Mental Tennis is Roger Federer’s Success Secret

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mental Tennis is Roger Federer's Success Secret.

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to succeed so easily, and others never seem to be very successful? This last Sunday, Roger Federer won the Rotterdam Open, which surprised many. In the history of professional tennis Federer is the winning-est male tennis player. The last couple of years however have been sort of a roller coaster ride for him going from being the world #1 male tennis player to being ranked #3 or there abouts: winning some and losing some. So how does Federer make a comeback like the Rotterdam Open?  Mental Tennis is Roger Federer’s Success Secret.

ApekshaHa writing in 10sBalls.com believes the reason for his success is his persistence: he never gave up. In the little dictionary by my computer, the definition of persist is “continue in spite of obstacles or objections”. The Compact Oxford Thesaurus, also by my computer says that to persevere means to “hammer away”, “be tenacious”, “be resolute”, “be purposeful”.

These don’t necessarily sound like qualities of a tennis player, do they? Evidently they are of the successful ones. In the game of tennis as well as the game of life, we all meet with obstacles, disappointments, distractions, even failures. Roger Federer has had some of those in recent months, but he is continuing to persevere, to be tenacious, to be purposeful. As a result, he is continuing to raise the bar for those coming after him, who wish to be classed as one of the tennis greats in the history books. By winning more tournaments, he is setting an example for those who follow.

Mental Tennis is Roger Federer’s Success Secret

He is an experienced person who knows what he is capable of and what he can achieve. Even during those tough moments, he didn’t stop believing in himself . It’s very easy for all of us in life to blame our failures on destiny and not work hard enough to find out where the real problem lies.

In Federer’s own words: ["]I went through some tough moments as well where I was frustrated and I didn’t like it as much. But, I don’t know. I always stay positive. I’m a very positive person”

During the 6 week break after US Open 2011, Mirka (his wife) told him: “It’s O.K. to lose one or two matches very closely, but you can’t start losing more and more and more. Then maybe something’s wrong in your corner. So you just have to question yourself and check with the entire team, see what everybody thinks.’ Original here.

How about your life experience? Do you give up easily when faced with challenges? Do you get discouraged and quit? I have heard it said that the only true failure, is the failure to try again. If you quit when face with hard times, there is no way to get out of your circumstance. The only way to do that is to get up and try again with focus and intelligence.

Be careful though that you don’t try the same thing the same way every time and expect a different result. If you are not getting results with your approach, try a new one, but don’t give up. Remember, mental tennis is Roger Federer’s success secret. Emulate his persistence, his mental strength, his resolve, and in the end you will maximize your talent and ability.

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Isner Intensifies His Mental Tennis Strategy

February 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Isner Intensifies His Mental Tennis Strategy. WikimediaCommons by Emmett Hume

Last weekend, John Isner beat Roger Federer in four Davis Cup matches. Isner said this has been a great encouragement to him going forward from here. Being a big man at 6′ 9″ Isner has to play differently than a smaller, more agile player. He has to have a different game plan, one that involves finishing a point as fast a possible and forgetting about playing along hoping his opponent will make a mistake.

Isner sees this strategy as taking as aggressive an approach as possible. Evidently his team captain, Jim Courier and his coach, Craig Boynton,  as well as many others have been telling him for years that he needs to take control of his games in this way. He needs to use his powerful serve, coupled with constant pressure on his opponents to finish the point and maximize his wins. He can’t afford to sit back to see where the play will go.

Evidently, the message finally got through to Isner. As he approached his match with Federer, he told himself, that he was only going to beat Federer if I played the way he was supposed to.

Peter Bodo writing for espn.go.com says that Isner has refined his “mental strategy.”

“You need to be very intense, mentally,” Isner said. “You can’t afford loose points or loose games. It’s a mental and emotional effort. I’m trying hard to be really professional, which to me means staying as intense as possible every single match.”

Isner sounded like he’s dedicated to the effort, and he’s also trying to keep his win over the all-time Grand Slam champion in perspective. “I didn’t necessarily string together five great matches in a row. I went over there and played one great match. But I’ll take confidence from that.”

Now ranked No. 2 behind Mardy Fish on the U.S. form chart, Isner will have a chance to show that he can sustain that elusive intensity for a regular tournament’s full menu of matches in a week in Memphis, where [he] will be top seeded at an ATP 500 event for the first time. Original here.

