For Azarenka: Mental Tennis Was Key to Her Win

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

For Azarenka: Mental Tennis Was Key To Win. Wikimedia Commons by Assaf YekuelVictoria Azarenka defeated defending Australian Open Women's Champion Kim Clijsters in the first set of their match up 6-4. But then Clijisters came handed Azarenka a 6-1 defeat in the next set. This of course forced a deciding set. Azarenka came back from the defeat of that set to beat Clijsters 6-3. For Azarenka: Mental Tennis Was Key to Her Win.

Commenting afterwards, Azarenka said that Clijsters really dominated the second set. She said she felt like she was running a marathon. SkySports.com, reporting on the match, quoted her as saying, “I have one more set to go. I have another, I don’t know, hour, 30 minutes, 40 minutes to make a difference. That was my mental approach.”

Now if Azarenka beats Maria Sharapova in their match up, Victoria Azarenka would be the top women’s player at age 22.

 

For Azarenka: Mental Tennis Was Key to Her Win

Victoria Azarenka believes her improved mental approach was what saw her to victory against defending champion Kim Clijsters in the semi-final of the Australian Open.

The Belarusian took the first set of the match 6-4 before she stumbled in the second as veteran Clijsters raced through it 6-1 to force a decider.

But Azarenka managed turn the match around once again, taking the final-set 6-3 to reach her maiden grand slam final.

“She was really dominating (in the second set),” said Azarenka. “She made me run so much, I felt I was running a marathon out there.

“I just tried to start to be more aggressive and tried to play my game and, yeah, start from the beginning.

Emotional

“I have one more set to go. I have another, I don’t know, hour, 30 minutes, 40 minutes to make a difference. That was my mental approach.

“Before, I think you all thought I was a mental case but I was just young and emotional.

“But I’m really glad the way I fought. That’s the thing I’m most proud of, I fought for every ball.”

And should Azarenka, 22, go on to beat Maria Sharapova in the final on Saturday, she would also become the new world number one.

Desire

“I really want it bad, you know,” she said. “It was difficult to get back in the match, to keep fighting, keep going.

“But that’s what it’s all about. It’s all worth it.”

Azarenka remained mature following the emotional rollercoaster and understands there is still work to do before the celebrations can begin.

“I’m still in the tournament so I have my mind still in the tournament,” she admitted. “You know, today was not the end.

“I have one more match to go. I have to stay humble and stay focused.”

 

It remains to be seen how well Azarenka continues to do in the Australian Open.  If she can pull of a win against Sharapova, it will be the first grand slam for Azarenka.

For Azarenka, however, mental tennis was key to her win over Clijsters and may well be the key to her win over Sharapova. Click here to read the article on SkySports.com.

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Nadal Impressed With Mental Tennis Approach of Several Up and Coming Players

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Nadal is Impressed With Mental Tennis Approach of Several Up and Coming Players like Bernard Tomic. Wikimedia Commons by gobalite.

Bren O’Brian writing for Sportal.com.au says that Rafael Nadal is impressed with the mental tennis of several up and coming players with lots of praise for Bernard Tomic and Milos Raonic. He feels they have the skill and composure to make it to the top of the tennis world, its only a matter of time. If not this year, then next year to make it into the top ten.

Tomic has been a sensation in the Australian Open, as he fought his way into a fourth round duel with Roger Federer on Sunday night. Nadal feels Tomic’s calmness and control in tough situations on the court will serve him well as his career develops.

Ten-time Grand Slam Rafael Nadal has lavished praise on emerging stars Bernard Tomic and Milos Raonic, saying they both have the game and the composure to make it to the top of the sport.

Tomic has been the local sensation of the Australian Open, fighting his way into a fourth round clash with Roger Federer on Sunday night, while Raonic, voted the ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year in 2011, bowed out in four sets to local wildcard Lleyton Hewitt on Saturday night.

While a first week exit looks a likely outcome for both the 19-year=old Australian and the 21-year-old Canadian, Nadal has big hopes for their futures.

The world No.2, who is through to the final eight here without dropping a set, said Tomic’s mental approach and positioning are excellent and it’s only a matter of time before he moves into the top ten players in the world.

