Whether it’s preparing, playing or post-match, find all the tips you need to become a successful player.
Here are some tips on strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental performance and junior tennis that will keep you fresh and in shape while you're away from the court and stuck at home.
The best players engage in the mentality and the competitive behaviors they are planning to use in matches. The mental game plan that will be deployed should always be practiced, evaluated and refined in a training environment.
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The best players have consistent preparation routines that set them up to play their best. Frequently, players include visualization in the pre-match to mentally rehearse how they are going to play.
Pressure test mental skills by practicing routines in training with pressure. The goal is to challenge the player’s mental and physical skills with demands similar to those experienced in competition.
A strong mindset off the court is important, but just as important is using mental skills effectively in matches. Top players integrate deep breathing, visualization, performance cues, etc., into their routines.
Great performances are almost always preceded by adversity and a player managing his or her emotions, stress and energy. Understanding your emotional responses and how to channel them to your performance is a hallmark of great players.
It can be very hard to tell what professionals are doing mentally and emotionally to create an optimal mindset, but if you look closer (especially between points) and listen to them in post-match interviews, you can see that they are using mental skills.
To enhance awareness of what is happening in practices and matches, players must set an intention for the day, execute a plan to achieve the goal and reflect on how it went after the practice or match.
The best players in the world have a strong focus on how they are getting better. Working in concert with their coach, they know what they need to do to achieve higher levels of performance. They set goals for their development in the areas that will make the biggest difference, and then they focus it on every day.
Developing a clear vision of yourself and your game is essential to developing in a direction that is best for you, and occurs with daily communication with the coach and the performance team.
Connecting with the “why” is key to to creating motivation to train and compete. Simply stated, before embarking on a journey for success or triumph in tennis, a player must understand and answer these questions.
For a clear vision of your game, reflect on your best matches and what you were thinking, doing and feeling during those matches.
Learn how to prepare before a match to mentally and physically get close to match speed with your shots, movement and mind.
Routines are important not just before matches, but also during the match. This page includes the advice Player Development coaches give to their players on being fully engaged during play.
Learn how to respond and keep your focus when things aren't going your way.
Learn how to recover and prepare your body and mind for the next opportunity to practice or compete.
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