I hope Isner can make it work. It would be great to see him move up in the rankings and get more wins. It must be discouraging to fall short of your aspirations so often. But with his win over Federer, he should have a renewed sense of confidence. If Isner can intensify his mental tennis strategy, and follow his coaches advice, we should see an improvement in Isner’s game.

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A French Open Win Is Important for Nadal’s Mental Confidence

February 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A French Open Win Is Important for Nadal's Mental Confidence. Wikimedia Commons by Roland Garros

During 2011, Djokovic was the dominant men’s professional tennis player. He overshadowed Rafael Nadal who had previously been the top tennis player. And then Djokovic defeated Nadal in the Australian Open last January. So, a French Open win is important for Nadal’s mental confidence.

In interviews following that marathon of a match, Nadal asserted that he had learned a lot from the finals match with Djokovic. One question that comes to my mind is, “Can Rafael Nadal make a comeback and regain the top spot in men’s tennis?” No one of course has the answer, not even Nadal. Only time and future tournaments will tell if Nadal has been subjugated to exist at that lower level from now on.

It will be interesting to see events unfold over the rest of the year. At any rate, an article by Kevin Pacelli in  BleacherReport.com posed a question, wondering how many more seasons Nadal will be a dominant force in men’s tennis. Based on the info I have, Nadal is only about eleven months older than Djokovic, being an elderly 25 years old.

I would think that with their ages being so close, that Nadal, if he stays healthy, should be able to provide Djokovic a lot of competition in the future. Of course, there is the matter of physical conditioning and  tennis skill. Nadal should be able to up his fitness and conditioning, if that is lacking. As far as skill goes, it seems there would be some things he could do there also to combat Djokovic’s new dominance.

But the most important thing, I think will be Nadal’s mental confidence and for that I believe that a French Open win is important for Nadal’s mental confidence.

[...] Djokovic definitely has what it takes to win the 2012 French Open, consequently completing the Career Slam for him, and clinching the non-calendar Grand Slam. In this situation, Djoker will be near impossible to stop in the following months.

This would inevitably cause Rafa’s mental game to deteriorate, with little (if any) confidence going into each of their encounters.

If things play out this way, it is not likely that we will see much more from Nadal. A few more Grand Slam titles could still be coming his way, but if he doesn’t find a solution to the Djokovic problem soon, his days as a dominant figure in tennis will begin to slip away. Original here.

Is Nadal going to be able to stop the momentum Djokovic is enjoying? That depends on Nadal. I am assuming that Djokovic will continue playing at the same level he is at present. I don’t think he will let down, because he has stated that he wants to win a Golden Slam

. To do that, he will need to win the French Open and the Olympic Gold in London this summer. A French Open win, therefore, is important for Nadal’s mental confidence.

 

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Bernard Tomic Uses Mind Tennis to Get Davis Cup Win

February 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Bernard Tomic Uses Mind Tennis to Get Davis Cup Win. Wikimedia Commons by gobalite.

Bernie Tomic used mind tennis to get Davis Cup Win over Wu Di of China to extend Australia’s lead over China by 2-0.  Australia’s Davis Cup men’s team captain, Pat Rafter, said it is hard sometimes for Tomic to get himself up for a match when he’s playing someone he knows he can beat.

Linda Pearce writing in theage.com.au reports that Rafter went on to say that, “he [Tomic] kept his mind together and that was the one thing that I was proud of him [for].”

Bernard Tomic Uses Mind Tennis to Get Davis Cup Win

… ”I think Bernie probably more than anything just struggled mentally a little bit. I know he’s hitting the ball well, but it’s harder for him to get up sometimes for these type of matches, because he is playing someone he knows he should beat, and he’s clearly the better player.

”But he did really well. To close that out, he kept his mind together and that was the one thing that I was proud of him [for]. He probably didn’t play the prettiest tennis, I don’t think he was overly happy with how he hit it, but he found a way to win.

”[Wu] actually played some really good stuff out there, and he put Bernie under a bit of pressure there for a while, and if Bernie didn’t go with him he would have found himself in a tough four or five-set match and I didn’t really want that. I wanted to be 2-0 up, and that’s what we expected, what we wanted on day one. We’re there, and we’ll try and close it out tomorrow.”

Rafter said that sometimes it is harder to win when one is playing in the early stages of an event that doesn’t draw the crowds. This is the case sometimes in the earlier matches of the Davis Cup. He said that even though you may not be as up for your game as at other times, you’ve got work on it and build on it. You have to do this if you plan on playing the top players in later stages of the cup.