“He understands the game and his position on court is fantastic,” Nadal said.

“He’s young and he’s doing great mentally in my opinion. He stays very relaxed with a positive face, even when the match is tough for him.”

“In the tough moments of the match, you see him, he is always calm and accepting things very well.”

Nadal pin-points this attitude as key to Tomic’s future success and says with a natural improvement in other aspects, then Grand Slam success in certainly within his reach.

“That is the right tactic to becoming a champion. He is one of the players who has a very good chance to be there,” he said.

“In terms of his game he needs to improve things, but he’s young, how old 19, 20? He’s number 30 in the world and wins three very tough matches here against three very good players.”

“The normal evolution is to see him in the top ten, maybe this year, but probably next year.”

Nadal offered a similarly positive assessment of Raonic, who is coached by his compatriot and good friend Gala Blanco, but said that while the physical maturity is there in the Canadian’s game, the mental strength is yet to come.

“He’s doing great, but maybe he started to get more nervous that he should in a few moments like in a previous match against Petzchner, yesterday too he was a bit anxious,” Nadal said in reference to Raonic’s loss to Hewitt.

“But seriously with his serve, forehand and not bad movement, if you are just a little bit smart and try and keep improving your game, you have to be in the top positioning on the rankings.”

“He is young. He has everything to be there. Only problem is injuries, because he has the rest to be there.”

“I don’t have any doubt that he will be fighting for important tournaments very soon. If his mental part works well, I don’t have any doubt he will be there.”

Hewitt’s victory over Roanic also struck a chord with the Spaniard, who said he had a great deal of admiration for the fighting spirit the former world No.1 showed to progress to the fourth round.

“I think he deserve all the respect of the people who love this sport and respect and admiration of everyone because after five or six surgeries, to keep having the motivation to ruin and to fight for every ball is fantastic,” Nadal said.

“I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. I hope his problems will be fine as he’s one of the most charismatic players on tour. I’ve always like him and his spirit of competition.”

A player can have all the skill in the world, but as Nadal points out, how that player thinks about his game, on and off the court, will make the winning difference. It’s nice to see the credit given by Nadal who is impressed with the mental tennis approach of several up and coming players. To read the entire article, click here.

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Djokovic Relys on Physical Preparation and Mental Tennis to Win

January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Djokovic Relys on Physical Preparation and Mental Tennis to Win. Wikimedia Commons by Eklektekuria

Today, defending champion Djokovic, beat Lleyton Hewitt to advance to the quarter finals in the Australian Open. Hewitt gave Djokovic a little run for his money, however, in that he beat Djokovic in the second set. Observers say this was an unexpected event, but Djokovic downplayed his loss saying he was feeling fresh, prepared and felt he was playing really good tennis. Djokovic relys on physical preparation and mental tennis to win and thus advance his standing in the Australian open.

Tennis-X.com reports that of the Fab 4 only Djokovic and Murray are the only two to have lost a set.

Djokovic Relys on Physical Preparation and Mental Tennis to Win

Defending champion Novak Djokovic wasn’t suppose to lose a set to the aging veteran Lleyton Hewitt but he did. The feisty Australian pushed the World No. 1 but in the end the Serb was too tough taking out Hewitt in front of his home fans 61 36 64 63 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Djokovic’s win lifts his Australian Open win streak to 11 and his overall Grand Slam streak to 18.

Of the Fab Four, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have yet to lose a set while Djokovic and Andy Murray have given up just one.

The 30-year-old Hewitt who beat Andy Roddick and then Milos Raonic Saturday acquitted himself well under the constant duress of Djokovic’s versatile game.

Djokovic will now play David Ferrer in the quarterfinals perhaps on Wednesday night.

Afterward, here’s what Djokovic said:

Q. What happened in the third set? You relaxed a bit or it was him?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I played some loose points and got him back into the match. But credit to him as well for being competitive, for not giving up.

This is something you can expect from Lleyton who is very well­known for his fighting spirit.

I should have closed it out earlier. I should have held my serve in 3­1, because I was playing well, I was feeling well. Suddenly I stopped. I didn’t move well anymore. He got back into the match.

