Who Am I Playing For?

An interesting realization...?

Who am I playing for? Why do I feel, when not playing well, when not playing up to my potential, that I am being judged.

Older men. First the coach, years ago. Brian Horan in NH. Russ Steere at Rally Point. And now Jacques Faulice on the Newport team.

The other night, I played a horrible doubles match. By the second and third set, I was afraid to serve.

Afraid to serve.

I love serving.

Afraid to serve. Hoping not to have to.

I beat myself up a good deal when I play tennis. I care very much what others think about me. I care...too much. I want them to think I am good. I worry about what they will say when I lose. I am a tortured soul on the tennis court. I think a lot about what people will say.

Why?

How can I stop it?

What are its consequences?

The funny thing is--we won the match the other night. But I still felt lousy. I was embarrassed that Jacques saw me playing the way I did. I feel like I always have something to prove to these men. Even when I win, I feel as though I lost. How do i stop worrying about their judgment?

Steve Masso (6-4, 6-2)

Played Steve on a windy day, at NK high. First time I've played him. I only won because he made too many mistakes. Serve was off (again). Had several opportunities to close out first set and close out match and did not close. Stayed on the court longer than I should have.

What did I do well? Slice backhand worked well. Realized as I was playing that if I could just keep the ball in play, he would make a mistake, eventually. Consistency level was okay. Beginning to take returning-game more seriously and thinking more when returning serve.

Tips and Pointers

4 Ways to Maintain a High-Level Match

What typically separates elite players and mediocre players is the ability to compete at a high level consistently. This includes eliminating slow starts and performing at higher levels from start to finish.

Inconsistent performers are players who may get easily distracted or fade away, especially if the score is lopsided in their favor. For the inconsistent performer, footwork and stroke production/consistency wax and wane throughout the match. These players may hit a string of winners but then go off on an unforced error bonanza.

Simply telling yourself to double your footwork, or forcing yourself to take extra steps to the ball is one of the most effective methods of overcoming early jitters, tightness, or inconsistent play.

Before each match, you should feel ready to compete physically and mentally. If you are not ready physically, you will not be ready mentally and your performance will reflect it.

Re-focusing on the strategy or game plan throughout the match is another easy method of getting back on track. Focusing on the game plan you and coach have outlined offers a distraction from previous points/games/sets and gives you a future oriented task to move forward with.

You might notice one common thread among all these suggestions: each is a controllable factor. Tennis is full of uncontrollable areas, but performance and effort is not one of them. Ultimately, you are the one to decide how to respond to situations faced on the court.