Both [Tomic and Hewitt] fell short yesterday, but in different ways; the more powerful Zhang taking two sets to find the aggression he needed to challenge the former world No. 1 [Hewitt] on the lawn he loves, and Wu unable to quite capitalise on a loss of concentration that contributed to Tomic’s 3-0 deficit in the second set and the teenager’s struggle to maintain intensity in his first match since facing Roger Federer on Rod Laver Arena in the fourth round of last month’s Australian Open. Original article.

Mind Tennis does make a difference. It did for Tomic. Team captain, Rafter, felt that Tomic could have put himself in a difficult position if he hadn’t kept his mind together, but Bernard Tomic Used Mind Tennis to Get Davis Cup Win over Wu Di of China’s Davis Cup team.
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The World’s Winning-est Tennis Player Enjoys Mental Tennis

February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The World's Wining-est Tennis Player Enjoys Mental Tennis. Wikimedia Commons by nick step.

In the world of sports, it is so easy to focus only on familiar players on the pro-tennis circuit. They are the ones we see on TV or read about.  Players like Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Azarenka, Sharapova, Clijsters, etc. But there is another world of tennis out there not publicized much in the media. Suffice it to say, the world’s winning-est tennis player enjoys mental tennis, and her name is Esther Vergeer from the Netherlands. Ever heard of her? I hadn’t until I ran across the article by Eurosport, linked to in this post.

Novak Djokovic holds her in awe, commenting about her: “one of the women in tennis I admire the most, Esther Vergeer”.

Esther has won her last 444 matches including 39 Grand Slams. Why haven’t you heard of her? Esther is a paraplegic playing tennis in her wheel chair. But Esther loves the game, especially the mental game of tennis. She says that  is her motivation.

The World’s Winning-est Tennis Player Enjoys Mental Tennis

It is no surprise that Djokovic holds Vergeer in such regard given her simply unprecedented sporting CV.

When the men’s number one says that Vergeer hasn’t lost since 2003, he’s not lying. She has literally won every singles match she has played in the last nine years — that’s 444 matches and counting.

During her career Vergeer has won 39 Grand Slam titles (20 singles and 19 doubles), as well as 22 year-end championships and five Paralympics titles.

She first reached world number one as an 18-year-old in 1999 and she hasn’t left it since – despite now being 30.

After winning Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award in 2008, between 2004 and 2006 she even went over two years without losing a set (winning 250 in a row).

So how does a player with so much success on her CV stay motivated?

“I love this game more than anybody. It’s a lot of sacrifice, it’s a lot of effort, but I do enjoy that,” she told Marianne Bevis of The Sport Review .

“My main motivation is the inner game: I just love the sport, I love the training, but then also the way I see that I can improve in so many aspects still.

“Then there’s the motivation of the Olympics: You have to set certain goals, and this year for sure I’ve set my goal – my mind – on the Olympics.” Original story here.

This gal could be pitying herself, but to the contrary, she is making use of what she has. She is doing something with her life. Instead of making excuses for herself, she makes use of her talent and ability.

Notice, the thing that motivates her is the inner game, the mental tennis:  almost makes me ashamed of myself. How about you? Now you know that Esther Vergeer, The World’s Winning-est Tennis Player Enjoys Mental Tennis.

 

 

 

 

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Djokovic Aim: To Win The Golden Slam Requires Mental Tennis

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Djokovic Aim: To Win The Golden Slam Requires Mental Tennis. Wikimedia Commons by Eklektekuria.

Steffi Graf won the four major tennis tournaments and the Olympic Gold Medal in the same calendar year, 1988. Since that time, such a feat has been called the “Golden Slam”. Djokovic’s aim to win the Golden Slam requires mental tennis. Stefi is the only person in history to win a Golden Slam, and Djokovic is on target to do it this year. He only has to win the French Open and the Olympic Gold medal.

The four major tennis tournaments a player has to win in a single calendar year to win a “Grand Slam” are: The U. S. Open, The Australian Open, The French Open, and Wimbledon. When you add the win of the Olympic Gold, in the same calendar year, you have a “Golden Slam”. SkySports.com reports that Novak’s desire is to win the French Open and Olympic Gold Medal this year, thus making a Golden Slam for him.

Djokovic Aim: To Win The Golden Slam Requires Mental Tennis

All the grand slams and Olympic Games, they are my priorities,” said Djokovic, who was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in London on Monday night.