But look, you know, he had the crowd, he had the big support. It got intense. Especially the start of the fourth set we had some great rallies. You know, it’s good to come out from this match as a winner.

Q. You had some physical problems?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. Actually, I don’t. It’s just that I wasn’t happy with my movement and my legs were not working. Between that part, 3­0, third set for me, you know, beginning of the fourth, I wasn’t moving at all. I was pretty passive at the rallies, giving him opportunity to come in.

But, look, you know, you must expect that you experience some lows, as well, you know, not only highs. It’s good that you experience these things, you know, bad games, bad movements at this stage of the tournament, prior to the quarterfinals now.

Q. This was your first big test since the beginning of the tournament. How do you evaluate your form now?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think it’s good. You know, I think it’s good. It’s just that small part, maybe 45 minutes, one hour, where I wasn’t playing well and he did.

Look, as I said, it happens. I just have to keep on going. I’m confident that physically it’s not going to affect me too much, even though it’s very late. I’m going to play I think a night match again in two days.

You know, it was the first night match this year. So getting into these conditions. I think all of his matches were night matches.

You know, I’m not looking for excuses, but I’m saying, you know, it’s obviously the first match that I’ve been tested. It was against the player that I expected to be tested. You know, Lleyton was playing in front of his crowd. Obviously he loves competing against, you know, the top guys on the big stage, and he proved it again.

The Australian Open champ has some intense competition to meet as he continues to work toward retaining his championship. However, he brushes off his loss to Hewitt by saying he was not playing his best for 45 minutes, maybe an hour. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens in this, another Australian Open. You can read the remainder of the article here.

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Clijsters Uses Mental Toughness to Win

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Clijsters Uses Mental Toughness to Win. Wikimedia Commons by Andrew Huse.

The Clijsters – Na match at the Australian Open was dramatic this year. When Na and Clijsters met at the 2011 Australian Open last year, Clijsters won that high-level match.

Ravi Ubha writing on ESPN.com says that after Clijsters injured her ankle in the seventh game, it seemed as though Na was bound to win. But Na blew some points and Clijsters used mental toughness to win and sail right past Na to go onto the quarter finals.

Clijsters Uses Mental Toughness to Win

Kim Clijsters’ duel with Li Na promised much. They played a high-level match in Sydney last year, then did the same in the Australian Open final a few weeks later. Clijsters won the more important of the two contests to finally end her non-U.S. Grand Slam drought.

Sunday’s encounter wasn’t as clean, but who cares? It was far more dramatic and kept the defending champion in the tournament. Clijsters saved four match points in a second-set tiebreaker and progressed to the quarterfinals with a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 win.

And here we thought there was a sense of inevitable — a Li victory — after Clijsters rolled her left ankle in the seventh game. Apart from squandering those match points, Li blew a break advantage in the second set….

Speaking of the inevitable, Clijsters cruised past a devastated Li in the third set — she took a 5-1 lead — to advance to the quarterfinals.

Don’t forget about: With all the tension late in the tiebreaker, it’s easy to forget about the third point. But it was pivotal. Li thought she won it with an ace, which would have given her a 3-0 lead. Clijsters correctly challenged, and Li double-faulted to make it 2-1.

All credit to Kimmy: Clijsters hasn’t always acquitted herself admirably with injuries. Think back to last season in Indian Wells against Marion Bartoli, when Clijsters retired with a shoulder injury; it looked to be a half-hearted effort before Clijsters called it a day. Clijsters, however, was intent on seeing this one through in the wake of retiring in Brisbane with a thigh problem. She willed herself on with multiple fist pumps. The adrenaline pumping, she hit all four of her aces in the third set.

What of the ankle?: Clijsters will be ultra-confident after the win and on a high. But her ankle is a concern. How will it feel Monday and Tuesday? Her next opponent is either Caroline Wozniacki or Jelena Jankovic, two players who’ll make the Belgian strike a lot of balls — more than Li.

Tough one to swallow for Li: Li had difficulty winning a match from Wimbledon onward in 2011. She admitted the pressure of being a Grand Slam champion affected her. Refreshed following a solid training block in Germany in the offseason, she began 2012 in impressive fashion, venturing to the Sydney final. This loss will set her back. Questions will be asked, again, about her mental toughness.

