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.

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Mind Tennis: How to Relate to Crucial Moments in Your Game

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mind Tennis: How to Relate to Crucial Moments in Your Game

Whenever you are playing tennis, there are times during a game that are very important.  How you deal with these watershed moments will probably determine whether or not you win. Dr. Allen Fox, a sport psychologist, writing in Tennis.com, says that at these times you need to be aware of mind tennis and how to relate to these crucial moments in your game.

Dr. Fox should know what he is talking about since not only is he a psychologist, but a coach, and former Wimbledon quarter-finalist.

According to Dr. Fox, there are four times, in particular, that you need to take stock of the situation during the game. It is at these times that there is a tendency to have some mental and or physical letdown, or you could lose it altogether. The important thing is to learn how to deal with the four scenarios so you are not on the losing end.

Mind Tennis: How to Relate to Crucial Moments in Your Game

After a long, difficult point
Even at the pro level, particularly long and mentally draining points are often followed by short points. Serve returns are missed and quick errors are made as one player simply isn’t ready for another bruising battle. Knowing this can help you. If you are serving, make a mental note to get your first serve in after a long point, rather than going for an ace. Wide serves can be especially effective against opponents who are winded, tired, relaxing, or in any other way unprepared to reach or move quickly. If your opponent is serving, hit a high-percentage return rather than going for the quick winner. And in any case, be determined to play another long, tough point. Your opponent may not be.

After a long, tense game
When a game requires prolonged concentration and lots of stress, players tend to relax afterward. Don’t. The game following a marathon is the perfect opportunity to run up your lead or kill your opponent’s momentum. Put the length of the game out of your mind and take the same approach to the next game. Tell yourself you’ll stay out there as long as it takes to win. Playing tough in situations like these is not only liable to win you the next game, but it will also intimidate your opponents. It shows them they’re up against a dogged competitor and in for a grueling afternoon.

After a service break
The best time to break an opponent’s serve is after they have broken your serve. They are likely to either relax or become conservative, as they feel they should hold and consolidate their lead. Go after the next game with your most intense and solid tennis. Don’t give anything away; go for deep returns, but don’t play too close to the sidelines. Make your opponent play and see if he or she shows any signs of nerves. You can often break back immediately, not only evening the score, but also deflating your opponent and turning the momentum in your favor. If, on the other hand, you have just broken serve, deliberately try to increase your intensity and generate a little extra adrenaline to forestall any tendency to become complacent or conservative. You’re up a break, so use that opportunity to step on your opponents; don’t expect them to roll over.

After your opponent has blown several chances to break your serve
When your opponents serve after having had their hopes of a service break dashed, they will often be unprepared to focus immediately on holding their own serve. This is a great time for you to break. Your opponents will have seen a promising situation come to naught and will be suffering some disappointment, so they may not be quite ready to play. Be prepared to take advantage of any droopiness. Original here.

Having the knowledge of mind tennis and how to relate to crucial moments in your game will give you a definite advantage. There are times when a mentally prepared player can beat a more skilled player, because he or she better understands the psychology of the game as it unfolds.

If you would like to better understand the psychology that winning player use, click here.

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Federer and the Swiss Team Out of the Davis Cup, Thanks to Mind Tennis

February 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Federer and the Swiss Team Out of the Davis Cup, Thanks to Mind Tennis. Photo of Mike Bryan from Wikimedia Commons by Alvaro Gandara Astray.

Roger Federer and the Swiss Team Out of the Davis Cup, Thanks to Mind Tennis. Federer had the option of choosing the playing surface when he and his doubles team played the United States in Fribourg, Switzerland. Federer thought the slower surface of a clay court would benefit the Swiss team and hamper the U. S. team, but in fact proved to be just the opposite.

The U. S. Team of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish were up for the task and defeated the Swiss team of Federer and Wawrinka, who were the current Olympic champions, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. The doubles win gave the U. S. an unbeatable 3-0 score over the Swiss.

Bryan and Fish definitely had their minds together, with the Swiss crowd at times angry and hostile because of the success of the Americans. Byan and Fish had been paired only once before in Davis Cup competition, in 2007.

