CAN EVERYONE ACHIEVE A CHAMPION's MINDSET?
Jannik Sinner recently won the US Open and his coach Darren Cahil commented upon his champion mindset as follows:
"So, he's got this champion mindset that I think a lot of players don't have. Certain players do have it for sure. But, I believe he was born with it and he loves those situations and those moments."
I would have to agree with Darren Cahill in that we are all born with certain personality traits that have an impact on the way we live our life and how we deal with stressful moments like a 2nd serve on break point down! Players like Sinner, Alcaraz, Federer, Nadal and Murray of recent times are aliens in my view as their ability to play well in the big moments separate them from the rest and don't resemble most tennis players mental fragilities.
So, should we all give up because we keep losing the big points or choke under pressure? Absolutely not! Leave apart the aliens of every era who are not entirely the norm. Look at the vast majority of competitive players who will at some point or other experience a terrible loss caused by choking. This is the norm but it doesn't mean that we don't keep trying to get better as after all that is the greatest challenge in tennis. Keeping your composure when feeling the score pressure which can be when winning, losing or just having a bad day!
Here are my top tips for dealing with pressure if you are not one of these aliens.
1. "Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable" which is a great saying from Paul Annacone the ex coach of Federer & Tim Henman and currently helping Taylor Fritz. To achieve this the only way is playing lots of matches against different players and if a practice match then choose to play people that you really don't want to lose to. This is a real test when we can feel very uncomfortable, especially if losing!
2. "Accept the possibility of losing" is something I once heard Federer say which I think in the heat of the battle can be a great way to relax. It's a similar feel to when a player is losing badly which can allow you to swing freely as it looks like you are going to lose anyway. I would argue that if you accept this possibility earlier in the match your ego might not get in the way quite so much? It's not that you stop trying but you learn to try in a more relaxed way.
3. " Control the controllables" is a famous sports psyche saying that you will hear countless times on the telly but what exactly does it mean?
There are many areas that you can control including the following:
Physical preparation and good nutrition including hydration
Prioritise regular sleeping patterns
Try to reduce stress on the day of a match (if possible)
Pack your tennis bag the day before and have a list of everything you need in it!
Get your racquet restrung if necessary and check your grip quality
Prepare a tactical plan A, B & C for a particular opponent
Arrive early to warm up properly
If possible get a warm up hit and then shower before the match
Always warm down and recover both physically and with good nutrition
I'm sure that you could all add to this list if you get the idea? These are all things within our control which just might help us relax more on the court. "By failing to prepare you prepare to fail" as was once said by Benjamin Franklin and then repeated by many famous tennis players including Serena.
So.... There is hope for all of us humans who do not have the extra terrestrial qualities of the great ones but we need to work at it!
"So, he's got this champion mindset that I think a lot of players don't have. Certain players do have it for sure. But, I believe he was born with it and he loves those situations and those moments."
I would have to agree with Darren Cahill in that we are all born with certain personality traits that have an impact on the way we live our life and how we deal with stressful moments like a 2nd serve on break point down! Players like Sinner, Alcaraz, Federer, Nadal and Murray of recent times are aliens in my view as their ability to play well in the big moments separate them from the rest and don't resemble most tennis players mental fragilities.
So, should we all give up because we keep losing the big points or choke under pressure? Absolutely not! Leave apart the aliens of every era who are not entirely the norm. Look at the vast majority of competitive players who will at some point or other experience a terrible loss caused by choking. This is the norm but it doesn't mean that we don't keep trying to get better as after all that is the greatest challenge in tennis. Keeping your composure when feeling the score pressure which can be when winning, losing or just having a bad day!
Here are my top tips for dealing with pressure if you are not one of these aliens.
1. "Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable" which is a great saying from Paul Annacone the ex coach of Federer & Tim Henman and currently helping Taylor Fritz. To achieve this the only way is playing lots of matches against different players and if a practice match then choose to play people that you really don't want to lose to. This is a real test when we can feel very uncomfortable, especially if losing!
2. "Accept the possibility of losing" is something I once heard Federer say which I think in the heat of the battle can be a great way to relax. It's a similar feel to when a player is losing badly which can allow you to swing freely as it looks like you are going to lose anyway. I would argue that if you accept this possibility earlier in the match your ego might not get in the way quite so much? It's not that you stop trying but you learn to try in a more relaxed way.
3. " Control the controllables" is a famous sports psyche saying that you will hear countless times on the telly but what exactly does it mean?
There are many areas that you can control including the following:
Physical preparation and good nutrition including hydration
Prioritise regular sleeping patterns
Try to reduce stress on the day of a match (if possible)
Pack your tennis bag the day before and have a list of everything you need in it!
Get your racquet restrung if necessary and check your grip quality
Prepare a tactical plan A, B & C for a particular opponent
Arrive early to warm up properly
If possible get a warm up hit and then shower before the match
Always warm down and recover both physically and with good nutrition
I'm sure that you could all add to this list if you get the idea? These are all things within our control which just might help us relax more on the court. "By failing to prepare you prepare to fail" as was once said by Benjamin Franklin and then repeated by many famous tennis players including Serena.
So.... There is hope for all of us humans who do not have the extra terrestrial qualities of the great ones but we need to work at it!