“Obviously, Roland Garros is the one to win this year. I have to stay optimistic. I have to believe in what I do and believe in my abilities and that I can win on all surfaces.

“I think everything is possible.”

****

“I’d been number three in the world for three or four years in a row and Andy Murray was number four.

“What changed for me was the mental stability, strength and experience that I got over the years playing at the top level.

“Just believing I can win the major tournaments, believing I can win against the biggest rivals at the later stages of major events.”

It will be exciting to see what progress Djokovic makes toward his goal. From the quotes above you can see that he has a lot of confidence in himself and his abilities. This is part of what mental tennis is about, being so confident in your ability to perform, you basically forget about form and theory and focus exclusively on the moment. Read what else Djokovic has to say here.

Djokovic’s aim to win the Golden Slam will require mental tennis to achieve. If he doesn’t allow anything to distract him, he may become the first male Golden Slam winner. To learn how you can improve your game, leave your name and best email in the box to the right and you will begin receiving your copy of my weekly Mind Tennis Insider secrets.

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Kuznetsova Used Mental Tennis To Put Russian Women in Fed Cup Semi-Finals

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Kuznetsova Used Mental Tennis To Put Russian Women in Fed Cup Semi-Finals. Wikimedia Commons by Carine 06

In Moscow today, Svetlana Kuznetsova Used Mental Tennis To Put Russian Women in Fed Cup Semi-Finals. It seems that Kuznetsova got off to a good start but then in the second set lost her mental nerve and concentration. Luke Phillips of ninemsn.com describes it like this:

Kuznetsova Used Mental Tennis To Put Russian Women in Fed Cup Semi-Finals

Russian tennis star Svetlana Kuznetsova put her squad into the semifinals by beating Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain in a tough three-setter in Moscow.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova beat Soler-Espinosa 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to give Russia an unassailable 3-1 lead.

“It’s really tough to come back into the match after you lose concentration halfway into the second set,” Kuznetsova said. “Luckily, I managed to put my feet back on the ground in the third and win.”

In the second Kuznetsova, who is 19th in the world, broke early for a 4-1 lead but than lost her nerve completely allowing Soler-Espinoza to win five games in a row to level at one set all after one hour 25 minutes on court.

The win of Kuznetsova over Soler-Espinosa of Spain placed Russia in the final four. In the article, which you can read in its entirety here, tells how Kuznetsova Used Mental Tennis To Put Russian Women in Fed Cup Semi-Finals.

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Mental Tennis Strength Won the Final at the Australian Open

February 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Mental Tennis Strength Won the Final at the Australian Open. Wikimedia Hopman (cropped)

Mental Tennis Strength Won the Final at the Australian Open for Djokovic. Wikimedia Hopman (cropped)

Patrick Mouratoglou writing on EuroSport.com says that the level of tennis played by Nadal and Djokovic in the Australian Open final was not great tennis, even the tennis played by the winner Djokovic. But he believes that mental tennis strength won the final at the Australian Open.

Mental Tennis Strength Won the Final at the Australian Open

Novak has sent a clear message to all the players: he’s still the boss. The level of fitness he displays, his mental strength and determination to win should give his rivals something to think about. This match is proof that someone can win a Grand Slam final without playing amazing tennis – but through sheer effort….

What should Rafa remember from this encounter? That it was won by the more aggressive, creative and dictating player.

Quotes in previous post I have made mentioned the fact that Nadal said he learned a lot from the marathon contest he played against Djokovic. Let’s hope so; it will make 2012 a more interesting year. The rest of the article can be found here.

You can put mental strength and determination to work for you, in your tennis game, or whatever you want to succeed at in life. Just click here to learn more.

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Grand Slam Loss Eliminated Mental Tennis Demons For Nadal

January 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Grand Slam Loss Eliminated Mental Tennis Demons For Nadal. Wikimedia Commons by Christopher Johnson

The long, protracted final between Nadal and Djokovic in the Australian Open has eliminated the fears and apprehensions that Nadal has in playing Djokovic. Nadal used everything he had in trying to win the final match, but he came up short. However, the Grand Slam Loss Eliminated Mental Tennis Demons For Nadal when playing Djokovic.

Nadal said that this game had freed him from the mental tennis demons that have plagued him, during 2011, while playing Djokovic. GMA News Online reported that Nadal, even though he had lost to Djokovic, felt he played better than before against Djokovic.

