Losing, anxiety, making unforced errors, double faulting, etc

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Losing, anxiety, making unforced errors, double faulting, etc

by Patrick Dunk
(Concord, MA)

Whenever I walk into a competitive tennis match like a USTA match, my entire body freezes. I am always afraid of losing, making unforced errors, double faulting, and looking foolish in a competitive situation on the tennis court.

I need to find a way to get rid of all these negative thoughts so I can focus on the shots that I know how to hit and not worry about things I cannot control like the outcome, lucky shots by my opponent, unforced errors, and double faults.

Having nerves in the beginning is good, but not getting rid of them after a few games into the match and feeling tight the entire time is not good.

I want to play as well as I do in practice and not tighten up and choke like a dog in a pressure situation.

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Losing, anxiety, making unforced errors, double faulting, etc

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Match Confidence
by: Nick

Hi Patrick,

The situation your in is one that every competitive player goes through.

The degree of nervousness during a match varies from person to person, but after more matches it gets better.

Furthermore, nobody ever goes into a competitive match without feeling nervous. Every time Federer is interviewed about nerves in his match says he felt nervous during the opening games. After getting up a set or break he loosens up and usually runs away with the match

There are ways to help nerves, but they will always be present.

It's how we handle them that counts.

To help with nerves two traits are important: Confidence and Acceptance.

If you are not confident in your game then you are most certainly going to be nervous. Confidence can only be earned through training and hard work. Also experience with different situations in a match. There is no substitute for this.

I realize that you know that you can't control the outcome, that's important and part of acceptance in a match.

This includes being able to handle situations such as:
"Going to hit a second serve"
"About to hit a riskier shot"
"Serving for the match"

These situations all need to have acceptance of the possibility of missing or losing. The attitude that helps with pressure is:

"Even though I'm (serving for the match, going to hit a 2nd serve, etc.) I'm going to play confidently and give it my all even if I miss or lose".

Fear of losing is another topic that can be solved by how you handle losing.

There is only fear if their is a negative outcome or emotional pain from losing. I'm not telling you to be happy that you lost, but do your best to stay positive and be happy with how you played.

Reward yourself even if you lost.

If you make the outcome of losing "less" negative or painful then you will be less nervous about the possibility of losing.

-Nick

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Submitted by: Nick

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Hi Patrick, The situation your in is one that every competitive player goes through. The degree of nervousness during a match varies from person to person, but after more matches it gets better. Furthermore, nobody ever goes into a competitive match without feeling nervous. Every time Federer is interviewed about nerves in his match says he felt nervous during the opening games. After getting up a set or break he loosens up and usually runs away with the match There are ways to help nerves, but they will always be present. It's how we handle them that counts. To help with nerves two traits are important: Confidence and Acceptance. If you are not confident in your game then you are most certainly going to be nervous. Confidence can only be earned through training and hard work. Also experience with different situations in a match. There is no substitute for this. I realize that you know that you can't control the outcome, that's important and part of acceptance in a match. This includes being able to handle situations such as: "Going to hit a second serve" "About to hit a riskier shot" "Serving for the match" These situations all need to have acceptance of the possibility of missing or losing. The attitude that helps with pressure is: "Even though I'm (serving for the match, going to hit a 2nd serve, etc.) I'm going to play confidently and give it my all even if I miss or lose". Fear of losing is another topic that can be solved by how you handle losing. There is only fear if their is a negative outcome or emotional pain from losing. I'm not telling you to be happy that you lost, but do your best to stay positive and be happy with how you played. Reward yourself even if you lost. If you make the outcome of losing "less" negative or painful then you will be less nervous about the possibility of losing. -Nick

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How I Battle Nervousness
by: John R.

Anxiety is always present in the matches that any tennis player is in(whether in tournament or recreational), but you can tell by the maneurisms of the points played and the behaviors of the players, who is in control of their anxiety and nerves. Before even playing a match, I make it a point NOT to look at the draw sheet. I find that when I look at the draw, my anxiety heightens due to my own psyche trying to fortell the future. When I try to predict the future before I even step onto the court, I find myself fighting an uphill battle. Not knowning who I am playing until my name is called tends to make my nerves calmer and my head more focused.

Other very important tactics I ritualistically use before/during and after a match is:

Before a match: (Take about 10 mins for this exercise) Lie face up on the floor with your legs and arms spread out. VISUALIZE yourself stepping onto the tennis court and beginning to start the match. Visualize yourself completely confident and pinpointing your serves. See yourself dominating with aces and unreturnable returns. Feel your muscles loose and relaxed while you hit your forhands,backhands,slices,overhead smashes and lobs.

During a match. maintain a ritual after every point is played (I always focus on my strings after a point and say "Next point" whether if I won or lost the point) This helps me focus on the here and now, not on what is going to happen.

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Submitted by: John R.

