Every tennis player who competes, at any level, will experience feelings of nervousness at some point. This can happen at the start of a match which they consider important, or when the match is at a critical stage like a set point or match point. When a player feels nervous, their heart will beat a little faster and their breathing will become a little more shallow. They will feel slightly less in control of their movements, and they may feel that some of their strength has dissipated.

With all of these things happening, it becomes much harder to play the level of tennis needed to win a match. Some players seem to be afflicted by nerves far less than others, meaning that they can win more important matches. It is highly unlikely that they are actually immune to pressure, so what kind of experiences or techniques might be helping them to keep their nerves under control?

It is true that to be a successful tennis player you must be mentally strong, but this is something which can be learned.

Nerves in tennis are a natural response to self-doubt, although they tend to become less significant the more you play. Whilst nerves are therefore unlikely to ever be completely eradicated, even by the top players, psychological strategies can be employed to control them during matches.

The Importance Of Being Mentally Strong

Multiple grand slam champion Venus Williams believes that: ‘Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there’.

If you doubt your ability to win, then nerves will hit you when you get a chance to do so. It is vital to understand, however, that players are not born with the mental strength they need in order to succeed at the higher levels of the game: such strength comes from training their mind to deal with any issues which might arise.

If you watch professional tennis, you will see that some matches are quite predictable, despite the difference in ability of the players appearing small. This is often because, as Venus observed, one player is far stronger mentally, having trained themselves to perform solidly in the important points and to have confidence in their ability to take the initiative when necessary.

Why Do We Get Nervous During A Tennis Match?

Fundamentally, we get nervous because we doubt our ability to do what we are attempting. In practice sessions we are unlikely to get nervous, as it is accepted that these are a learning environment. Mistakes, whilst not encouraged, are accepted as part of the process.

In a match, we want to win. There may be people watching, whom we might want to impress. The contest might be important for the team we are representing, or we may be playing an opponent whom we do not really believe we can beat. Any of these factors can magnify a minor lack of confidence until we feel like we are attempting the impossible.

This occurs because our mind starts to consider all of the implications of failure when it should just be allowing our body to do what it has been trained to do. If you find yourself thinking: ‘If I double-fault here we won’t make the final and everyone will know I choked’, or something similar, a positive outcome is not likely.

The physiological symptoms described earlier, such as an elevated heart rate and rapid breathing, arise because you are starting to panic, and these will also prevent you from playing positive, relaxed tennis.

Playing More Often = Less Anxiety

One reason why we may doubt our ability is unfamiliarity with the situation. For example, if we find ourselves in our first final, it is natural for us to feel a little anxious, especially as there may well be more people watching and taking notice of the result than we are used to. This tends to result in our being more vulnerable to feelings of self-doubt and panic if anything starts to go wrong. As we improve, we will reach more finals. 

The experience we have had in previous big matches, whether we won them or not, will stand us in good stead for the next one, and we will be much less prone to anxiety and panic.

This same argument aplies to any situation we encounter in matchplay. If you are faced with something you have experienced many times before, it is unlikely to faze you. Playing a lot of matches, therefore, tends to make you mentally stronger and better capable of handling high-pressure situations.

Effective Strategies For Remaining Calm During A Match

A Sport Psychologist will be able to help you to learn a ‘toolbox’ of techniques that you can use either before or after anxiety strikes. A clear game plan, which you can focus on when things start to go awry, can be a good preventative measure, as it takes your mind off what might be causing your anxiety.

Self-talk can be useful as either prevention or cure. If you work on speaking to yourself in a positive, encouraging way, counteracting any intrusive negative thoughts, you will be able to attack anxiety at its source.

Finally, relaxation techniques can alleviate the physical symptoms, helping you to be calm and ready to play. Abdominal breathing ensures that you take deep, calming, breaths, and progressive muscle relaxation can reduce physical tension.

Do You Ever Get Rid Of Nerves 100%?

The answer to this is, sadly, no. Even the great champions are nervous at the Grand Slams. The mental training they have undertaken simply enables them to deal with these feelings and continue to perform well.

Final Thoughts

Everyone gets nervous- the best players simply know how to deal with these feelings. If someone is regarded as a ‘choker’ this is not a character weakness: it simply means that they have not yet learned how to handle nerves. A few sessions with a sport psychologist, covering some of the ideas discussed here, will set them on the right path.

