Pressure of being the best

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Employee | Online Shop Manager 

Flickr: Christopher Levy

With the BNP ParibasOpen in Indian Wells, CA drawing to a close, we take a look back at the draw and wonder why so many of the tour's top seeds were dropping like flies. Players such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova & Li Na had unexpected losses where we can't help but question if the pressure of always winning is taking its toll. The more we win, the more stress we add to our game. We must win because we're the stronger player. We must win because we beat this opponent in the past. We must win because it's expected of us. The pressure alone can cause such mental anguish that the match is already lost. So what can you do to relieve yourself from that self-destructive path?

It's easy to be overwhelmed by negative thoughts when things aren't going your way. The best way to remedy this is to focus on your physical actions. Make a point to move your feet, watch the ball, and breath out as you swing. Turn you attention to the next point, not the final outcome.

Talk positively to yourself. Too many times we've seen players shout out in frustration, whack their foot with their racquet, or simply remain silent in defeat. Tell yourself 'good job' or 'come on' after winning a point. And for those points you don't win, give yourself a break--you'll get the next one.

Give yourself something to look forward to after the match. What gets you into your 'happy' zone? Seeing your kids? A new episode of your favorite TV show? A win or lose milkshake? However big or small, remind yourself of the things that will help make it OK at the end of the day.

Lastly, don't put all your eggs in one basket. In other words, find another hobby to invest your self-esteem in. Tennis is supposed to be fun!

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Mental Toughness Tip: Don't choke!

Dallas Aleman | Towpath Tennis Owner | Tennis Guru


Two weeks ago we witnessed an exciting final at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami between Andy Murray and David Ferrer. What was intriguing to me was Ferrer being edged out in a brutal 3 set match and final tie-break win by Murray. Ferrer is normally such a pitbull on the court but he made a critical error when trying to close out the match to win the title. On match point Ferrer made the fatal mistake of playing not to lose versus playing to win. A ball landed close to the line and when no call was made, Ferrer stopped play to have hawk eye verify his claim that the ball was out. Well guess what-he blew it! It's not like the ball was clearly in (it was actually in by the smallest margin), but he lost the point and eventually the match.

The point is that if you play to win, you do not hope for your opponent's ball to go out. Anything that comes to you that is obviously not out, you go for it! This is especially true on balls that you are coming forward on and are meant to be your opponent's passing shots. "He who hesistates is lost." This is so true in tennis and in life. Players that are winners go for any and all balls. You want to hit the ball, you want to force the unforced error. If you hesitate you are putting your destiny in your opponent's hands, but if you go down swinging then you will always have a greater chance of getting the win. You may lose a point occasionally, but it won't be for having the wrong attitude. Playing to win means you play to be the last one to hit the ball. David Ferrer wished that he would have hit that ball and maybe he would have won the match.

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