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Anxiety is always present in the matches that any tennis player is in(whether in tournament or recreational), but you can tell by the maneurisms of the points played and the behaviors of the players, who is in control of their anxiety and nerves. Before even playing a match, I make it a point NOT to look at the draw sheet. I find that when I look at the draw, my anxiety heightens due to my own psyche trying to fortell the future. When I try to predict the future before I even step onto the court, I find myself fighting an uphill battle. Not knowning who I am playing until my name is called tends to make my nerves calmer and my head more focused. Other very important tactics I ritualistically use before/during and after a match is: Before a match: (Take about 10 mins for this exercise) Lie face up on the floor with your legs and arms spread out. VISUALIZE yourself stepping onto the tennis court and beginning to start the match. Visualize yourself completely confident and pinpointing your serves. See yourself dominating with aces and unreturnable returns. Feel your muscles loose and relaxed while you hit your forhands,backhands,slices,overhead smashes and lobs. During a match. maintain a ritual after every point is played (I always focus on my strings after a point and say "Next point" whether if I won or lost the point) This helps me focus on the here and now, not on what is going to happen.

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breathe and focus
by: Marc from the Netherlands

Hi Patrick,

Your story sounds familiar to me. I have lose a lot of matches to, played really not on my normal level, just because I was affraid to lose (instead of just having fun on the court and play to win).

Fear is not strange: it's just a natural response of your body. It's your body telling you that you care about the match. Everybody knows fear, but some people know tho handle it better than the other. The point is to get control of it. But how to handle is to learn. Just like you practice how to hit a forehand or backhand you have to practice your mental skills.

What for me worked really well was a book called:'Mind Gym: an athlete's guide to inner excellence. Author: Gary Mack). You'll can probably find it on internet.

This book really made me a more confident player and I think a couple of chapters in this book was the biggest reason why I was almost unbeatable for an entire season and If I lost, I was still happy because I performed at my best. The book is great and one particular chapter in this book is about 'breathe & focus'. I always read this chapter before I step on the court (I can almost dream it :).

I highly recommend this chapter. There's an excersise in when you learn just to breathe and focus. Practice the breathe and focus theory in your matches and you can't think about anything else then here and now (the mind-state where you can perform at your best).

Good luck!

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Submitted by: Marc from the Netherlands

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Hi Patrick, Your story sounds familiar to me. I have lose a lot of matches to, played really not on my normal level, just because I was affraid to lose (instead of just having fun on the court and play to win). Fear is not strange: it's just a natural response of your body. It's your body telling you that you care about the match. Everybody knows fear, but some people know tho handle it better than the other. The point is to get control of it. But how to handle is to learn. Just like you practice how to hit a forehand or backhand you have to practice your mental skills. What for me worked really well was a book called:'Mind Gym: an athlete's guide to inner excellence. Author: Gary Mack). You'll can probably find it on internet. This book really made me a more confident player and I think a couple of chapters in this book was the biggest reason why I was almost unbeatable for an entire season and If I lost, I was still happy because I performed at my best. The book is great and one particular chapter in this book is about 'breathe & focus'. I always read this chapter before I step on the court (I can almost dream it :). I highly recommend this chapter. There's an excersise in when you learn just to breathe and focus. Practice the breathe and focus theory in your matches and you can't think about anything else then here and now (the mind-state where you can perform at your best). Good luck!

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match anxiety
by: Ian

Patrick,

Thank you for sharing and thanks to Nick and John R for their excellent insights and recommendations. The experience of becoming 'frozen' and paralyzed with anxiety during a match is all too familiar to me and hits close to home. Lately however I generally find myself in a different, and much more enjoyable, state of mind when playing competitive matches.

I'm a 'solid' 3.5 NTRP player (as such things go), and always felt that my technique is as good, and usually better, than most players I face competitively. This in the past led me to go into a match with an expectation that I should be the one dictating the play, and ultimately the one winning. I'd usually start the match playing well. However, as the match progressed and I'd made a few unforced errors (unavoidable at any level of play), I'd start playing more timidly, trying to guide the ball, and often end up losing to a player whom, at the start of the match, I expected to roll all over due to my 'superior' ball striking ability.

Earlier this year I sustained a back injury that sidelined me for over three months. This gave me some time to ponder, reflect, and adjust my expectations. I started playing again in June, and in four USTA league matches I played since I have not experienced any of the anxiety and fear that dogged me before. I felt some nerves prior to each match, but once the warm-up started that changed to feeling focused and 'in the moment'. I was able to carry this feeling through an entire match (with momentary lapses perhaps), and feel good about my performance in the end, win or loose. OK, that was a long wind-up, now to the specific things that, I believe' have made the difference.

