Every Player Should Read This

“Every player (especially young player’s) should read”

Dear Tennis Player,

Congratulations on picking the greatest individual sport you can play. 

You are going to have an amazing journey as you learn about this great game, but more importantly about yourself and those around you.

Tennis and training for tennis can teach you some valuable life lessons if you let it......

I wanted to give you some advice as you endeavor to be the best version of yourself. This comes from a place of experience and honesty, maybe these are things you need to hear.

I promise you, you will encounter these situations and feelings, so read on and take on the following 8 things (you may not want to hear the truth, but I can guarantee it can help change the way you think)

1. Losing– You are going to lose a lot of matches. That is the reality. Prepare for it and learn what you can from each loss. This is what we call turning a negative into a positive. Do not fall into the trap of turning a negative into a disaster.
2. Doubting yourself– Everyone does this. At times, you will doubt yourself as a player. You will question why you are playing and even question those around you. Use these moments to assess your processes, but come back to it when you are in a better mindset before making decisions.
3. Frustrated – Roger, Serena, Rafa, they all get extremely frustrated. So, will you. Tennis can do that to anyone, and you are no different. In those moments, control what you can control, sometimes you need to walk away, reset and bounce back the next day.
4. Blaming others– More often than not, you will be the reason something has happened. First, ask yourself
   “What could have I done better”
   then look to assess other factors.
5. Growth over results - Development should always be the focus. If you are learning and improving and focused on that, the results will come. Becoming fixated on winning can be toxic and will place a lot of pressure on yourself.
6. Attitude – Hands down the most important factor in reaching your potential is Attitude. You can 100% no questions asked, control your attitude. It is a choice. Being in a positive, upbeat and controlled state will always deliver the best outcome.
7. Expectations– Do not expect to be the best, accept that your best is enough. As long as you run up with the right attitude and give 100%, then that’s enough. The results will sort themselves out.
8. Resilience – Every generation that comes through seems to be less and less resilient (I’m generalizing). Be different, be willing to get knocked down 10 times and get up 10 times, in these moments you realize how great you can be.
   
   

 
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Some other tips;

1. Learn from your matches - Keep a match journal and a journal to write down how you are feeling.
   
   
2. Being physically fit and strong will help you mentally – Don’t take short cuts, when training for tennis, ensure you do everything you can do to be at your peak physical fitness.
   
   
3. Worry about what you can control – Be prepared for everything e.g. tennis match, tennis training etc you can control how fit you are, how you recover, what you eat etc.
   
   
4. Get out of your tennis head – If you do something too much without a break from it, you will lose the motivation for it.
   
   
5. Make sure you stay connected in other areas of your life. Social circles, playing another sport or other interests. This is extremely important.
   
   

We hope this helps shed light on what is needed to reach your potential. (That should be your goal)

We spend the majority of our time working with junior players. This is our passion.
We want to help as many young players as possible.