Tennis Mental Toughness : Tips to Beat Players With a Better Ranking
November 22nd, 2008Its always difficult to play tennis opponents which are ranked higher than you. Of course, youll feel excited and nervous and its easy to allow your fear to overcome you. However, there are certain key mental points that you can use in order to overcome this fear rather than succumbing to it. Here are those mental points and how to utilize them to play strategically against a higher ranked opponent.
Realize Who the Pressure Is On
Hey, when you go out there to play this great opponent, you need to realize one thing. Although you might think that all the pressure is on you, the fact is its not. The pressure is on your opponent because people expect him or her to beat you. Your opponent is aware of this as well. He understands that hes the one who has to make it happen and that hes the one whos got everything to lose. You, on the other hand, have nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing strategically and realizing who the pressure is really on.
Youre Not Playing the Player
Youre playing their reputation. In fact, you might be just as great as they are in different areas. However, because they are ranked higher than you and are more popular, theyre favored while you are not. So, use this to your advantage. Realize that theyre simply a player just like you are. They also make mistakes just like you do. Remember that youre not already defeated simply because they are the favorite.
Control Your Nerves
If youre playing a higher ranked opponent, you need to realize one thing: they are used to playing lesser ranked opponents. They understand that youre going to be nervous and they have most likely learned how to take advantage of those nerves. Rather than playing as if you were the weaker player, just play like if you were playing against any other opponent. Its easy to allow your nerves to make you feel like you have to make serious super hits every single time. Instead, play normally and only make those super hits when you are absolutely sure that they will be successful.
Dont Show Your Fear
Because your opponent is accustomed to taking advantage of nerves, you should definitely not show the fact that youre nervous. There are ways to do this, and one of them is to minimize the eye contact between you and your opponent. Not looking at them will reduce the realization that they are ranked higher and will help you hide the fact that youre nervous from them. This will give you an upper hand in the game. In fact, if you appear to be as calm as you can be, your opponent might start wondering why youre not nervous. If youre lucky, in turn this will make your opponent get a good case of the nerves. This will also help you take control of the game.