1. Prior to the match:
- cultivate the feeling of going into a match as an under-dog, yet still confident in your strokes. This is a bit of a mental contraption, but a feeling that I find easily attainable. Once at the site of a match, spend a few minutes in the car generating this 'confident underdog' state of mind.
- if you have a video iPod or other portable video device, watch some highlights of your favorite player for a couple of minutes in your car. For me this is Federer; there is a ton of short clips featuring Federer on YouTube (dah...), and free software to capture those clips to your video device (works for iPod anyway). I make it a point to only watch some of Fed's more outrageous, laugh-out-loud impossible shots prior to walking on court. The goal for me is not try to emulate Federer, but to get a feeling of being inspired yet relaxed.

[End of part one of three. To be continued: the warm-up; during the match; general]

Ian

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Submitted by: Ian

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Patrick, Thank you for sharing and thanks to Nick and John R for their excellent insights and recommendations. The experience of becoming 'frozen' and paralyzed with anxiety during a match is all too familiar to me and hits close to home. Lately however I generally find myself in a different, and much more enjoyable, state of mind when playing competitive matches. I'm a 'solid' 3.5 NTRP player (as such things go), and always felt that my technique is as good, and usually better, than most players I face competitively. This in the past led me to go into a match with an expectation that I should be the one dictating the play, and ultimately the one winning. I'd usually start the match playing well. However, as the match progressed and I'd made a few unforced errors (unavoidable at any level of play), I'd start playing more timidly, trying to guide the ball, and often end up losing to a player whom, at the start of the match, I expected to roll all over due to my 'superior' ball striking ability. Earlier this year I sustained a back injury that sidelined me for over three months. This gave me some time to ponder, reflect, and adjust my expectations. I started playing again in June, and in four USTA league matches I played since I have not experienced any of the anxiety and fear that dogged me before. I felt some nerves prior to each match, but once the warm-up started that changed to feeling focused and 'in the moment'. I was able to carry this feeling through an entire match (with momentary lapses perhaps), and feel good about my performance in the end, win or loose. OK, that was a long wind-up, now to the specific things that, I believe' have made the difference. 1. Prior to the match: - cultivate the feeling of going into a match as an under-dog, yet still confident in your strokes. This is a bit of a mental contraption, but a feeling that I find easily attainable. Once at the site of a match, spend a few minutes in the car generating this 'confident underdog' state of mind. - if you have a video iPod or other portable video device, watch some highlights of your favorite player for a couple of minutes in your car. For me this is Federer; there is a ton of short clips featuring Federer on YouTube (dah...), and free software to capture those clips to your video device (works for iPod anyway). I make it a point to only watch some of Fed's more outrageous, laugh-out-loud impossible shots prior to walking on court. The goal for me is not try to emulate Federer, but to get a feeling of being inspired yet relaxed. [End of part one of three. To be continued: the warm-up; during the match; general] Ian

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match anxiety
by: Ian

Part 2

2. The warm-up:
- use the new balls!
- go through the entire warm-up routine. That is, hit some groundies, volleys, overheads, and serves. Do not allow your opponent (or your team-mate as it may be) to short-circuit the warm-up.
- hit all the shots during the warm-up, even the ones that you don't feel comfortable with (seems like at 3.5 that is overhead for nearly everyone...) If you find yourself trying to avoid a certain shot during the warm up, still go ahead and hit those shots! Once you hit a good one, stop and move on to a different shot. Make a mental note to later work on the 'trouble' shots in practice. I’d suggest practicing the warm-up itself, in its entire 'proper' format.
- if your opponent is not being cooperative during the warm-up, laugh it off. He's short-changing himself more than you. Don't be shy about requesting some cooperation. I.e. ask for shorter lobs while warming up your overhead if your opponent keeps hitting them too deep, even if they do land within the bounds.
- when warming up your serve, start with hitting as loose as you can, and aim deep. Don't worry if at this point your serves lands closer to the baseline than the service line. Basically start deep then bring it in.
- make a note of the shots that your opponent tried to avoid, and of any obvious weaknesses.
- if you don't see any such weaknesses in the warm-up (relative to you level of play), smile and remember that you are the underdog!

[part 2 of 3]

Ian

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Submitted by: Ian

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Part 2 2. The warm-up: - use the new balls! - go through the entire warm-up routine. That is, hit some groundies, volleys, overheads, and serves. Do not allow your opponent (or your team-mate as it may be) to short-circuit the warm-up. - hit all the shots during the warm-up, even the ones that you don't feel comfortable with (seems like at 3.5 that is overhead for nearly everyone...) If you find yourself trying to avoid a certain shot during the warm up, still go ahead and hit those shots! Once you hit a good one, stop and move on to a different shot. Make a mental note to later work on the 'trouble' shots in practice. I’d suggest practicing the warm-up itself, in its entire 'proper' format. - if your opponent is not being cooperative during the warm-up, laugh it off. He's short-changing himself more than you. Don't be shy about requesting some cooperation. I.e. ask for shorter lobs while warming up your overhead if your opponent keeps hitting them too deep, even if they do land within the bounds. - when warming up your serve, start with hitting as loose as you can, and aim deep. Don't worry if at this point your serves lands closer to the baseline than the service line. Basically start deep then bring it in. - make a note of the shots that your opponent tried to avoid, and of any obvious weaknesses. - if you don't see any such weaknesses in the warm-up (relative to you level of play), smile and remember that you are the underdog! [part 2 of 3] Ian

