A Look at the Mental Side of Tennis….
Sometimes, as a tennis player, you exist on an island. Alone, solo, under the lights of your local club or drenched in the sun, there you are … between the lines, either gaining the accolades of glory hitting the winning shot or facing the weight of defeat. There are no teammates to pass to; no backup in case you throw a bad pitch or have a bad shift; no defense to pick you up after the offense turned the ball over…it’s just you who must deal with the adversity of this individual sport.
Mental toughness is what gives top players a competitive leg up over the opposition. Training one’s mind to deal with nerves, anxiety and quickly move onward past mistakes can be the difference between being crowned “champion” and “finalist.” These individuals help players focus, find their groove and enter the zone to success. It’s the ability of the player to quickly get back on track once rattled that can make the difference between bowing out in the first round of a tournament or hoisting the trophy at the end of the day.
Long Island Tennis Magazine was fortunate enough to sit down and chat with two prominent in the field of sports psychology to pick their brains and gain insight into their role as one of the most vital members of a tennis player’s support staff.
Dr. Tom Ferraro is a sport psychologist with a Ph.D. from SUNY Stony Brook, with more than 25 years of experience working with professional teams, coaches and Olympic athletes across a broad range of sports. Dr. Ferraro is a board-certified psychoanalyst, which allows him to properly diagnose and treat the symptoms an athlete may bring to his him and help them understand any underlying reasons for self-defeat. He has been published internationally and has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, and is a regular contributor to this publication.
Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. Rob is author of 4 best-selling books including: Tennis Inside the Zone, Pickleball Inside the Zone, Golf Inside the Zone and Baseball Inside the Zone. All books are available on Amazon. Rob actively plays Tennis, Pickleball, Table Tennis and Beach Tennis and loves the “Spirit of the Swing.”
Do you think playing other sports in addition to tennis can help your players avoid stress/burnout?
Ferraro: Of course! Cross training is good for the mind as well as the body. Often times the young competitive tennis player will enjoy the fun and carefree environment of a second sport. In today’s world, the young elite tennis player is grinding and feels pressure in every tournament so experiencing the fun of sports in a second endeavor is good for the body and the mind. However, if the young player is obsessive/compulsive, perfectionist and a workaholic then they will treat the next sport in the way they treat tennis and will grind away once again. This can lead to injury or burnout. Parents can help the young player by having a fun loving attitude towards the second sport and helping the athlete to translate the fun attitude to tennis.
How do you teach someone to focus on the present point rather than dwell on past points, whether they won or lost the previous point?
Polishook: Firstly, I would discuss with my client that the definition of focusing or concentrating is the choice to focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t. When a player understands that they have the choice to focus on the present, they begin to realize that they have control over the moment. Secondly, I would divide a piece of paper or word document in half; on one side the player can make a list of what they can control, things such as: effort, attitude, adaptability, making a choice and more. Then I would help them work through what’s uncontrollable; things such as the past, the outcome, the opponent, seeding and more. Lastly, I would explain, now that they understand what they can and can’t control, if they want to play in the moment, they need to make the choice to do so. They can also do exercises like breathing, creating between point rituals and somatic exercises to stay present.
Do you recommend players visualizing future success? How important is that in preparation for a match?
Ferraro: Visualizing success is crucial to winning in tennis. The more a player thinks about victory the better they will play. There is new research out of Stanford University that suggests ‘manifesting’ victory is useful. When working with athletes, negative thinking is an exceedingly common thing to see and the cause of the negative thinking is crucial in addition to creating a positive mind set.
How would you advise someone who is playing a match against a “weaker” opponent? On the inverse, how would you advise if they are playing against a “stronger” opponent?
Polishook: I would explain to my client that Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and other top players don’t get caught in the trap of looking at matches or opponents this way. No matter who they play, their job is to focus on “What’s Important Now” (ironically, W.I.N). If they look through the lens of W.I.N., they will shift their focus to three things: First, focusing on the challenge not the threat of a match; second, focusing on competing and not expectations of a match; and third, focusing on what they can control and letting go of what they can not.
Why don’t quick fixes ever last?
Ferraro: Every athlete on earth wants a quick fix and they all eventually realize that quick fixes do not work. They have all been exposed to behavior techniques like deep breathing, goal setting, positive self talk and visualization techniques. But every one of them soon realize that the quick fix that worked so well yesterday seems to evaporate into thin air the next day and they are back to square one. The process of learning anything that is difficult requires three things. One needs techniques, a guide and a community to support this process. This is similar to the Three Gems of Buddhism which calls for the practice of meditation, the guidance of a guru and a community of like minded people that practice their craft over time. Depth sport psychology is similar to this by emphasizing regular visits in order to slowly uncover insight with the help of a trained psychoanalyst. This produces ego strength, confidence and the ability to bounce back from mistakes as insight into the unconscious is discovered. Quick fixes sound great in theory but in reality they rarely last more than two days. Real growth of the mind is like real growth of the body. It takes a pretty long time to acquire these skills and a long time to get to the top of the mountain. But in the end, the effort is worth it.
What would be a good book for my child to read on tennis?
I have to recommend Tennis Inside the Zone. Now…full disclaimer, I wrote it! However, it is a unique book because the book talks about specific experiences junior players encounter and specific questions they may ask before, during and after matches. Questions such as: Oh my god…I’m nervous what do I do? Or how do I get the Mental Edge? Or How to Tame Negative self talk? Or I’m Better, How Did I Lose? Each chapter asks and answers a specific mental question and allows the player to journal/answer questions around their specific experiences. It also includes top quotes, ideas and principles from the pros and how they manage the mental game.