There you have it. Another example that mental toughness is important in the game of tennis. I am sure that Clijsters must be pumped up now after the win over Na. What about the matches she has coming? Only time will tell how Clijsters uses mental toughness to win her upcoming matches. You can read the entire article here.

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Isner Failed at Mental Tennis

January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The 2012 Australian Open has been disappointing for the U. S. mens singles players. John Isner was a hopeful contender

Isner Failed at Mental Tennis. Wikimedia Commons by Emmett Hume.

to get into the final 16. But Isner failed at mental tennis during the 2012 Australian Open which is in full swing, leaving the United States will be left without any contender in the mens singles final 16. John Isner lost to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in 5 straight sets.

When discussing his disappointing performance, he said “That’s not a good effort, I was aware I was the last one going in and I wanted to do well. But it is very ugly. We will have to try and rectify that.”

Richard Evans writing for FoxNews.com goes on to quote Isner as admitting he failed at mental tennis.

 Isner Failed at Mental Tennis

John Isner’s five-set defeat at the hands of Spain’s Feliciano Lopez left the United States without a player in final 16 of the Australian Open men’s singles for the first time ever in the Open era.

“That’s not a good effort,” a dejected Isner said afterwards. “I was aware I was the last one going in and I wanted to do well. But it is very ugly. We will have to try and rectify that.”

There were a couple of years in the early 1970s when, amazingly, no American men entered the tournament but, otherwise, there has never been a time when the US effort has come up so short. It is not a happy thought for Jim Courier’s Davis Cup team to take to Switzerland in a couple of weeks where Roger Federer is expected to be waiting for them.

Last November at the Paris Masters event, Isner had crushed Lopez 6-4, 6-4. But this time, the experienced Spanish left hander was at the top of his game and came through with a deserving 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 victory.

American hopes rose when Isner played a brilliant tiebreak in the fourth set, moving to 3-0 with a great forehand winner and then coming up with a beautifully constructed forehand half-volley pass as he ran forward. He closed it out 7-0 and seemed set for a big effort in the fifth.

But it never happened. Isner seemed nonplussed. “I wasn’t as sharp mentally as I should have been,” he admitted. “Not sure what happened. It just got away from me and the set spiraled out of control. I wasn’t thinking much. I just didn’t play too well. It was a mental thing more than physical.”

Isner had played nearly five hours against David Nalbandian two days before and went into the match with toes that soon started to bleed. “But the taping helped and it wasn’t too much of a problem,” he said. “It wasn’t why I lost.”

The experience of John Isner, shows that your thoughts have a great effect on your tennis game.  There have been times of brilliance in Isner’s play, but this time Isner failed at mental tennis . Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Women’s Mental Tennis is Rapidly Changing Focus

January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Women's Mental Tennis is Rapidly Changing

According to those in the know, women’s tennis has been changing over the last ten years or so. It seems the women tennis players have been spending time in the gym besides developing  their fitness and endurance. Women’s mental tennis is rapidly changing focus because  the game has been changing focus also.

Valkerie Baynes’ article in the Courier-Mail, quoted in the Herald Sun, reported that insiders are telling her women’s, as well as men’s, tennis is requiring more speed, power, endurance, flexibility, and agility.

Women’s Mental Tennis is Rapidly Changing Focus

Tennis Australia strength and conditioning coach Stefano Barsacchi says 10 years ago, a player’s off-court fitness work centred on endurance and a bit of stretching.

Now the focus is power and speed as well as agility, endurance and flexibility.

“In the last 10 years, female tennis, also the men’s tennis, has become more powerful,” Barsacchi said.

“So what is more important than before is the speed, the power, because the ball goes faster. Fitness includes a lot of work in the gym – before that was not so much – and also, because it’s more powerful, we need more injury prevention.

“The time that women, especially, spend not only in the gym but also on their fitness work has increased a lot.”

Barsacchi has worked with petite players, such as whippet-like former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, and now Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty.

A typical day involves 30-45 minutes warming up and stretching before up to two hours of hitting on court.

After a break, players are in the gym for weights, conditioning and endurance work before another session on court, adding up to a total of about six hours of training each day.