Nadal lost the best of seven 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. It sounds like he should be able to face the rest of the 2012 tennis season with more confidence than he might have otherwise. The complete story from GMA News can be found here. If you are facing any mental tennis demons, click here to find a solution.
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Djokovic Beats Nadal Winning the Mental Match in Tennis Australian Open

January 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today, Leo Schlink reported in the Herald Sun, that Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to clinch the title to the 100th Australian Open in the longest Grand Slam in history. It took 5 hours and 53 minutes for Djokovik to win. The match was so long that both players were mentally and physically exhausted at the end, but Djokovic Beat Nadal Winning the Mental Match in Tennis Australian Open.

Djokovic had played a long semi-final match against Andy Murray on Friday night that lasted more than 4 hours. But he was able to muster enough energy and mental fortitude to eventually pull out a win against Nadal in his final match.

Djokovic Beats Nadal Winning the Mental Match in Tennis Australian Open

Condemning Rafael Nadal to a record third consecutive major final loss, exhausted Djokovic posted a 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 Australian Open triumph – a victory for the ages.

On rubbery legs and fighting mental and physical exhaustion, Djokovic clambered off the canvas from 2-4 down in the fifth set to do it.

Fittingly, the 100th Australian men’s final was the longest in Grand Slam history at 5 hrs 53 mins.

Defending champion Djokovic’s third Melbourne Park title – and fifth major overall – was sealed at 1.37am local time.

It will live with with the Serb forever, such was its epic nature.

With nothing more to give in the final game of the match, Djokovic crossed himself and glanced skywards after saving a break point.

He did so again on the following point after earning match point.

Djokovic slumped to the court in relief and elation and Nadal trudged towards the net after missing a forehand.

It was only the third decider to go the distance at Melbourne Park after Pat Cash and Mats Wilander (1988) and Nadal and Roger Federer (2009).

Djokovic, 24, has now beaten Nadal seven times in a row – and in each of the past three Grand Slam deciders at Wimbledon, US Open and the Australian.

The Serb relentlessly pounded Nadal’s second serve to expose gaping holes in the Spaniard’s defence to land his fifth major, joining Andre Agassi. Roger Federer and Mats Wilander as the only men to win three or more Australian crowns since 1968.

In much the same way Nadal relishes his stroke-for-stroke match-up with Federer, Djokovic exerts a similar thrall over Nadal.

The critical difference last night was the second serve. Djokovic operated at 64 percent. Nadal landed 45 percent.

It was a similar scenario at Wimbledon and the US Open.

In becoming only the fourth male since Rod Laver in 1969 to claim three consecutive majors – Pete Sampras, Federer and Nadal are the others – Djokovic proved again he is clearly the sport’s premier player.

Supposedly exhausted after a protracted semi-final against Andy Murray on Friday night, he overcame a sluggish start in sultry conditions to have Nadal on the ropes deep into the fourth set.

Holding three break points for a 5-3 lead, Djokovic could not capitalise as the Spaniard steamed back into the contest.

And when Nadal held a commanding 4-2 lead in the deciding set, Djokovic somehow summoned the nerve and energy to draw back on terms.

He made the title-sealing inroad in the 11th game, when Nadal netted a weary backhand to earn the right to serve out the match.

For most of the contest, he was superior in defence and attack, mentally besting Nadal to inflict another serious pyschological wound on his arch-rival.

In the end, it was a dogfight.

 Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic
Djokovik Beats Nadal Winning the Mental Match in Tennis Australian Open. Novak Djokovic rips his shirt off after winning the Australian Open final after an epic five-set clash against Rafael Nadal. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

 

Djokovic emerged with a $2.3million winner’s cheque and the satisfaction of overcoming three sizeable obstacles – having 24 hours less to recover from that mammoth semi-final, giving up a first-set lead in the final and coming back from the dead in the deciding set.

Dipping into bottomless reserves after appearing to be spent after narrowly accounting for Murray on Friday night, Djokovic out-ran and outlasted the owner of 10 majors.

If it wasn’t Djokovic’s cleanest or most dazzling display, it ranks as his bravest.

What an exciting match be at, however, as one writer has said the final is over, but the year is just beginning. Maybe Djokovic Beating Nadal, Winning the Mental Match in Tennis Australian Open is just the beginning of a great year in tennis. To see the rest of the article by Leo Sclink, click here. To learn how you can make your thoughts have the winning difference for you, click here.

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