substantially improved.”
~Dawn Woodman, A.J.’s Mother
Leave a Reply