Pressure is a factor in any competitive sport. The legendary Billie Jean King has suggested that: ‘Pressure is a privilege- it only comes to those who earn it.’ In other words, if you work hard at your game and play well, you will get the chance to play in increasingly ‘important’ matches, in which it will feel like there is more pressure. So In BJK’s mind, pressure is a reward for doing well.

Nonetheless, not everyone finds high-pressure situations comfortable, and tennis can provide a lot of these. Former grand slam champion Jim Courier has observed that tennis can actually produce a more intense feeling of being under pressure than other sports, for the reason that: ‘In tennis you’re out there by yourself.’ Given that pressure is always going to be a factor in tennis, what can players do to ensure that it does not negatively affect their play?

To handle pressure in tennis effectively, you need to understand where it comes from and deal with the source. Focusing on a clear game plan can take your mind off the situation. It is also helpful to use proven strategies for reducing the psychological effects of pressure and building the confidence to feel mentally tough.

Pressure Sources: Internal vs External

The real question here is what motivates you. ‘Intrinsic’ motivation comes from within. This produces a pressure to perform well to satisfy your own goals, which might relate to how you play rather than the outcome. If you set your goals sensibly, intrinsic motivation will push you to do your best without being concerned about what anyone else thinks. There will be pressure, but you can manage it by adjusting your goals, which is a healthy situation.

‘Extrinsic’ motivation comes from outside. It might arise from parental pressure, a need to achieve a specific ranking or prize money target, a fear of letting your team down, or a wish to perform well on a big occasion or in front of a large audience. In these situations, your goals are largely being set for you by other people, and pressure arises from factors that you cannot control. This lack of control can cause stress when things are not going well.

Is Pressure On A Tennis Court Good Or Bad?

This depends on where the pressure comes from. If your motivation and goals come from within, you will probably feel, like Billie-Jean King, that pressure is a privilege. You will set goals that encourage you to perform at your best. You will use this self-imposed pressure to make sure that you give your best effort throughout the match. This kind of pressure is a good thing, as it is part of challenging yourself to improve.

If your motivation comes from one of the outside influences described above, this produces pressure that is less productive. With goals that are out of your control, you can quickly begin to feel inadequate if things are not going your way. Aiming to satisfy people other than yourself can be extremely stressful in a physically and mentally demanding sport like tennis, and the anxiety which arises from this is not generally good for your mental health.

Have A Game Plan And Visualise It

If external factors are causing you to feel under pressure during a tennis match, it is important not to allow these feelings to cloud your thinking during rallies. One way to avoid this is to have a clear game plan, combined with a disciplined routine for the time between points.

The game plan will ideally include strategies for serving, returning, and rallying, bearing in mind your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. You need to be fully familiar with the details of the game plan before you go on court.

Between points, your routine should start with a trigger, such as turning away from the court, which tells you to forget about what happened in the previous point. You should then close your eyes and visualize what your game plan requires you to do in the next point.

Finally, you need to execute your plan. This kind of routine allows you to control your thoughts, by continually drawing you back to your game plan, and to push the pressure to one side.

Effective Strategies To Reduce Pressure During A Match

The routine described in the previous paragraph will certainly help to reduce feelings of being under pressure, but negative thoughts will still intrude occasionally. For example, unhelpful comments from the crowd or a parent might disrupt your concentration and cause you to begin to think about the pressure rather than your game plan. For these situations, there are techniques that can reduce the impact of intrusive thoughts.

The simplest is to control your breathing to reduce feelings of stress. Abdominal breathing techniques can be practiced which allow you to breathe slowly and fully, even when feeling under pressure.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that can relax your muscles and help your mind to feel calmer. Finally, you can practice improving your ‘self-talk’ so that you can think positively when pressure starts to make you feel nervous.

Building Up Confidence

The more confident you are, the less likely you are to be knocked off course by pressure. Confidence can be enhanced by working hard on both the physical and mental sides of the game in training. Make your game as solid and reliable as you can, and develop resolutely positive self-talk. Set yourself demanding but attainable goals and you can go on court feeling confident and positive, so that external pressure is not a big factor.

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself feeling a lot of external pressure when you play, using the techniques described here, and perhaps speaking to a sport psychologist, should help you to find techniques to alleviate this. Everyone feels pressure, but some have learned to deal with it more effectively than others.