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match anxiety
by: Ian

part 3 of 3

3. The match:
- this might be controversial and depends on situation, but generally do not force the issue during the first few points. That is, don't be eager to hit winners. Focus of hitting solid, safe rally shots, and see if you opponent has a stomach for staying in an extended rally. If he happens to hit a couple of winners as a result, take it easy. Things are under control and are going according to your plan.
- once you get into a grove, start going after your opponent's main weakness. Relentlessly!
- accept that you will make unforced errors. Remember that top ATP players call it a good day when, at the end of a match, they hit more winners than unforced errors. Top WTA women normally make more unforced errors in match than they hit winners.
- when you do make an unforced error, immediately 'act' a correct swing, and leave it at that. No running commentary, aloud or internal.
- when you played a good point that resulted in you hitting a winner, reinforce it! Say 'yes!', pump up you fist, whatever, every time. Reinforce your good play, ignore your errors, unforced or otherwise.
- decide what you are going to do prior to starting a point, whether you serve or receive, and do not change your mind in the last moment! "I'll return cross-court", "I'll hit every shot to his backhand", "I'll hit an approach shot to his backhand and follow up to the net on the first short ball I get". Etc.

4. General:
- consider playing more doubles as opposed to singles to regain your confidence. When you do, make sure to boost your partner's confidence as well on any good play. I.e. high-five after each point that your team wins.
- accept that sometimes it's just not your day...
- accept that there are players who are on a given day playing better than you, or competing better. Respect that by giving them the best match you possibly can.
- enjoy the game. In the end no one cares whether you won or lost, and no one is judging you. You are in it for fun and enjoyment.

Hope some of this is helpful.

Ian

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Submitted by: Ian

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part 3 of 3 3. The match: - this might be controversial and depends on situation, but generally do not force the issue during the first few points. That is, don't be eager to hit winners. Focus of hitting solid, safe rally shots, and see if you opponent has a stomach for staying in an extended rally. If he happens to hit a couple of winners as a result, take it easy. Things are under control and are going according to your plan. - once you get into a grove, start going after your opponent's main weakness. Relentlessly! - accept that you will make unforced errors. Remember that top ATP players call it a good day when, at the end of a match, they hit more winners than unforced errors. Top WTA women normally make more unforced errors in match than they hit winners. - when you do make an unforced error, immediately 'act' a correct swing, and leave it at that. No running commentary, aloud or internal. - when you played a good point that resulted in you hitting a winner, reinforce it! Say 'yes!', pump up you fist, whatever, every time. Reinforce your good play, ignore your errors, unforced or otherwise. - decide what you are going to do prior to starting a point, whether you serve or receive, and do not change your mind in the last moment! "I'll return cross-court", "I'll hit every shot to his backhand", "I'll hit an approach shot to his backhand and follow up to the net on the first short ball I get". Etc. 4. General: - consider playing more doubles as opposed to singles to regain your confidence. When you do, make sure to boost your partner's confidence as well on any good play. I.e. high-five after each point that your team wins. - accept that sometimes it's just not your day... - accept that there are players who are on a given day playing better than you, or competing better. Respect that by giving them the best match you possibly can. - enjoy the game. In the end no one cares whether you won or lost, and no one is judging you. You are in it for fun and enjoyment. Hope some of this is helpful. Ian

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UK PLAYER
by: Anonymous

I LIKE ALL THE ADVICE SO FAR, YOU KNOW I HAVE BETTEN FAR BETTER PLAYERS THAN ME BECAUSE WIN OR LOSE I WANTED TO LEARN & IMPROVE. ROBERT SPELLEN. BRITISH PLAYER.

Play The Ball With Confidence
by: Daniel

Hi Patrick,

A good friend of mine helped me tremendously with the same issue you are having. First, it's okay to be nervous. Admit it. Then move past it by having confidence in your own ability to play within your limits. Play the ball first. Control everything within your control; starting with the service toss. Keep your head up and see the racket hit the ball. When it comes back to you, play the ball within your own ability; don't worry about "who" you are playing. Whatever you do, don't play "not to loose" because then you surely will. In the beginning, I would always loose USTA league matches because I quickly got intimidated; not true any more since my good friend helped me. Play hard. Have fun.

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Losing, anxiety, making unforced errors, double faulting, etc

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Losing, anxiety, making unforced errors, double faulting, etc