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.

Filed Under: inner game, mental confidence, mental strength, Mental Tennis Tagged With: , , , , ,

Azarenka Used Mental Tennis to Advance to Qatar Open Finals

February 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At last years Qatar Open, Victoria Azarenka went home not only defeated literally, but defeated in mind. She went home discouraged and disheartened with her mind all messed up. But her time at home with supportive family worked wonders for her. She came back in January to win the Australian Open by defeating Maria Sharapova. And now in the Qatar Open, she has advanced to the  final match where she will play Samantha Stosur for the title. Azarenka Used Mental Tennis to Advance to Qatar Open Finals.

What has changed for Azarenka since last year? Probably a lot of hard work on the court, but also an new-found mental approach to tennis. In the Qatar Open semi-final match against Agineszka Radwanska, Azarenka suffered injury to her ankle and had to have it strapped and bound court side. It looked like she may decide to call the match off, but after a few minutes, she was up on her feet, carefully checking out her ankle and then she was ready to play. As the remainder of the match progressed, Azarenka’s skill and power could be seen again and she took control of the match winning 6-2 6-4.

Azarenka Used Mental Tennis to Advance to Qatar Open Finals

Anil John writing for the gulf-times.com quotes Azarenka:

“Honestly, I don’t know how I managed to pull it off. I had to concentrate very hard on every point, but I am happy that I made it,” said Azarenka who took her winning streak this year to 16 to equal Justin Henin’s record set in 2004; Maria Sharapova holds the most reason season-opening winning streak, going 18-0 in 2008.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I managed to pull it off,” she said.  “I had to concentrate very hard on every point, but I am happy that I made it,” added Azarenka, who took her winning streak this year to 16 to equal the now retired Justine Henin’s record set in 2004. She said the adrenaline kept her going.
“Well, it is, but, you know, when you are in the match, adrenaline is going and you try not to think about it and just try to give your best, whatever it is.
“Sometimes the pain eases out, especially when you’re winning and you are in that mode that, you know, you kinda try to forget about the pain at least.  It doesn’t happen always.
“But as I said, I was just trying to have a clear mind, you know, and just fight through, whatever happened happened, but in my mind I had to adjust and just, you know, be okay with it that I’m not at my best. I just have to try as hard as I can.”
Azarenka said she is not sure what exactly her injury is and whether she will be 100 percent going into the final today.
“Well, I don’t want to you know, I cannot predict.  I’m not a psychic, or how you say, but we’ll see.  I have 24 hours, you know, to get better.  We’re gonna definitely do the best job as possible to be ready for tomorrow.
But the way it happened, I was just, you know, trying to reach for the ball, and I slipped and kinda twisted my ankle.  Other second I know, I was on the floor, you know.  So it’s shocking a little bit.” Original here.

This little vignette described above shows some of what it takes to be a champion. In this case she had to dig deeper, but Azarenka Used Mental Tennis to Advance to Qatar Open Finals.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

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.

Filed Under: inner game, mental confidence, mental strength, Mental Tennis Tagged With: , , ,

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.

 

Filed Under: inner game, mental confidence, mental strength, Mental Tennis, Mind Tennis Tagged With: , , ,

Federer’s Success Due to Mental Strength, Fitness, and Technique

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Federer's Success Due to Mental Strength, Fitness and Technique

Speaking Tuesday evening, Feb 14, 2012, with a group of reporters in a Rotterdam Hotel, Roger Federer spent some time reflecting on his career, his future in tennis and how tennis has changed over the years that he has been involve with it. He spoke about the obstacles he had to overcome, how he had to become mentally strong in order to accomplish what he did. It became obvious that Federer’s success was due to mental strength, fitness, and technique.

Federer said that if you want to accomplish anything worthwhile in life it doesn’t come easy. It always takes work, even for someone with championship status, and might I add, it takes the right mindset also. Federer went on to say that in his experience he was always re-evalutatin himself, looking for ways to improve, to do better. It’s kind of an evolutionary process.

Romana Cvitkovic writing in TennisGrandstand.com quotes Roger, “I never thought I could play such good tennis. I really had to put in a lot of hard work. Sometimes it doesn’t look like it because it’s all so fluid and people give me so many compliments. But I did put in the hard work and there’s no way around that in the professional game of tennis.”

