Goals and your tennis match

Have you ever considered how much tennis you actually play during a match? 20%! This means 80% is left for you to think. (Courtesy of Patrick Mouratoglou) So how are you using this time? Are you one of those players that talks mutters under their breath and thinks about the points you have missed? So how exactly do you want to have a positive mindset if your body language on court is negative?

The way to change this is to set yourself goals and none of these goals should be : I want to win this match. Someone once pointed out that the reason Nadal was so particular with his bottles and habits was because it was the one thing he could control on court. Winning a match itself you cannot control -you can do your best ,yes. But you cannot control it.

Therefore setting the goal of winning the match is unrealistic. You cannot control if you win or loose. You can only play your game which may lead to the win but does not guarantee it. Therefore your goals need fall into 4 categories: 1. goal: depends only on you, ex. stand one meter behind the baseline. If you say I will play deep then that´s not realistic, as playing deep also depends on your opponent 2. goal: have a realistic goal ex. I will have only first serves -not realistic 3. goal: if you follow your goals you have a chance to win and it helps your long-term development 4. only set 3 goals!

So the next time you walk onto a court do the following: have your goals set out, have a plan! Spend the 80% of the time you are not playing reviewing your goals in your head and remaining committed and positive!