How To Use Tennis Psychology To Win Mental Matches

The application of psychology is becoming increasingly relevant in the sport. In this area, experts have designed many professional strategies based on the cognitive behavioral model. In this article, we will take a closer look at how to use tennis psychology to master your mental struggles.

These professional strategies point to the link between a person’s self-efficacy and his or her athletic performance (Ortega and Meseguer, 2009). In tennis, it is often mental skills that differentiate a good player from a superb player.

Lucia Jiménez Almendros is a tennis player who is now also a sports psychologist. She has a doctorate and her dissertation is entitled  Positive thoughts and feelings in competitive athletes’ coping strategies (Cognición y emoción positivas en el afrontamiento de los deportistas de competición). She has come to the conclusion that it is often only the human mind that limits athletic performance.

Many top players in ATP and WTP have confirmed that in professional competitions, where the players’ technical, tactical and physical qualifications are equal, it is mental and psychological factors that determine the end result in 95% of cases (Hoya Ortega, 2018).

In elite sports, the most important thing of all is to win and in some cases this is practically the only thing that counts. Here it is not possible to drive with the mantra “the most important thing is to participate”, which is used at the basic levels of the sport.

When everything is governed by results, rankings and performance pressure , psychological competence becomes very important. This is when you realize that you have to strengthen your mental skills to be able to compete at the highest level.

Tennis psychology (self-assessment and motivation) and perceived physical competence

Using tennis psychology is something that has a great impact on the game’s physiological, technical and even tactical aspects. The players who value themselves more and who perceive themselves as more physically competent are more motivated by competitive instinct and also by success and achievements.

These skills are crucial for achieving optimal performance in such a high-intensity sport as tennis. Players must perceive and interpret information extremely quickly. This gives them enough time to plan, initiate and execute successful battles.

Tennis is a sport that is characterized by high psychological demands and it is relatively unique in that it requires a great deal of mental complexity. It is an individual sport. There is no time limit and this can lead to loss of concentration, motivation and activation.

Players have to make many decisions. There are no long breaks and there are many critical situations that can lead to increases or decreases in the players’ performance  (Hoya Ortega, 2018).

How to win the mental battle by using tennis psychology

Tennis psychology connects skills that are driven by intrinsic motivation. Skills that help players win the mental battle. This motivation is on the one hand aimed at success (they do not think about losing, they are realistic and optimistic and they attribute successes and failures to internal aspects). On the other hand, it is also aimed at their performance  (to play well, to improve and to give everything they can).

These qualities and goal-oriented behaviors are essential for winning the mental battle.

Even elite-level tennis players get nervous, but they have a greater ability to control their anxiety. They work to improve their ability to concentrate and focus on what is important in the game. They are not easily distracted. And should they be distracted after all, they can easily use a different type of concentration to disturb the opponent.

In order to maintain their mental concentration during the game, they follow some pre-determined guidelines for their work both before and during the matches. In this way , they make everything seem more normal and can thus achieve maximum performance.

In short, in order to win the mental battle, in addition to playing good tennis, tennis players must also have the feeling that everything is going well, almost automatically. They should not think too much about what to do. Furthermore, they must certify to themselves that everything is under control.