With all that physical activity, players must focus as much attention on how they fuel their bodies, with a nutritionist tailoring a diet according to each person’s needs.

“You need a good balance. Don’t think bigger means stronger, it’s not true,” Barsacchi said.

“Stronger means you have flexibility, you are co-ordinated, you are agile … it’s a puzzle where you have to put every piece together. It’s not just go in the gym, get big. It’s not like that. It’s more complicated.

“To be tall is a good advantage. But you can be a really good player even if you are not.”

Wendy Turnbull was one of the smaller players of her generation and built her game accordingly.

The former world No.3, nicknamed “Rabbit” for her foot speed around the court, was a fixture in the top 10 from 1977 to 1984.

“Sometimes being muscular doesn’t mean you’re stronger, it just means you have bigger muscles and is that going to make you hit the ball harder? In tennis, so much is timing, your rhythm,” Turnbull said.

“Alexandr Dolgopolov, he’s a little guy.

“Then you look at Justine Henin, who was short and petite but she could hit the ball as hard as any of them without that muscle.”

Turnbull found the more tournaments she played, the better.

Outside of competition, she would run 3-5km in the morning – including sprint work, jump rope for a short time and only practise on court once a day intensely for a couple of hours.

“I didn’t really have a strict diet,” she says. “It was everything in moderation.

“It’s not like today where everybody has a nutritionist and they’re very aware what they eat can actually really help them.”

Turnbull believes the changes in training and diet are a result of people knowing more now than they used to. But some things are the same.

“The style of tennis has changed for both men and women, it’s definitely more physical,” she said.

“But all the way along, the top 10 players have always been in good shape and that’s why they’ve been in the top 10.

“About 25 years ago, there were some male players who used to pick on some of the women players who weren’t that fit. But they were never the top players they were picking on, they were always players further down the ranking.”

The average height of women in the top 10 today is 176.8cm and the average weight is 63kg.

In 1992, the average height was 173.4cm and 62.6kg, while in 1982, the average was 172cm and 60.6kg.

The 2012 figures exclude Williams, ranked 12th, and No.14 Kim Clijsters.

At 176cm tall and 70kg for Williams and 174cm tall and 68kg for Clijsters, both are in the middle to upper range of height and weight for players in the current top 10.

If you break down the heights and weights of each player now and 30 years ago, the differences are more pronounced.

No player in the current top 10 is shorter than 170cm tall.

But in 1982, there were four top-10 players shorter than that, including Turnbull at 164cm and 55kg.

Australia’s Casey Dellacqua, who started from scratch to return to match fitness after three injury-interrupted years, says it is a matter of each individual learning what works for them.

She spends at least three-and-a-half hours on the tennis court each day, with cross training and strength work in the gym on top of that.

She avoids processed foods and eats as healthily as possible.

“The game now is as much physical as it is anything … it’s a big mental game as well,” Dellacqua says.

 

Women’s Mental Tennis is Rapidly Changing Focus because of the changing nature of the game. Gone are the days when women would concentrate mainly on their endurance and winning the mental game. Now they have to train to be physically strong, agile, and fast. But this all makes for a more exciting game. To read the complete article click here.

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Mental Tennis Davis Cup Needs No Reformatting

December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mental tennis Davis Cup needs no reformatting. Wikimedia Commons by Christopher Johnson

Recent reports suggest that attempts in revamping the century-old Davis Cup tournament have been pressing ITF leaders. Persistent proposals seem to indicate the need to make its format even more relevant. But at the same time steps have to be taken to ensure that top players continue participate in the competition. On the other hand, many in tennis believe that the mental tennis Davis Cup needs no reformatting, and the ITF leaders also claim it is not broken.

According to the Montreal Gazette, it seems that the Davis Cup is so unique, in itself, that it does not need any fixing.

Mental Tennis Davis Cup Needs No Reformatting

The Davis Cup final played out before more than 25,000 frantic, emotional fans per day in Seville, Spain, last weekend.

About 2,000 travelled all the way from Argentina and were so boisterous, they even were warned on the final Sunday as superstar Rafael Nadal clinched the Cup for host Spain.

