Another psychological secret of tennis champions from the book Maximum Tennis by Nick Saviano.

Nick Saviano and Eugenie Bouchard

To best deal with the pressure of competition on the tennis court, frequently simulate those experiences in practice. The legendary coach of UCLA’s dynasty, John Wooden, espoused this philosophy,

“The pressure I created during practices may have exceeded that which opponents produces. I believe when an individual constantly works under pressure, they will respond automatically when faced with it during competition.”

Try to duplicate the various scenarios you are faced with in tennis match play. If you have trouble serving out a match, play some sets with a friend, where you start at 5-4 serving and then play out the set. If you don’t play break points well , play a set where each game starts at break point and play out the set.

Do drills where you keep the score. Play a practice set and have the loser buy lunch. By putting extra pressure on yourself in practice , you quickly will learn to improve your ability to execute under pressure in tennis matches.

Remember, the biggest challenge (and the best weapon you have) when you compete on the tennis court comes from your own mind.

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