Roger Federer: Regaining Confidence

How Did Roger Federer Regain Confidence?

Tennis confidence is developed over years of practice and play. However, for some tennis players, confidence can go quickly after making a mistake or losing a match.

Roger Federer had his share of hits to his confidence with a few tough losses to Nadal. Roger Federer bounced back from his loses to win his first title of the season at the Madrid Open recently. Federer beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

“It’s not the moment to get carried away, but it is definitely good for my confidence, especially beating Rafa in the final so it definitely proves that I am doing the right things and I am working extremely hard and it is paying off,” Federer said.

Winning matches is a powerful way to boost confidence. But, match success shouldn’t be your only source of confidence.

Winning isn’t something you can completely control. You can’t control how your opponent is playing, the weather, or the court surface which all can play a factor in whether you win or lose.

Likewise, you can get too focused on things not within your control, which can cause you to become frustrated or lose composure. When you become frustrated or angry, you open the door to make more mistakes or speed up your play, which doesn’t help your game.

You’ll want to find other sources of confidence, sources you can control, such as your practice, preparation or your mental game.

You’ll also want to have stable confidence instead of fragile confidence.

Players with a stable level of confidence are able to bounce back quickly after mistakes and can stay confident despite the ranking or ability of their opponent. Roger Federer’s tennis confidence is consistent no matter who he’s playing.

“It’s not like a relief, I was so close to him [Nadal] at Melbourne and Wimbledon. But I always kept the belief that I could beat him again. That’s what you need on this kind of surface, I stayed positive.”

Some tennis players become negative about who they’re playing or their tennis game. Negativity can lead to a downward spiral causing players to lose emotional control and make more mistakes.

The key is to think more positively.

Look at playing your opponent as a challenge and think of your mistakes as a learning opportunity instead.

Another important part of Federer’s tennis confidence is patience.

Confident athletes are patient about their success. They know that success will come eventually. In contrast, impatient athletes become frustrated when success doesn’t’t come quickly.

“I’ve had some bad losses this year but have felt this win has been coming. Things are falling into place and of course it’s the right time to get the victory,” said Federer.

Things fell into place for Roger Federer at the French Open. Federer captured his first French Open title this year. Federer beat Robin Soderling in three sets, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4.

“So I always believed in my chances to win Paris or any Grand Slam. It’s really for those that I tried to keep myself most fit. That was also one of the reasons why I took six weeks off after the Australian Open. Let everything heal and let everything settle, and then I came back very strong,” said Federer.

Your Tennis Psychology Tip For Today

Find ways to boost your confidence that you can control, such as your preparation and practice.

The key is to keep a positive attitude, stay patient and the results will come.

Improve Your Mental Toughness for Tennis Quickly with Dr. Cohn’s new Tennis Confidence audio program!

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