That other “racket” you may have heard was the sound of those tired, old calls to revamp the century-old competition to make the format more “relevant,” and to ensure the top players keep participating.

The fact Nadal then announced he would not play in 2012 because of the compacted Olympic-year schedule, and his desire to focus on wresting back the No. 1 ranking, will only raise the volume.

The top players will usually moan about this, especially when they’re tired. The rest of the noise often seems to come from the United States.

Last week, U.S. Davis Cup captain Jim Courier weighed in. “It certainly should be condensed into, in my opinion, a two-week format for at least the big boys,” Courier said. “It should be combined with the Fed Cup (the women’s counterpart), so it becomes in effect the fifth Grand Slam not only from an attention standpoint, but a player-attendance standpoint.”

Nearly two years ago, a proposal was floated called the “World Cup” that appeared to get the thumbs’ up from the top players. It was to be a 10day event played biennially in late September/early October featuring 32 countries divided into eight pools, with mandatory substitutions during five-set matches and firstto-five-point tiebreakers.

As if following the existing rules and formats weren’t already advanced tennis calculus. But here’s the thing: Davis Cup ain’t broke. So why try to fix it?

You could tweak the format any which way and it still would cause barely a ripple in the U.S. In tennis’s global landscape, the Americans are no longer a major force; they’re merely one player among many.

Davis Cup has always been, at its core, a supersized, but hyper-regional competition. More than 200 nations around the planet take part every year.

The higher you rise in the hierarchy, the bigger the crowds get and the more famous the players are. But that’s just the tip of the Davis Cup iceberg. At its grassroots levels, it’s Barbados vs. Trinidad, Iraq vs. Jordan. And at every level, it generates revenue that helps run the local federations and create interest in the game within that country.

But the essence is the same: put the flag on a player’s back – however famous or obscure – have him play before a patriotic and partisan crowd, and watch him surpass himself in ways he might never imagine if he were just playing for himself, a million miles away from home.

It’s not a Grand Slam event. It doesn’t pretend to be, and it doesn’t have to be. It’s something unique. It doesn’t have to be “bigger,” whatever your definition of that word.

Because the International Tennis Federation, which runs it, is so resistant to change, it sometimes almost seems like a contrarian conspiracy to show them who’s boss, or something.

Yes, it’s complicated to follow for non-tennis fans, staggered as the matches are throughout the year. And yes, it places extra demands on the top players if they opt to play.

But if you watched Nadal last weekend as he battled exhausted Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, with his nation’s supremacy on the line, you would never know how much he complains about it.

How would that kind of drama – or the historic craziness of tiny Serbia winning its first Davis Cup, at home, a year ago in Belgrade – ever be duplicated within the formats being proposed?

A one-shot event would follow the money trail and take place in the Middle East or Asia, somewhere tennis has hardly proved itself as a surefire seller. Nadal and del Potro would take the court with, what, a few dozen diehard Spaniards and Argentines among the crowd?

It would be just another money tennis event.

And, in that wacky World Cup format, Nicolas Almagro and Juan Ignacio Chela would have to substitute in after the third set.

The Canadian squad, back in the top World Group of 16 nations at last, will play France in February not in Shanghai, but Vancouver.

After a strong pre-sale, the remaining tickets for the three-day event in a 5,000-seat venue sold out in less than half an hour.

With the home-court advantage and all that goes with that, the Canadians at least have a small shot against the mighty French. And maybe a 6-yearold kid – or two of them, or 50 – will sit in the stands watching Milos Raonic. And maybe they’ll dream of becoming tennis champions instead of hockey players.

If that sounds Utopian, maybe it is. But there’s a much better chance those kids will take up tennis because they saw Raonic live than if Tennis Canada received a “development” cheque from the ITF, after the Canada vs. France tie was played in faraway Dubai.

Besides, no matter what the format, the top players will find reasons to skip it if they want to.
But even if they take a pass on Davis Cup, there is no shortage of opportunities to watch the best play each other throughout the ATP Tour season.

If you want to see them playing for their country, there’s the Olympics every four years.
But there’s only one Davis Cup.

