how to handle pressure in a tennis match?

Question

i m a 17 years old struggling mens tennis player?

Answer 1

Optimism will help u a lot.Like,instead of thinking I hope I don't lose,think,I hope I win!Think optimistic.Keep a smile,no,an evil grin,lol,abuse your weapon(a killer forehand perhaps?)keep that grin,slow down ur oponnents pace while speeding urs up,then all the pressure will transfer to ur oponnent.

Answer 2

To be honest, the only way to ever effectively handle pressure, is to be in that situation more often (practice being under pressure). The more you play under pressure, the less it bothers you. When I was competitive in junior tennis and in college, there was nothing that would make me play better than being under pressure. I thrived on it I was so accustomed to it. Since then, I don't compete that often and now when I do, my results are erratic. Some days the nerves help me and other days, they hinder me. A couple of tips that help me when I'm not accustomed to playing under pressure are: 1) Take each point at a time...don't think about the overall score, but rather playing each point to the best of your ability and striving to be patient to win each point; 2) Try mentally saying, "Bounce" as the ball hits the ground and, "Hit" as you make contact (this is a good one if you're struggling with timing that day); 3) Think of a favorite song and let it run repeatedly through your mind while you're playing. Sing it in your head. That tends to relax me and I forget that I'm competing; 4) Last of all, remember that it is a GAME and is therefore supposed to be enjoyable. As a junior, I tended to forget that little detail far too often and as a result ended up with many broken racquets and embarrassing moments because I made an a-- out of myself. Whatever you do, try to learn to handle the pressure gracefully. You have many pressure-filled, stressful situations ahead of you in life and learning to handle them on the tennis court will go a long way to helping you in life. Hope this is helpful for you.

Answer 3

Develop rituals. Rituals that you do when you practice. Take the same amount of time between points . Bounce the ball the same number of times before each first and second serve . Carry your racquet with the non dominant hand and have it pointing up . Never show emotion good or bad during the match. Do no play until you are ready and your mind is clear. Keep your feet moving, never give up on a ball. Work on your breathing so it goes into your stomach not just your chest. Know what you want to do before the point starts. Get a solid warm up in, break a sweat so you are ready. If you are really nervous let your opponent serve first, No your game and stick to it. Make him beat you playing the way you want , do not play his style. Between points keep your mind clear , just bounce the ball thinking of nothing , but the score of the game. Make sure you are not gripping the racquet to tightly. Good luck

Answer 4

The only way to control it(because its not going to stop completely ever... sorry ;)) is to get a lot of matches in. Play matches every chance you get. This is because in tennis, first you learn how to play tennis just in practice and drills.. Then you learn how to play tennis AGAIN, but this time in matches. Even the slightest tension can turn a shot that you used to nail with your eyes closed, into a ball 4 feet out. So instead of worrying why you can't make the shot anymore, just accept that you wont be able to at least in the beginning. Then go out there and hit whatever shot you CAN make without missing, every time. What this does is it drags out the points and lets you take more shots to get the tension out of your system as much as you can. The key is to understand that you have to build up to the point where you can hit your best shots, and if you don't give yourself the chance to build up, then the match will be over before you can bring your A game. As you play more and more matches, you will get used to dealing with that tension quickly, and wont have to play it safe for nearly as long! Just go out there and expect that you will need to take easier shots than you're used to in practice until you relax, otherwise the match will be over too fast for you to get better.

Answer 5

Stayinng positive during teh match is a must. It also helps to have a routine like bouncing the ball 3 times before your serve or fiddling with your strings between points, also never show negative emotions it gives ur opponent a boost.

Answer 6

I found through the years when i was nervous or in a match situation where i needed to win a point - then i would think or sing to myself a song. Sounds strange but Evonne Goolagong from the sixties - an australian female ranked player would sing all the time to reduce her anxiety to achieve a calmness in playing pressure points.

Answer 7

ah tell me about that!! i've been in this situation quite often.
on first match, i was so nervous i struggled with my shots, my serve was shaky, my movement was not coordinate...
but on the next tournament (a year after. lol.) i felt physically and mentally prepared to face my opponent whoever it was.
i wasn't scared anymore, i believed in myself and wasn't thinking about anything else besides playing my best tennis and give it my all.
on my second match, i faced this huge guy 6 foot 3, played tennis since he was 8. he blew my away in the first set 6/1 with his 120 mph serve and his huge forehand.
and i told myself i can't win if i don't give a 100 percent of myself on each point!! so i went for my shots: blasting forehands and backhands from everywhere and in any position. i totally forgot about pressure, the crowd and even who i was facing.
i won 1/6 6/4 6/3
after that i realized that i've vaquished my fears, the pressure, the expectations.
from now on, the only time i feel real pressure is when i go up to girls to ask them out. lol

but here's my advice after such a long story, just go out there and give it your best everytime on each point, don't even think about anything else. just ENJOY THE GAME

Answer 8

Hello fellow tennis player, I know exactly what you mean. I found a website and a good instructor who runs the site.. His name is Tomaz, ask him or read through his whole website. Your question and many others will be answered. happy matches.

Answer 9

I totally understand how you feel. Just thinking about the pressure for college try-outs makes me nauseous.
Anytime I start feeling the pressure, I just think about winning. I just think about how happy my coach will be, the other teammates, my family and friends.

Answer 10

take a deep breath and just concentrate on the game. Ocassionaly, you can let off stress by farting. Thus, reducing your anxiety, thus making you play good and it gives you that extra boost ahaha. just kidding... just concentrate on the game and picture yourself winning.