
BRUCE GOLDSTEIN
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL
The Mental Game
Oooohhh, now this is scary! First of all don’t make such a big deal of it. No one is winning by voodoo. Really! Now we are capable of beating ourselves, which can be addressed. Just because someone beats you closely ALL the time doesn’t mean that they are mentally stronger than you. Course it doesn’t mean that they’re not either.
Let’s get back to the point, which today is not beating yourself. I’d like to make two main points. The first is not to panic when the level of your game starts to drop some during a match. That is a sure way to completely have the wheels come off your game, as everything starts to accelerate downward. Realize that it is not unusual for the playing level to drop some as time goes on and just relax through it.
Good players MANAGE their games, meaning they know how to use what they have at the time. Also, it probably isn’t as big a difference in terms of winning or losing as you think.
Secondly, when you get toward the end and you are serving, DON’T TRY SO HARD TO HIT A GREAT SHOT! You may need it, but focus on your mechanics and trust in them. In other words at 4-5 40-30 I’d love to hit an ace. Instead of trying to crush one to the corner, it’s better to think about hitting the ball with some spin knowing that will keep the first serve in, knowing that if the first serve goes in at that point there is a good chance to win the serve and the set, helps your execution properly. Really get comfortable with the fact that the ball will be good. It helps quite a bit to feel that there is a formula to doing well.