Mental tennis Davis Cup needs no reformatting because it is not broken, and apparently only one of its kinds. It’s format is still exceptional enough to shake the world with the thrill and excitement that its players bring. Click here to read the entire article.

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Young American Mind Tennis Players Have Been Switching Coaches

December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Young American Mind Tennis Players Have Been Switching Coaches. Wikimedia Commons by Robbie Mendelson

Quite a number of promising young American mind tennis players have been switching coaches in the past months of this year.  Reports show that significant rankings changes have resulted because of the young athletes coaching picks. It will be interesting to watch as their careers evolve and regress.

As reported in 10s Balls, it appears that these potentially gifted players are busy picking who they think are the best trainers in town.

Young American Mind Tennis Players Have Been Switching Coaches

Two of the U.S.’s most promising young women, and Melanie Oudin, made substantial changes in the late summer. Vandeweghe had been working through the USTA with former US Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson, but then switched to Jan-Michael Gambil, a former top 15 ranked pro whom she got to know through World Team Tennis. After reaching a career high ranking No. 89 in the spring, the 20-year-old Vandeweghe has fallen to No. 122 and will be forced to try and earn a wild card into Melbourne when the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs at the Racquet Club of the South are held December 16-18.

The same goes with 2009 US Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, whose ranking has fallen out of the top 160. Oudin split with her longtime coach Brian DeVilliers just after the US Open and is now working with Gullikson. The Georgia native recently packed her racket bag and moved to the USTA Player Development headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.

Perhaps the most surprising move came when after having a successful Asian swing under USTA coach Mike Sell, Donald Young decided to once again be coached by his mother, Ilona.

Young had specifically requested to be coached by Sell, who has worked with him on and off over the years. During the Asian swing, Young reached his first ever ATP final in at the Thailand and ended the year ranked No. 39. But when the USTA asked him to come to Boca Raton or to Carson, California, to train in the off-season without his mother, he apparently refused.

Then, last week, 19-year-old Ryan Harrison parted ways with coach Scott McCain, who did some good work with the Texan during the spring and early summer. McCain also coaches India’s Somdev Devvarman.

Harrison is considered one of the United States’ top prospects. The USTA closely follows his career and has provided him with coaching on occasion. Harrison finished 2011 with a career-high, year-end ranking of No. 79, but slumped in the fall. His father, Chip. works at the Nick Bollettieri Academy and Harrison, who is represented by academy owner IMG, often trains there.

One source in the Harrison camp told DTN that Ryan  will name a new coach very soon. Another told DTN that one of the names in the mix is Grant Doyle, who once coached Sam Querrey and also who owns an academy.

Teenager Jack Sock is still working with coach Mike Wolf, but they have not firmed up their plans yet for 2012.

 

Many young American mind tennis players have been switching coaches as they all try to make their way to the top ranks of their generation. If you want to read the rest of the article click here.

 

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Big Mac Advises Murray to Improve Mind Tennis Toughness

December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Big Mac advises Murray to improve mind tennis toughness.

The former American professional tennis superstar, John McEnroe, tells one of the present titleholders, Andy Murray, to get rid of his mental frenzies if he wishes to win a Grand Slam. Big Mac advises Murray to improve mind tennis toughness so he can sweep his way to the topmost rank; beating the top 3 players: Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.

As reported in the Mirror , it seems that the former tennis legend gives the Scottish  icon a very important piece of advice for victory.

Big Mac Advises Murray to Improve Mind Tennis Toughness

Super brat John McEnroe has told Andy Murray to cut out the tantrums if he wants to win a Grand Slam.

The American was notorious in the 1980s for his on-court antics as he vented his fury at umpires and line judges.

But while Big Mac now insists he lost his temper ‘in a positive way’ as he won three Wimbledon titles, he claimed the British No.1 exudes ­negative energy while shouting at his coaching team.

And McEnroe said the world No.4 must change to get the better of the top three players in the world – Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.

“I certainly know something about being negative on a tennis court and I know how destructive it can be, especially against these guys because all three of them are relentless,” said the former world No.1.

John McEnroe is playing at the AEGON Masters at the Royal Albert Hall until Sunday. To buy tickets, go to AegonMastersTennis.com or call 0207 070 4404.

“They feed off it – it is like injecting energy into their veins when they see that.

