I frequently lose with weaker players than me and when playing against one of them I am thinking, if i lose, what are all those practice hours good for?
I don't hit the ball as in practice, due to this fear, and i havenīt been able to find a solution.
Comments for
Afraid of losing with weaker players than me
In order not be afraid so much of losing to weaker players (at least that's your view), you must be willing to accept the loss as something normal.
Let's address this in 2 steps:
1. ALL PLAYERS LOSE WITH WEAKER PLAYERS. At least according to rankings. And the lower ranked you are in your competition, the more matches you will lose to slightly lower players.
Top players still lose to weaker players but not that much. Example:
Blaz Kavcic from Slovenia is ranked 187 on ATP right now and in this year until now (July 2009), he has lost 6 times to players ranked higher than him and 9 times to players ranked lower than him!
Rafael Nadal for example is ranked #1 so he can lose only to lower ranked players. ;) He lost 5 matches this year so far.
Roger Federer lost 6 matches this year, one from Nadal - who was higher ranked and 5 to lower ranked players (Djokovic, Wawrinka, Murray, ...)
I hope you see my point; EVERYONE LOSES to lower ranked players. It's not a disaster, it doesn't mean that you don't know anything about tennis and it doesn't REALLY mean that you are the weaker player OVERALL compared to your opponent.
It means that ON THIS DAY, your opponent was better. But one match doesn't determine who is the better player and who really deserves higher rankings. This depends on MANY matches - top ATP players play around 50 or more matches per year.
This is what determines how good you really are...
So your goal is to accept the possibility of defeat with a lower ranked player and understand that it is a NORMAL thing and that everyone loses to lower ranked players all the time.
2. Secondly, your view of weaker players is not 100% true. Because if you lost, then your opponent was the better player and not a weaker one.
You must not judge opponents by their poor technique or poor movement or poor speed of shots. Tennis is a GAME and not a sport of beautiful technique.
You don't get any points for performing a correct follow-through.
You get a point when you outplay your opponent - by hitting the ball IN ANY WAY in the court one more time than your opponent.
Who does this better and wins the match is the better player in tennis.
So the next time you play an opponent, do not underestimate him - and you will not see a weaker player. You will see a tough player and you will feel no pressure losing to a tough player - it happens all the time...
Weaker = Physical Strength by: Nick
Not too much I can say about losing to lower ranked players, Tomaz did a good job of explaining.
I'm going to approach this question from a different angle: By weaker you could have meant younger, smaller, or less physical strength and endurance.
The main problem is ego. "How could I lose to a (smaller, younger, etc) player". The issue lies in how the mind jumps to conclusions because of ego.
The thinking goes like this:
"Physical (myself) > Physical (opponent)therefore, myself > opponent. Since I'm a better person then the opponent I will win"
That makes no sense. During a tennis match you may not even know the person your playing. Just because the person may be worse tennis player does not make them inferior in all regards.
As a result, each statement needs to start with "In tennis" to prevent assumptions.
Furthermore, the thought process can still be improved. Physicality is only one of the five important pillars of a player.
The five main distinguishing factors are:
(I) "Technique": Technique is important although it can be overrated. Having proper stroke mechanics can make it easier to hit a better quality shot and prevent injury.
(II) "Repetitions": The amount a person practices their game. Whenever a person is said to have great feel, it usually means they have had a lot of repetitions and experience. In order to develop all factors one needs practice.
(III) "Mental": The ability to stay focused and positive during a game. A player's ability to handle pressure and cope with the challenges of play.
(IV) "Physical": The player's ability to get into position and being able to hit their shots fast, without getting tired, throughout a match.
(V) "Strategic": Knowing how to play high percentage tennis and knowing where to be on the court. Understanding and being able to play different tactics.
(Part 2) by: Nick
The main point of these five categories is that each one is "equally" important for success.
For example a lumberjack is trying to chop a tree.(silly, but bear with me) He needs to use all five
(I) "Technique": He needs the right motion of chopping through the tree with his ax. That allows him to chop more effortlessly and efficiently. Also allows him to prevent injury.
(II) "Repetitions": By having chopped many trees before the lumberjack can do it easier, without much thought. He has the coordination and the muscle memory to chop with his ax.
(III) "Mental": The lumberjack stays calm while chopping the tree. He does not get angry and hacks at the tree furiously because it's taking too long.
(IV) "Physical": He has strong body so he can continuously chop trees without getting tired. He can use his strength to get additional power on his chops.
(V) "Strategic": The lumberjack wears a large woolly red and black checkered shirt because it is cold out. He approaches each tree differently based on the type and the landscape it's in.
Silly but it helps with memory ;)
Anyway, after knowing that their are "four" other factors one can't necessarily be a better "player" [not person] through physicality alone.
*One Final Note* Tennis is a game that is influenced by chance, as all sports are. The conditions are not under one's control, neither are the opponent (although they can be "influenced" :) ). There is always a chance that a "better" player may lose to a weaker one even if he is significantly better in every category.
After that long trail of discovery the thought process is improved by:
+ Removing ego (keeping it limited to tennis)
+ Knowing The FDF's, (physical only a "part")
+ Understanding and accepting the possible loss.
The final product to approaching a physically weaker player is:
"In tennis, physical (myself) > physical (opponent), therefore In tennis I'm only physically better then my opponent, I may beat him in arm wrestling, but not necessarily in tennis. Even if my Technique, Repetitions, Physicality, Strategy and Mentality are better I accept the fact that I may lose anyway."
-Nick
We can prevent it. by: Nior
just sharing my experience in losing to weaker ones:
1) There are times when I am not in tip-top condition. 2)I am over-confident. 3) I feel nervous when playing in a competition while in practice I am very relax.
I try to correct them by preparing my body and mind thru good diet, enough sleep, positive attitude, etc. Nervousness is still there but I do a lot of mental exercise and I say to my self -"play just like your practicing." I think I'm reaping the rewards lately.
