Mind
Training for Tennis Tip 8
http://www.tennispsychology.com
Playing
Higher-Ranked Opponents
A
great many competition
players seem to experience their game freezing up from nerves whenever
they play against higher-ranked opponents - even if they've played brilliantly
in all their matches right up to that particular one.
This
is simply a case of playing against the reputation of the player,
instead of competing against the player themselves, and it can be very difficult
to overcome - and let's face it, higher-ranked players can be difficult enough
to beat when you are playing well, let alone when you can't get your game
to work properly!
However,
there are several things you can do for this, both to prevent the problem
happening and also to overcome the intimidation when it is already happening.
First
of all, before you go out there to play - remind yourself that all
the pressure is on your opponent.
They
are the player expected to win, not you - and so they have much
more to lose than you do! All the pressure is on them, and none
is on you - this can only be good!
This
means you actually have the freedom to be able to play your own game and even
go for your shots, a luxury which they do not always have the freedom to
afford in their situation. Always remind yourself of this - the pressure they
must be going through of being the favorite.
Secondly,
often players overly build up the reputation of their opponents in their
minds, believing they must play at their absolute best to even have a remote
chance of winning. This usually causes overplaying or trying too hard,
and it is the quickest way to get into the locker room without winning a game!
So
never do this - remember to play within yourself and don't
go for 'super' shots all the time, unless you feel able to make
them.
You
may even find that your regular level of tennis is all that is
required for victory, not to mention that your standard can
often raise
naturally when playing against strong opponents anyway.
Also
remember that highly-ranked players are often used to their opponents
being highly nervous, and so often they are used to getting a quick
and early lead, and even winning their matches very quickly and easily.
This
can be in your favor! This means that if you can manage to stay
with them and hold your serve until say, 3 or 4-all, they may
well begin to get frustrated that they have yet not won the
first set - and they may come up with some uncharacteristic errors
around this time.
Surprisingly
often, if you hang in there long enough, you can find the
set being handed to you on a platter with some welcome
double faults or unforced errors.
Remind
yourself also that this opponent, regardless of who they are, has
lost a lot of matches in the past, and will lose matches in
the future - so why not to you, today?
Let's
face it - upsets happen all the time in world-standard
tennis, so why not in this particular event you are playing in,
today?
Go
into each match knowing you always have a chance to win, regardless
of who you are playing against.
Last
but not least, if you find yourself overly intimidated by
your opponent, instantly reduce the amount of eye contact
you make with them during the match, and do not look at them between
points, choosing to look at your strings instead.
This
helps reduce the emotional impact of your opponent's reputation,
plus from the other end of the court, it can appear (to your opponent)
that you seem unconcerned by them, which can be unsettling
even to top seeds if they can see no sign of fear.
So
remember that against higher-ranked opponents, you have nothing to lose and everything
to gain (and it's the oppose for your opponent), plus remember to play within
yourself and also stay with them in the early games of the first set.
And
last of all - the bigger they are, the harder they fall! Go out there and show
them what you can do.