“If you are going to get all worked up and throw in a lot of this negative energy, it needs to help you.

“For part of my career, it fuelled me – it got me wanting it more, it got me into it if I got distracted. So it didn’t hurt my game.

“To me, when Andy Murray plays these guys at the critical moments, it hurts him. It just seems to be counter-productive.

“He is so busy looking at them all the time, I find that to be distracting when I am commentating. You don’t need to commentate – you just let him commentate because he is pretty much commentating the match.

“You can talk about getting 100 per cent of first serves in, or he needs to be more aggressive on his forehand or these type of things – but to me, ultimately, it is about having the belief or that will to win.”

After again reaching the final in Australia and the semis in the other three Grand Slams, McEnroe ­reckons now is the time for Murray to employ an experienced coach.

Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors have expressed an interest but McEnroe is concerned their sense of humour may not be on Murray’s wavelength.

He said: “The first time Murray starts going ‘you’re fired’ – or whatever he says to the coach – and then ‘just kidding’ after the match, I don’t know how that would work with a Connors or Lendl. It would be ­difficult.”

McEnroe makes world No.1 ­Djokovic favourite to retain the Australian Open, which starts on January 16. But he warned the Serb could suffer from fatigue after starting with a 37-match winning streak this season.

Big Mac advises Murray to improve mind tennis toughness so the Scottish superstar, who is currently the 4th ranked player in the world, can start winning major titles that will lead him to the summit of tennis. Click here to see the remainder of the article.

 

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Djokovic Tops 2011 World ranking Using Mental Tennis

December 30, 2011 By 3 Comments

Djokovic Tops 2011 World Ranking through Mental Tennis. Wikimedia Commons by Eklektekuria

A recent interview published in ESPN magazine reveals how the Serbian professional tennis player, Novac Djokovic, gave more value to mental adjustments than physical strength in becoming a champ. Djokovic tops 2011 world ranking using mental tennis, as the superstar transcends from the consistent No.3 to winning 10 titles, including three major events, during the ATP tour this year.

As thoroughly discussed in ATP World Tour, it appears that Djokovic has finally learned how to toughen his mind in tennis matches better than ever before.

Djokovic Tops 2011 World Ranking Using Mental Tennis

Leading American sports publication ESPN the Magazine has published their first “Interview Issue” and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is among the 17 stars included in the debut edition. Below is an excerpt of  Djokovic’s interview with ESPN tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe.

People ask me, “What’s been the difference for Novak? The serve? The forehand?”

It’s true that I have improved but by a very small percentage. It’s the same game I’ve had the last couple of years; it’s my mental approach on the court that’s changed. That was the difference. I stepped it up. I matured and said, “It’s my time. I can do it. I can win major titles.” I think luck falls on not just the brave but also the ones who believe they belong there.

You had some difficulties with your serve last year. How were you able to get through that?

Everybody could see that I changed my service motion, and my shoulder suffered a bit. In 2009 and the start of 2010, I played nearly 100 matches, the most in my career, and that’s one reason my shoulder suffered. It got tired and heavy. I started feeling in practices that I really didn’t feel comfortable with my serve, and then I tried to compensate with other muscles. But it just turned around. In six months I came back, got back my old service motion, and it was just something that came automatically. I was saying, “It’s not me intentionally.” In the next six months of 2010, starting around the U.S. Open, I felt my serve was getting back. Reaching the finals was a springboard. That moment was a turning point.

The shot people remember most is from this year’s U.S. Open — your first match-point return against Roger Federer. What was going through your mind?

When Roger’s serving for the match at a grand slam, there is a very small chance that he’s going to let it go. But I was surprisingly relaxed. I said, “Okay, I have nothing to lose.” I stopped thinking too much about what could happen and relied on my physical and mental strength to play the right shots at the right time. I didn’t want to do what I’d done the last three, four years, where every time I got to the semifinals or the finals of a grand slam, I lose to Roger and Rafa–not because I’m playing bad, just because they are more dominant than I am mentally.

Djokovic tops 2011 world ranking through mental tennis as the Serbian legend finally gains mental dominance in his games. Click here to read the rest of the article.

 

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