Mind
Training for Tennis -
Tennis Tip 9
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How
To Win Matches You Should Not Win!
Often
in tennis, the player who should win,
doesn't! Why?
Because certain players - even
if they are playing worse than
their opponents, simply know
how to win.
They
usually seem to manage to find a way,
regardless of how they play on the day.
I like to think of this as the 'X factor',
that intangible quality that all champions
possess, which pulls them through matches
they should otherwise lose.
So
how does this work? Why would the better
player not always win? What is the
X factor? (and how can you get it?!).
The number
one quality a player can possess
on court (and possessed by all those
who have the X factor) is an unquenchable belief
in their own ability. This belief
means that, regardless of how badly a
match is going, it is still possible
for these players to pulll out the win.
This means that at those times when they
are down a set and two breaks, and
on the brink of defeat - they simply
refuse to give up - and refuse to
lose.
This
never-say-die quality often brings them
through many of these matches successfully, which
builds their self-confidence for future comebacks whenever
they have needed it. Needless to say,
they also soon gained the great reputation
as "the player who simply cannot
be put away" - and this begins
to put fear into their opponents even
before they walk onto the court.
At
this time of writing, Roger Federer and
Rafael Nadal were truly developing this
X factor at the highest level, where they truly
believe that they can win against absolutely
anyone. At the beginning of their careers,
they would sometimes crack under extreme
pressure, but then they feared no-one. This
is the X factor - and all the greats had
it - such as Agassi, Sampras, Courier,
Borg, McEnroe and Laver.
It
takes time to develop this level of inner
belief, but once it happens, it transforms
the player and creates a new aura
of confidence that follows them everywhere
they play.
An on-court characteristic
that is helpful in developing this 'X factor'
is relentlessness, which I have
spoken about before. By simply never,
ever giving up, you often mentally
wear down your opponents until they
can finally self-destruct towards
the end of a tough match - causing them
to make uncharacteristic errors or double
faults at crucial times in the final set
to hand you the match a platter.
This
attitude of relentlessness helps you to
set up a powerful inner mental blueprint that
says "I am unstoppable". This
level of belief allows you to produce your
greatest shots even on break points
down, allowing you to hit the lines
and play without fear.
Slowly
but surely, this relentlessness causes
a powerful chain reaction. It turns
itself into consistent results -
and consistent results means eventually being
seeded in most of the tournaments
- and being seeded in tournaments puts fear into
your opponents. Needless to say, fear
from your opponents only gives you more
confidence. Result? Success!
Now,
this relentlessness is not just something
we want you to feel on court, it
is a quality we want you to display on
court for the benefit of your opponent.
The more your opponent can see that you
simply refuse to ever get disheartened,
slow up, or give up - the more disheartened they will
become!
Not to mention that this powerful relentless body
language give your own game a big
boost as well.
So
this quality not only helps you on your side
of the net, it affects the other side of
the net as well! (It maybe be helpful to
also read my tip on body language from
the archive as well - see links at bottom
of this tip).
So
remember that if you are ever being totally outplayed in
a match, don't worry too much -
it does not mean
that you are necessarily going to lose!
Work on developing this X-factor and
you will walk off the court a winner
more often, regardless of how you play.