Freep.com, reporting on the Davis Cup match said,

Federer and the Swiss Team Out of the Davis Cup, Thanks to Mind Tennis

Given a supremely tough draw in the 2012 Davis Cup, the U.S. is off to an exhilarating start at Fribourg, Switzerland.

The team swept Roger Federer and Switzerland in the first round, with Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan winning the doubles match on clay, a surface selected by Federer to exploit what was perceived as an American weakness.

But Fish and Bryan, paired for the first time in more than three years, were clearly up for this challenge on Saturday. They defeated Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, the reigning Olympic champions, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

“This is probably going down as one of the most memorable (wins),” said Bryan, who played on the 2007 winning team.

The doubles victory gave the Americans a 3-0 win in the best-of-five, first-round series. Read article here.

In order to stay in contention for the Davis Cup, Switzerland will now have to go into the play-offs later in the year to stay in the World Group, which is comprised of the best 16 teams in the world.

John Isner of the U. S., ranked 17th in the world, beat Federer, ranked #3, and 8th ranked Mardy Fish defeated Wawrinka.

The U. S. has won a record 32 titles in team competitions for men’s tennis in the Davis Cup. They will probably play France in the quarterfinals in April, as France is now up over Canada 2-1.

Winning against the reigning champions can be tough. Not only do you have to have the tennis skills, but you have to be up to the challenge mentally. The Americans got off to a slow start in the first one  and one-half games, but they eventually prevailed. The had to stay mentally tough, confident in their abilities.

As a result of Bryan and Fish, Federer and the Swiss Team Are Out of the Davis Cup, Thanks to Mind Tennis.

 

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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.
If you ever struggle with your mind set while playing tennis, just enter your name and best email in the form in the top right to receive your copy of my weekly Mind Tennis insider secrets.
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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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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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Mind Tennis #1 Azarenka Pulls Out of the Fed Cup With Injury

February 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mind Tennis #1 Azarenka Pulls Out of Fed Cup With Injury. Wikimedia Commons by ataelw.

Victoria Azarenka let it be known that mind tennis was a very important part of her tennis game. But yesterday, mind tennis #1 Azarenka pulled out of the Fed Cup with injury. Her withdrawal from the Fed Cup singles matches has made the contest easier for the United States team.

Ben Rothenberg of the NYTimes.com says Azarenka pull out of the singles competition because of a lower-back injury.

Mind Tennis #1 Azarenka Pulls Out of the Fed Cup With Injury

Azarenka, who blitzed Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 6-0, to win her first Grand Slam championship, has not lost a match in 2012, compiling a 12-0 record en route to titles in Sydney and Melbourne.

The sudden withdrawal of Azarenka, 22, took some excitement out of the tie. She had played the best tennis of her career in Australia while letting her personality loose. After routine wins against unseeded opponents, she celebrated with her tongue out, wagging her finger toward her box with a swagger that was decidedly more Dikembe Mutumbo than Rod Laver.

“The attitude, I was just trying to be there, be present, you know, in every moment, and try to give my best,” Azarenka said during an interview before the tie against the United States. “I’m really believing I can go all the way through, but I always take it step by step. I never jump ahead.”

Azarenka has displayed a level of braggadocio that women’s tennis has not seen perhaps since the early days of Martina Hingis in the 1990s, when she was dissecting opponents with vicious spins and a delighted grin. Azarenka’s confidence does not manifest itself in midmatch smiles, but rather in fist-pumps and struts.

She often walks around the court between points with the same sort of bounce she has when she walks on for warm-ups — when she has music blaring in her ears and a hood over her head as if she were entering a boxing ring.

“I think it’s very personal,” Azarenka said of her attitude on court. “You really have to find the way for yourself, how to take the step for winning. It’s, I think, a long way to really find that momentum that makes you in the moment when you need to be pumped up, and the moment when you need to come down. So I think it’s important to learn your body, to learn your body language, and everything.

“For the young players, I would say you really have to pay attention to how you feel. You don’t have to reject or not accept what you’re feeling—you just have to try to learn how to deal with it.”

In the article, Ben goes on to say that, according to Sam Sumyk, Azarenka’s coach, her on-court attitude has been something they have concentrated on. That however doesn’t help when mind tennis #1 Azarenka pulls out of the Fed Cup with injury.

