The hard-hitting, unpredictable, net-rushing tennis-player is a creature of impulse. There is no real strategy to his/her game, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups at the drop of a hat, mostly by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting type of character.
The really unnerving player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court under the direction of an ever-active mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite intention. A player who has an answer to every problem you present him in your game. He is the most subtle opponent in the world of tennis. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of dogged determination that sets his/her mind on one plan and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the end, with never a thought of change.
This is the player whose psychology is rather simple to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, because he never allows himself to think about anything but the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the determination of Johnston.
Pick out your type from your own mental processes, and then plan your game along the lines most suited to you. When two men are on the same level concerning stroke, strength and equipment, the determining factor in any match is the mental standpoint. Luck, as it is called, is usually no more than grasping the psychological value of a change of flow in the game, and turning it to your own account. People talk a lot about the “shots we have made.” But few people realize the importance of the “shots we have missed.”
The psychology of missing shots is just as vital as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Let me explain. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard for it, and having reached it, you drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is shocked and put off his stride, realizing that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to attempt it again and he will not risk it next time. He will strive to play the ball, and may make an error. You have thus stolen some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error, just because of a miss.
If you had merely tapped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt increasingly confident of your inability to get the ball out of his/her reach, while you would merely have been winded for no reason.
Let’s suppose that you made the shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points in that it took one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one you ought never to have had. Second it also upsets your opponent, as he feels that he has thrown away a big chance.
The psychology involved in a game of tennis is very interesting, but readily understood. Both player start with equal opportunities. However, once one player has gained a real lead, his/her confidence rises, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental standpoint becomes poor. The sole objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thus holding his/her confidence.
If the second player pulls even or draws ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with an even greater contrast in psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader, but coupled with the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The reverse is the case of the other player, who is apt to lose confidence and play worse. The collapse of his game plan soon follows.
If you are fascinated by the psychology of tennis, you ought to visit our website called Tennis Tips for Beginners You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.