Tennis is a very enjoyable sport, offering a test of your skill and athleticism in a generally pleasant environment. Despite this, we all tend to put ourselves under pressure to play well, or to win, in certain circumstances, and this can provoke crippling anxiety.

A high-profile example of this was seen in the men’s singles final at the 2004 French Open. World number 3 Guillermo Coria was at the peak of his powers, dominating on clay and strong favorite to win the final against 44th-ranked Gaston Gaudio.

Coria duly took the first two sets comfortably, for the loss of just three games, but then something changed. As Gaudio relaxed, a wave of anxiety seemed to overcome Coria. Gaudio took the third set, and Coria’s legs started to cramp. The contest was soon in a final set, and the favourite tried to dig in, twice going a break up and serving for the match. 

Despite holding two match points, Coria could not close it out, and Gaudio eventually took the title, winning 8-6 in the fifth. Coria had looked vastly superior, but he was ultimately defeated by his own anxiety. So, how can a player cope with feelings like those Coria experienced?

It is important to consider what is causing the anxiety if you wish to overcome it, as you must address the root cause. Playing a lot of matches and becoming used to the pressure can be helpful. A sound game plan can give you something else to focus on, and solid pre-match preparation can be reassuring.

There are also psychological strategies that can reduce anxiety. 

Why Are You Feeling Pressured?

We all become anxious about our tennis on occasions. For Coria, it probably arose from the big boost to his status within the game which would have arisen if he had won the French Open, combined with his wish to prove himself after what he considered to be an unjust doping ban.

For the rest of us, the causes of anxiety will vary, but in many cases, it comes down to a link we make between our performance in tennis and our self-esteem. The anxiety can be heightened if more people are watching, or if we have decided that the outcome of a match is important for some reason.

The important thing to realize is that the bulk of this pressure is in our own mind and, given this, it is entirely in our power to reduce it. It may be that if we analyze the cause of our anxiety we can put it into perspective and feel more relaxed. If this proves difficult, there are several other ways of dealing with pressure.

The Importance Of Playing A Lot Of Matches

Competing regularly means that you are regularly exposed to pressure situations. This gives you more experience of dealing with anxiety, and should mean that you gradually become better at handling it and slowly become mentally tougher.

This will not, however, help if you do not make the effort to understand your anxiety, or to admit how you feel. Following the 2004 final, Coria admitted that he had felt afraid, but that his pride had prevented him from accepting this fact. Instead, he simply pressed on regardless as his mind and body betrayed him.

The Importance Of Having A Game Plan

A game plan is always useful, as it implies that you have devised an appropriate set of tactics to deal with your opponent’s style of play. It can also help with anxiety by giving you something else to focus on which you trust will help you succeed.

It is difficult to become overwhelmed by anxiety if you are constantly assessing your adherence to your game plan and considering whether it needs to be revised.

The Importance Of Warming Up Well

It will often reduce anxiety if you are well prepared for a match, as you will be hitting the ball and moving reassuringly well when you take to the court. This emphasizes the importance of a thorough pre-match warm-up, involving stretching and hitting. You should not rely on the 5-minute warm-up prior to the start of the contest.

Effective Strategies For Coping With Performance Anxiety

Routines are very important in coping with anxiety. In particular, what you do between points and between games can be carefully designed to maintain calmness. A helpful routine for the time between points might be as follows.

– Clear your mind of thoughts about what has gone before. Turn away from the court or go to your towel as a trigger for moving on to the next point and forgetting the previous one.

– Visualise what you plan to do on the next point, beginning with where you intend to place your serve or return.

– Execute your plan.

At changes of ends you have more time, so you can add a phase in which you review your game plan and consider if any revisions are necessary.

Despite all of the above, feelings of anxiety can still creep in at inopportune times, so it is helpful to practice relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, perhaps using a special technique like abdominal breathing, can be beneficial between points. During a rally, it is important to continue breathing as you hit your shots, and grunting as you do so can ensure that you do not hold your breath.

Finally, it is possible to introduce more pressure situations in practice to create anxiety and enable players to learn how to deal with it. For example, games where a difficult target is set, and where you must start again from the beginning if you do not succeed, can create increasing pressure.

