Top 5 Mental Mistakes Tennis Players Make

by Ed Tseng

Peak Performance Expert
Pro of the Year USTA/NJD 2005
Author of "Game. Set. Life. -Peak Performance for Sports and Life"

Many tennis matches are won and lost on the six inch tennis court between your ears. You probably know that the mental side of tennis is the most important factor in predicting success on the court, but have you ever been taught how to be mentally tough?

Physical skills take a while to develop, but you can instantly become a better player by having the same attitude and mindset as a Roger Federer. Below are my Top 5 Mental Mistakes Tennis Players Make.

Mistake # 1 - They are too negative. Have you ever missed a first serve and said to yourself, “DON’T double fault!” and you then proceed to double fault? You get what you focus on.

Don’t think about a pink elephant. Didn’t you just think of a pink elephant?!

Instead of thinking how bad a point was, think instead about how you can make an adjustment. Losers ask “why?” and winners ask “how?”

Most players focus on, "Why did I hit that terrible shot?" The true champions think, "How can I make an adjustment for next time?"

Mistake # 2 - They focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. Sure, it's fun to practice what you're good at, but that doesn't help improve your weakest link. If you have no backhand and I see that in the warm-up, guess what? I'm hitting EVERYTHING to your backhand. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.

Mistake # 3 - They think winning is everything. Think about it, if this were true, wouldn't you just play people you knew you could beat? That would get old. So there's something to be said about a challenge. Winning is internal. If you give it your all and push yourself to play your hardest, then you’re a winner. If you have fun and learn, you're on a whole different level. If you focus on the result, winning, you will put too much pressure on yourself. People don’t sing to get to the end of the song – have fun! Winning is a by-product of focusing on the right process.

Mistake # 4 - They perform according to their feelings. The biggest difference between elite players and everyone else is that when most players are tired, feel low energy, or not into it, they LOOK tired, low energy and not into it. But the great ones can have high energy – whether they want to or not. How do you do it? Act as if – if you act how you want to feel, then you will feel the way you act. Anyone can be high energy if they FEEL like it – I challenge you to act energized when you feel like it least.

Mistake # 5 - They don't have goals. When I ask players I work with what their goals are, many times they say, “To become a better tennis player.” That won’t help you get to the next level because it’s not specific enough. Instead, you can say something like, “I want to be able to get nine out of ten serves in the box with slice by July 26, 2009. “If you don’t know where you’re going, you could wind up someplace else.” –Yogi Berra

Ed Tseng is an internationally known tennis pro (Pro of the Year USTA/NJD 2005), peak performance expert and motivational speaker. He has helped thousands of people from all walks of life win more. Ed Tseng is the author of “Game. Set. Life. – Peak Performance for Sports and Life” and a volunteer coach for the Special Olympics. Tseng has given seminars to organizations such as the USTA, USPTA, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, Harlem Tennis Program, Special Olympics, Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Mercer County Juvenile Detention Center. His book, “Game. Set. Life.” has been on Amazon’s Top 10 in Sports Psychology. 

For more information, to schedule a mental training phone session, or have Ed come speak to your organization/team, contact Ed at: EdT@MonroeSportsCenter.com or call 609-426-4000

For daily motivational messages on peak performance in sports and in life: www.edtseng.com