The shared qualities of winning tennis players
Blog Post - July 2021
After a fantastic weekend of being a team captain for two of our teams at the National Junior Club League finals at the National Tennis Centre, London, where we won two titles with our U12 Girls and U14 Boys, I wanted to share some thoughts on what I believe makes a successful player.
Having worked with many junior and professional tennis players over the years, I have come to notice a number of qualities and traits that successful tennis players all share, whether they are 10 years old or 30 years old.
Preparation – Focus and preparation are key. From the smallest things, such as turning up on time, bringing a towel and water bottle to every training session and bringing the energy. Creating good habits ensures players are well prepared for what they experience on-court. I talk a lot about the concept of rehearsal within my philosophy and this rings true here – you do not rise to the levels of your match goals, you drop to the level of your training and preparation.
Consistency – Consistency is a critical quality needed to produce winners. Treat every day like game day and practice in the way you expect to perform on match day, whether that be refining your form in the gym, or rehearsing shots over and over and perfecting that serve.
Good attitude and well-being – A positive mindset and good manners on and off court pay dividends in the world of tennis. There is no room for negativity and a bad attitude and being able to develop a strong positive mindset allows top players to overcome challenges and focus on what needs to be done to be successful. I am a big advocate of visualisation techniques and getting players to imagine themselves reaching their specific goals and winning matches. How does that look? How does it feel? Once they are tuned in, it really helps motivate them and create a winning attitude.
Well-being and good mental health is an important area to keep on top of as a player. Just playing tennis and staying fit will help to boost young players’ moods. They should also ensure they are sleeping well and are eating well to stay well. There are a lot of stresses on young people, especially where their lives now play out on social media and the pressure is on as a player of an individual sport such as tennis. As a parent or coach, it is important to keep tennis fun for the younger ones and watch out for any tell-tale signs that they could use some support – don’t forget to be supportive and full of praise.
Top class strength and conditioning – To really become a great tennis athlete, it is important you have someone on the team who can deliver top quality strength and conditioning. Working to improve strength, speed and stamina – it is also there to help players manage injury reduction. Luckily, world-class tennis specific S&C is available through Tennis SuperMovers. Take it with you and work through our simple programmes to really start making a difference on-court. Click here to find out more about the programme and our membership offers