Mind
Training for Tennis -
Tennis Tip 11
Why
You Should Never Be Intimidated
By Your Opponent's Talent
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One
of the toughest things to
deal with mentally can be
when you are hitting up with
your opponent before a match, and
they are showing you an absolutely
awesomely wide repertoire
or arsenal of shots that
they possess!
Some
opponents during
the hitup -
rather than hitting their groundstrokes
within your general range when
you are at the net - will prefer
to display to you their acutely
angles passing shots, topspin
lobs or flat-out blasts of
power - purely as an intimidation
tactic!
When
this happens however (and
it will happen), never, ever be
worried about this - this does
not mean you are going
to lose the match.
The
flair and talent your opponent
displays in this very low-pressure
environment of the hitup will
count for absolutely nothing -
once they are forced to
try and hit these shots
under the true pressure
of a match.
Tennis
history is scattered with countless
sad stories of incredibly talented
and hugely gifted players who never
managed to take full advantage of
this enormous talent - often because
they relied too much on their
talent and simply did not work as
hard, or become as mentally
tough, as the less-talented players.
Talent
alone these
days simply doesn't cut it anymore - they have to put
in the work as well (physically
and mentally). So if you've put in
the work, you have nothing to worry
about.
And
so even if you feel that your
opponent has more shots, flair and
touch than you do, don't worry - there
are still many ways for you to win. If you're
fit enough, you can always outlast them,
and if you're mentally tough enough,
you will relentlessly wear them
down. Talent alone is not enough
- always remember this.
Sure
- these ultra-talents often
begin their matches with a flurry
of huge winners and aces - but it's
not a case of what your opponent can
do in the match, it's a case
of "how long can they
continue to do it?".
Often
the answer is: not long enough! The
longer you stay in the match, and the
more you can continue to (at least) remain
even with them score-wise at the
beginning of the first set (and withstand
the initial onslaught) - the better
your chances of running out a routine
6-4 6-1 win.
The
key is - never to begin the match
feeling intimidated by their sheer talent,
power, speed, spin, or
whatever - the truly important thing
will be what they can bring out when
under pressure.
This
is so very, very important to never
forget:
*
Talent (alone) is not enough!
*
Talent + Hard
work + Mental strength = Ultimate
Success!
OK
- now there is no longer any reason why
you cannot succeed - so go out there
and show them how it's done.