As a junior, Federer was often seen in tears following defeat and in recalling what made the difference for him during those early years, he concluded that “the biggest improvement that I have been able to make is the mental part. I used to be quite crazy when I was younger, and I eventually got my act together and started to understand why it’s so important to work hard. Once I started to work extremely hard, all of a sudden, I had this really fluid game and I was able to unlock my potential — which I knew was big but I didn’t know it was this great. I’m really amazed overall how well I’ve done.”

To hear Federer say those words reaffirms that nothing in life comes easy, even for a champion that holds countless records, including 16 grand slams and 70 career titles. People may be gifted and talented, but without the proper supplement of training and support, the world may have quickly ended up in short supply of grand slam tennis champions.

“You always have to re-invent yourself; come up with different ideas of how you can improve as a person and as a player. For me, it’s been a great evolution through the rankings from back in ’98 when I was a junior to today, and [how] the game has changed tremendously… I never thought I could play such good tennis. I really had to put in a lot of hard work. Sometimes it doesn’t look like it because it’s all so fluid and people give me so many compliments. But I did put in the hard work and there’s no way around that in the professional game of tennis.”

As he alluded to earlier, Federer credits his success to equal parts mental strength, fitness and technique, and talks about “tennis as an emotional sport” when you are just starting out in the smaller Futures and Challenger tournaments. Original here.

It is always interesting to listen to candid conversations that champions have with others about themselves and their game. Many times there is a lot one can learn, about how the champion thinks, his mindset and his work ethic. One thing you can take from the interview was that Federer’s success is due to mental strength, fitness, and techniuqe.

Filed Under: inner game, mental confidence, mental strength Tagged With: , , , ,

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.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: inner game, Mental Tennis, Mind Tennis Tagged With: , , ,

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.

Filed Under: mental confidence, Mental Tennis Tagged With: , , , ,

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.

Place your name and best email in the box to the right and get your weekly mind tennis insider secrets to boost your scores.

Filed Under: Mental Tennis Tagged With: , , , ,

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.

Filed Under: mental strength, Mental Tennis Tagged With: , ,

Mental Tennis: Nadal Has Changed His Approach to Djokovic

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mental Tennis: Nadal Has Changed His Approach to Djokovic

In researching for this post, I was struck by the number of commentators who are writing about the new Nadal. Acutally it’s the old Nadal making his reappearance. It seems that in 2011 Nadal didn’t have as much fight when it came to playing Djokovic.  Since his loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open final, however, Nadal seems to have turned a corner in his on court relationship to Djokovic. It seems that in mental tennis, Nadal has changed his approach to Djokovic.

Take for instance an article from ESPN.com written by Howard Bryant explaining that it seemed like the match was lost with Nadal down four games to three and 0-40, about to go down 5-3 and likely lose the match in four uneventful sets, when it seemed that Nadal suddenly woke up, that his old fire returned and he showed that he could still beat Djokovic. It remains to be seen however, if Nadal can continue to control those mental demons when he meets Djokovic throughout 2012. Howard Bryant’s article can be found here.

Then there is an article by Bruce Jenkins writing on SI.com giving his opinion that Nadal gained a lot as a result of his loss to Djokovic. He feels that Nadal has the tools, physical skills, and the mental fortitude to beat Djokovic, which he did often prior to 2011.

Mental Tennis: Nadal Has Changed His Approach to Djokovic

“The truth is, Nadal did have enough to win this match. He did have the answers. He absorbed every blow from Djokovic, summoned that legendary resolve, and kept fighting. You won’t find him this week on the psychiatrist’s couch,”…. you will probably studying what he did wrong and what he can do to beat Djokovic next time.

One more commentary sharing the belief that the Australian Open final is a sort of watershed moment for Nadal; that he showed he has what it takes to beat Djokovic. Tim Joyce writing in RealClearSports.com feels that Nadal is not far from solving the Djokovic Puzzle, which solution has eluded him in 2011. Until 2011, Nadal beat Djokovic often, and predictions are that the rivalry between the two will ebb and flow with one being dominant for a time and then the other dominating for a time. In the history of tennis, there have been other rivalries of that sort.

But for now, know that in mental tennis, Nadal has changed his approach to Djokovic. To learn how you can put mind tennis to work for you click here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts