Get Off the Tennis Confidence Roller Coaster

Improving Your Mental Game To Improve Confidence

Tennis confidence is one of the most important mental game skills for tournament players to be successful and win matches. Many tennis players have fragile self-confidence.

Fragile tennis confidence is when your confidence changes from moment to moment depending on what’s happening in the match.

Do you have to make your first winner of the match in order to feel confident? Or, do you lose confidence after making an unforced error?

Fragile self-confidence is common among many athletes, including tennis players.

When players have fragile tennis confidence, they doubt their ability when things don’t go right. They might wonder if they can serve without double faulting again. Or, they might question whether they can beat their opponent when down a set in the match.

Boosting and maintaining your self-confidence should be a priority for you! Novak Djokovic is one of those tennis players that realizes the importance of a strong mental game and a stable level of self-confidence.

This year Djokovic defended his title at the BNP Paribas Open. He opened with a second round win against Martin Vassallo in straight sets (7-5, 6-4). He also made his way through the third round beating Tommy Haas 6-2, 7-6. Eventually, he lost to Roddick in the quarter finals.

“I always try to go a step further, so I’m not trying to defend anything,” Djokovic said. “I’m always trying to improve, so I really don’t pay attention to the rankings. I just try to play consistent as I can on the major events. I know there are still a lot of things in my game that I need to improve on.”

Some tennis players put added pressure on themselves with high demands or expectations. When players set strict expectations for themselves, they set the bar so high that they can’t possibly feel successful.

When you don’t feel successful, it’s hard to develop confidence.

Some strict expectations might include playing perfectly, not making any unforced errors or double faults. When players don’t reach their expectations, they become frustrated easily and have a harder time bouncing back from mistakes.

“Last year was very exciting. I think that the Grand Slam win gave me a lot of confidence. So the events I played after Australian Open trophy was different, you know. It’s a different approach. Confidence means a lot. It’s a very mental game. So if you’re winning a lot of matches, then things are going smoother on the court,” said Djovkovic.

However, you can’t play your best tennis every match or win every match you play. You should not let the speed bumps along the way derail your confidence.

“The quality is there. The game is there. The fitness is getting much better. It’s just a mental ability to play the best tennis. I know that I cannot perform always my best tennis, but my confidence has raised in the last month and a half,” said Djokovic.

Your Tennis Psychology Tip For Today

Base your confidence on years of practice and play and not just the last lose or dropped set. Confidence should be based years of practice and play, not immediate results. Focus on those things that make your feel confident.

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