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Djokovic at the Top of His Mind Tennis Game

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Djokovic at the Top of His Mind Tennis Game. Wikimedia Commons by Eklektekuria

After winning the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic has let it be known that competing in the Olympic Games and in the French Open are his top priorities for the coming year. Djokovic is at the top of his mind tennis game and feels he can win whatever tournament he plays in.  You can read more at Yahoo Sports.

Learn how you can be at the top of your mind tennis game by clicking here.

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Victoria Azarenka Stuns Maria Sharapova with her Mind Tennis and Skill

January 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today, Victoria Azarenka Stunned Maria Sharapova with her mind tennis and skill. Many commenators were unable or unwilling to make a prediction of the outcome of the Azarenka vs Sharapova match that would decide the number one womens player in the world.

But, Azarenkas victory over Sharapova today left no doubt in any one’s mind regarding who should be womens #1. Valkerie Baynes whose story is reported the the Herald Sun, said that 22 year old Azarenka from Belarusian won her first major final today with her nerves under control winning in two games 6-3 6-0. As you can see Sharapova just could not keep up with Azarenkas’ game.

Victoria Azarenka Stuns Maria Sharapova with her Mind Tennis and Skill

Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka Stuns Maria Sharapova with her Mind Tennis and Skill. Azarenka shows off her trophy. Picture: George Salpigtidis. Source: News Limited

 

VICTORIA Azarenka dropped to her knees and touched her head to the ground, then rose as the world’s new No.1 with a shrug and a look of disbelief.

Azarenka’s stunning 6-3 6-0 victory over Maria Sharapova to claim the Australian Open crown – her maiden grand slam title – propelled the Belarussian to the top of the rankings.

It did not take long for her look of confusion to turn to a broad grin.

“Wow,” she beamed before her voice began to crack.

“I would like to thank my team – you guys have been supporting me for so long and believing in me, and it made me realise that I can believe in myself and I can finally raise this trophy.

“I want to thank my parents, who are watching for sure now, my friends, my boyfriend and my grandmother, the person who inspires me the most in my life.

“I had an amazing month in Australia and it’s a dream come true.”

It was the first time since Serena Williams defeated Dinara Safina to win the 2009 Australian Open that the No.1 ranking was decided by the outcome of a grand slam final.

Azarenka hit the top for the first time in her career from No.3, while Petra Kvitova stayed at No.2, Sharapova moved up one place to No.3 and Caroline Wozniacki – who lost the No.1 spot with her quarter-final defeat to Kim Clijsters – slid to fourth.

Had Sharapova won, she would have returned to the top spot she took for the first time in 2005 and last held in 2008 before a shoulder problem kept her out of the game for nearly 10 months.

Projections for the new rankings released tomorrow have Australia’s Sam Stosur remaining at No.5.

Agnieszka Radwanska, who lost to Azarenka in the quarter-finals, moves to a career-high No.6. Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Li Na drops from sixth to ninth and Andrea Petkovic, who missed this year’s tournament with a back injury, stays in 10th.

Sharapova was gracious in defeat.

“The first congratulations go to Victoria – it is an honour to play against you, you’ve earned this title, you’ve worked so hard for it over the years,” she said.

“It’s a real honour to have your name on that trophy, congratulations and cherish it for as long as you can.”

Azarenka and Sharapova went into the match having played each other six times, splitting the wins 3-3, although the Belarussian had won each of the two finals they had played, both on hardcourt, in 2010 and 2011.

After conceding a 0-2 lead, Azarenka pulled back to 2-2.

She became highly aggressive on Sharapova’s serve in the eighth game, coming into the net to apply more pressure and making the crucial break with a great backhand drop shot followed up with a sharp backhand volley.

Serving out the next game, Azarenka converted her first of two set points.

The 22-year-old continued to play the better tennis in the second set, even in the face of some nervy moments early on.

Sharapova persisted with her tactic of pounding the ball back over the net hard and flat, while Azarenka kept changing her game up to completely dominate and confound her opponent.

Victoria Azarenka Stuns Maria Sharapova with her Mind Tennis and Skill. What a satisfying end to the Australian Open for Victoria Azarenka! She has worked hard for years to get to this point in her career. The rest of the article can be found here. Learn how you can get results similar to Victoria Azarenka using mental tennis in your game, by clicking here.

 

 

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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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