Final Thoughts

Everyone gets anxious sometimes, and unhelpful words like ‘choking’ can create a stigma around it. The key is to understand why you are anxious, and to have effective strategies for dealing with it if it occurs. 

There are thousands of tennis players across the world with great fitness levels and excellent technique. Some are so good that if you watch them you wonder why they are not competing regularly at the highest level. In most cases, the gulf between these players and the greats of the game is primarily explained by a difference in mental skills, and in particular the way these combine to produce resilience under pressure, or ‘mental toughness’.

Former Grand Slam singles and doubles champion Samantha Stosur has even gone so far as to say: ‘Tennis is all about mental toughness‘.

A mentally tough tennis player will be well equipped to deal with the many ups and downs which occur during a close tennis match. There are many mental skills that combine to create mental toughness, and these can be developed through specific drills and matchplay.

Learning to be mentally tough can be useful in life, as well as in tennis, as it gives you the ability to overcome setbacks and keep working towards your goals.

The Importance Of Being Mentally Tough

In tennis, players are often faced with situations where they feel under pressure. This may be simply due to the amount of money or ranking points at stake, or it might be a result of a desire to impress those who are watching.

Whatever the reason, a player is often alone with their thoughts on a tennis court, and, if they are not sufficiently resilient, doubt can quickly creep in. Any such lack of belief can cause tentative play and errors.

A mentally tough player does not allow negativity to seep into their mind, and can remain strong under pressure. A very large number of tennis matches are won by the most mentally tough competitor, and for this reason alone mental toughness is crucial.

The Different Mental Aspects Of Tennis

There are many mental skills that contribute towards tennis success, but the ones which combine to create mental toughness are generally thought to be as follows:

• Staying focused
• Coping effectively with pressure
• Remaining unaffected by factors beyond the player’s control
• Maintaining self-belief no matter what happens
• Increasing effort when required
• Demonstrating awareness and control of thoughts and feelings

A player who is strong in these six key areas will appear to be extremely mentally tough.

How To Practice Being Mentally Tough

Some players can look extremely impressive in practice, yet struggle to translate this into success in matches. This is often due to the very different perceptions of pressure in the two situations. In practice, a player can try things with little fear of negative repercussions, whereas in a match they may be up against a tricky opponent, a hostile crowd, and possibly unfavorable officiating.

Mental toughness can only really be improved by working on its constituent parts in a situation where the player genuinely feels under pressure. The obvious answer is to play a lot of matches and work on mental skills within these.

However, it is also possible to attempt to recreate the kind of situations in practice that are likely to occur in matches. This will require some imagination, and perhaps team-mates or friends to act as an audience, but it can be done to some extent.

Well-designed training sessions can contribute significantly towards improvements in mental toughness.

Mental Toughness Drills

There are many exercises that can help to develop the constituent parts of mental toughness. At a global level, the following practice ideas can be useful.

– Play lots of ‘big points’ in practice. It is a quirk of the scoring system in tennis that some points, such as break points and set points, matter more than others. The best way to prepare for these is to design your training to include more of them. Matchplay where a set starts at 3-3 can be excellent for this, and if you are pushed for time, games can start at 30-30.

– Create pressure in training. Bringing in an audience can do this, as it makes players feel judged, just as they tend to during matches. Creating this feeling then allows coaches to help players to develop strategies to deal with it and become more resilient. Matchplay sessions with leaderboards and prizes can also create the type of mindset which players need to experience.

Mental Toughness In Tennis = Mental Toughness In Life

Even if you are never going to be a top tennis player, mental toughness can be extremely useful in many aspects of your life. At work, there will be times when you feel under pressure to perform well, and the skills discussed above will help you to stay calm and believe in your own ability.

It has been found that the most mentally tough athletes can not only give the highest priority to their sporting goals, but they can switch this focus off when they wish in order to maintain a balanced lifestyle. This is the ideal in all walks of life: total focus on what you want to achieve, but not to the detriment of family and friends.

Final Thoughts

If you want to achieve what you are capable of in tennis, you will need to become mentally tough. A sport psychologist will be able to help you improve the constituent mental skills, and well-designed training sessions and regular matchplay will do the rest. In addition, developing mental toughness in a sporting environment will enable you to deal as effectively as possible with any ‘bumps in the road’ which you might experience in life.