All tennis players, sooner or later, get competitive. We can practice a lot but the real test of our skills is during the stressful situation that happens while battling for the win. When we go to the tournament we can believe in our skills and not be afraid or we can count on luck and hope that the draw won’t pair us up with a solid rival. Especially the one who has a higher-ranking position.

Marcin Bieniek

At all levels, people pay attention to rankings. It doesn’t matter if we talk about women doubles league or we relate to professional Grand Slam tournaments, the number before someone’s name can’t be omitted. The ranking is based on previous achievements and is created to qualify players as also to give them seeded positions so 2 great players won’t meet each other in the first or second round. Normally players feel less pressure while playing against lower-ranked rivals than they do while having an opportunity to face a player with a higher ranking. There are different reasons for that but definitely perception of the incoming match based on ranking position has a big influence on player’s thoughts, feelings, and performance.

In the beginning, it is important to understand what ranking really means. It doesn’t stand for the current performance of our rival because there are points accumulated during the last 365 days that count for the ranking position. This awareness immediately reduces pressure level that players feel because too many times people think that the higher the ranking of the rival the smaller their chances for winning. The truth is that at the beginning of the match each player has 50% chances for winning and daily performance increases or decreases these chances. It doesn’t matter what other players achieved 6 months ago. If he can’t repeat the same performance today he is not as good as his ranking says.

Looking at all players it is visible that it is easier to beat lower-ranked rivals than to surprise the tennis world with beating higher-ranked opponents. However, it is not impossible to win against players with higher-ranking positions and even better skills if we know how to properly approach this game. If you are tired of “not making surprises” during important tournaments you should consider these aspects:

Ranking is not a reflection of the skills

If you think that the higher the rank the better skills opponent has you are not always right. Sometimes the player has a solid game and proves it by winning tournaments so the ranking is the reflection of his day to day performance. But there are also players who played one good tournament 3 months ago or chose tournaments with less advanced opponents and that is why they got some points and have the number they have. It all comes down to daily performance so never give up and think positively before every match – no matter who is on the other side of the net.

Overestimation of rival’s skills

Proper assessment of own and rival’s skills is a problem for many athletes. While playing against a higher-ranked player we tend to underestimate our skills and overestimate abilities of the other player. We see our weaknesses bigger than they are and at the same time, we don’t see visible weaknesses of our rival. This false perception doesn’t allow us to fight for the win because we all the time feel inferior to the opponent. By changing this mental approach and take a real view at the next encounter we can understand that the opponent is not as scary as we thought.

Lack of hope while losing

Number one goal to have chances against higher-ranked opponents is to never give up. Many players tend to refuse to battle when the score is really pessimistic. When they lose first set and trail 0:3 in the second one they don’t believe that anything can change. Their perception of the opponent is that he is too good to start missing easy balls. That’s not the best approach. We are all human beings and if we can play well for 30 minutes we can also underperform for the next 30 minutes. You should never have doubts about your chances against higher-ranked players until the last ball is done – tennis saw a lot of wasted leads and you can be the reason to increase these numbers.

Playing with your ego

The worst mistake players can do while playing against a theoretically better competitor is to try to play the same game that the opponent presents. Trying to counter power with more power is not the best option to take advantage especially if this is not our dominant style of play. Like with any opponent we have to play with our strengths – not with our ego. We know what we can do the best and we should try to utilize these skills to put the opponent into uncomfortable situations. If you will try to use skills that you don’t possess you won’t have a chance to win against a solid rival.

High ranking spot gives many benefits but it also can be delusional. To win the match you have to be in good shape and show on a given day that you are better than the other player. Numbers don’t play so this aspect shouldn’t bother you if you see on the draw that your rival is higher in rank than you. Focus on what’s important and prepare for the match – these things you can control and they will make your chances much bigger to leave the court as a “surprising” winner.

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