Winning The Mental Battle in a Match
Long tennis matches are not just physical, but also mental battles.
Winning the mental game can be the difference-maker in tough, long matches.
By being mentally prepared and mentally tough, you can swing the momentum in your favor and grind out victories, even when you are slightly off your technical game.
In sports, there is a term often cited named “war of attrition.”
War of attrition refers to the mental fortitude and mental toughness that is critical during highly contested matches.
War of attrition is the battle where the winner is the player that outlasts their opponent.
War of attrition consists of battling through, wearing down your opponent and grinding out a victory under stressful or difficult conditions.
In tennis, the winner is not necessarily the one who has the most powerful serve… or the player who is ranked the highest… or the quickest athlete on the court.
The winner of a match is often the mentally tougher player, the player that wins the battles in the trenches.
The mentally tougher player, the one who wins the war of attrition, is the one who battles through all the obstacles inherent in those long, hard-fought matches and pulls out the victory.
Caroline Wozniacki won the war of attrition by grinding out the victory at the 2018 Australian Open for her first Grand Slam championship.
Wozniacki beat Simona Halep 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 battling back from a 3-6 third set to capture her first major in 43 attempts and putting her atop of the tennis world for women.
Wozniacki was last ranked No.1 in the world six years previously which ranks as the longest gap between stints atop the game.
The championship match was not easy.
Wozniacki and Halep appeared absolutely exhausted at times.
Wozniacki and Halep played 32 games and 50 rallies of nine shots or more in hot, humid temperatures. Wozniacki displayed great mental toughness winning 27 of the 50 rallies.
Not only did Wozniacki battle back from being down 3-4 in the third set, she won the last three games, 10 of the last 14 points and earned her first Grand Slam title.
WOZNIACKI: “Every time, I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t do this anymore. I’m exhausted.’ And we were playing all these crazy-long rallies. I’m looking over there and she [Halep] looks a little tired. She must be feeling the exact same way or maybe more tired than me.”
That’s winning the war of attrition… That’s outperforming your opponent on the court and winning the mental battle as well.
The war of attrition is fought on the same battlefield under the same conditions but it takes one player to withstand those tough conditions and win the ultimate battle…
And the victor, the winner of the war of attrition, is the player with the most amount of mental toughness.
A Tip for Winning the War of Attrition:
In highly contested battles, everyone has to deal with similar circumstances: hot weather, being tired, pressure, the crowd, etc.
Remind yourself that the last person standing in usually the winner.
Use the cue, “Outlast,” “Win this battle,” or, “Stay mentally tough,” to remind yourself to persist and win the war of attrition.
Learn Proven Mental Game Strategies To Perform Your Best On The Court!
Are you (or your players) performing up to your ability in competition?
Do you bring your best and most confident game to matches?
I often hear players complain about the following problems when they play in matches…
“I get so tight or tense before matches that I can’t think straight or have any rhythm in my game.”
“My confidence seems to disappear when I go from practice to matches and I don’t know why.”
“I get so frustrated with hitting bad shots or with errors and it snowballs.”
“I expect so much when I play that I unravel and lose confidence when the match does not go as planned.”
Successful tennis players have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in tournaments.
If you are ready to improve your mental toughness and perform with ultimate self-confidence in matches, Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players can help you do this!
Players: Learn how to take control of your confidence, focus your best, and win more close matches.
Parents: Help boost your junior tennis player’s confidence for tournaments. Just load the program on your player’s IPod!
Coaches: Boost your team’s confidence using simple, proven mental strategies.
Instructors: Learn how to give your students the mental game advantage.
Use Tennis Confidence to help boost your mental toughness in tennis and discover powerful and proven mental game strategies that have helped professional athletes win!
Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness For Tournament Players
What are mental game customers saying?
“Maggie had such a great weekend. As always, after she works with you she just seems more grounded and focused. She’s less likely to look around and get distracted during her match. She’s more focused on one point at a time. Also, as a parent, I’ve learned to encourage her process goals and not outcomes. Consequently, she played well and won her first doubles match, upsetting a seeded team in a really really close match!”
~Katherine Johnson Cannata, Maggie’s mother
“She did really well with controlling her emotions during the matches today. We were very proud of her for not showing her frustrations during the match; I think that was a big accomplishment. She really looked in control of her emotions even when she double faulted or made mistakes. The changes we saw in her behavior in less than 24 hours were AWESOME! Thank you for your guidance!”
~Jennifer, Tennis Parent
“I want to let you know that your “Tennis Confidence” CD program has been extremely helpful to me. I listen to the CDs in the car and the program is helping me overcome a lifetime of tournament performance Anxiety. Thank you!”
~Wing Yu, Tennis Player
Boost Your Self-Confidence in Tennis With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach, Dr. Patrick Cohn, can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal mental game coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone.
Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 (local: 407-909-1700) or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
One-on-one mental game coaching with Dr. Cohn
What are our mental coaching students saying?
“Dr. Cohn did a great job working with my son Joe on his mental skills for tennis. He taught him the mental skills and discipline necessary to move to the next level. Thanks Doc!”
~Mike Withers, Joe Withers Father
“Dr. Cohn, one of my goals is to become a world-class-coach. There are a few coaches from the US who inspired me the most–John Wooden, Don Shula, and Pat Riley. After working with you, I now also list your name among the most influential coaches in my field!”
~Franz
“Since you last worked with AJ in early September, his National ranking has improved from 349 to 148. His tournament record at one point, since talking with you was 17-4, with 3 of the 4 being in third sets or tiebreakers and 2 of those matches being the same player, whom he has since beaten (you may recall he was on an 0-9 losing streak when we contacted you). His tie-breaker record is at least 90% through last weekend when he won the 18s District tournament with a semi and final match tiebreak win. Your help has definitely improved AJ’s results and his on-court demeanor has substantially improved.”
~Dawn Woodman, A.J.’s Mother