CourtCoverage

USTA leagues are a strange beast.

The reasons to play on a USTA team are numerous. They offer social enjoyment, good competition, and a heightened level of intensity. Sure, the intensity might be artificially created to some extent, but it’s still there. And how often when playing a sport as an adult, or in any aspect of adult life, do we get to experience eager anticipation, nervousness, or jubilation with the only risk being the frustration of a loss.

But it has its downsides too. One of which is that, for many players, USTA league becomes a year-round activity and every match they play in the “off season”, whether social or competitive, is played under the pressure of securing a reputation as a player who is good enough to get significant playing time on the team.

Here’s a secret if you see yourself in that description – the best players at any level don’t worry about how they’re viewed by their peers, they only worry about what they can do to win the next point, game, match.

Of course, if you’re the type who worries about how a loss might affect your ranking on the team that doesn’t mean you don’t want to win. The problem is your fear of losing, and word of that loss making the rounds and eventually finding its way to your team captain, tends to overwhelm your ability to concentrate on the match at hand and play your best.

While the cause of fear is different, the challenge is much the same as the mind game at play when you face an opponent whom you personally dislike.

And much like I wrote in that piece, the trick to playing your best tennis is to actively concentrate on the present. Play your game, trust your shots, have confidence in yourself and let the USTA chips falls where they may.

Truth is, you might not earn the #1 spot. But if your focus is on playing your best every time you play, rather than convincing the captain you’re good, you’ll play better more consistently and you’ll earn your rightful spot – wherever that may be.

Fear of losing is the real villainAngelina / Foter

All but the most saintly of players eventually face an opponent they dislike personally. Everyone can be rubbed the wrong way by someone. Personalities don’t always mesh – it’s just human nature.

Most of us, having been raised to be decent, civilized human beings will put on a nice face and at least act cordial. This post isn’t meant to be a lesson in civility. What many tennis players find difficult though, and this comes from countless conversations with club players and my own personal experience, isn’t getting along but rather overcoming the immense self-imposed pressure to “beat the bad guy/girl.”

It’s only natural. For whatever reason you don’t particularly like Jane. Now you are facing Jane across the net. You’re doing your best to make a semblance of small talk, but she just grates on you.

You begin to feel like you can’t let Jane win.

The match begins and it’s a close one. Jane pulls ahead late in the first set and panic sets in. “I really don’t want to lose to her,” you think to yourself. And from there, it’s all down hill.

Playing with your mind in the future, rather than the present, is almost certain to lead to poor results when you’re playing against a competitively matched opponent. This is especially true when you begin to fear the thought of losing. And fear is the real nemesis in matches like this – the fear of allowing this person whom you really don’t care for the satisfaction of beating you.

To play your best against players you dislike, you must actively focus on putting aside your feelings for them during the match and concentrate solely on your game, your shots, and the aspects of the match you can control. You need to separate your opponent’s personality from her tennis game. When she screams “OUT!” in that way that makes your skin crawl, or laughs her hideous laugh, or does whatever things she does that you can’t stand, you need to stop your mind from thinking, “OMG, I can’t stand her,” and force it instead to focus on what parts of your game are working, what parts of your opponent’s aren’t, and how you can take advantage in the next point.

If you don’t feel like any part of your game is working and this is a common feeling when faced with this situation, focus on what you need to do to turn it around. Don’t allow thoughts like, “Why did my game have to fall apart today, against her?”, to creep in. And when they do inevitably try to creep in, push them aside as quickly as possible and think instead about what parts of your game are working, what parts of your opponent’s game aren’t and how you can take advantage in the next point.

And if you’re feeling like you’re game is a mess – and this is common when fear creeps in – focus on what specifically you can do to get back on track. Concentrate on a technical aspect of your game – moving your feet, follow through, getting low. Or focus on a strategic aspect – keeping it deep, serving to her weak side, taking time to rest between points. But whatever you choose, make sure it’s something constructive and something you can control.

It takes practice, it takes mental discipline, and it won’t always result in victory. But over time you’ll find yourself playing better against these types of opponents.

When you replace your fear of losing with a focus on winning the next point, good things are bound to happen.