How Do You Stay Confident When Losing
If winning improves confidence, is it possible to maintain confidence when you are not winning
Winning is viewed as the key to confidence by many tennis players.
It’s common to hear professional players, in post-match interviews, remark, “After I won a couple of games, I found my confidence and started playing better later in the match” or “My last tournament win gave me the confidence that I can win tough matches.”
Confidence is sometimes viewed as the chicken versus the egg debate. Which comes first, success or confidence?
This is a very limited view of the relationship between confidence and success. If you view confidence as a prerequisite for success, then it is impossible to be confident when losing. It would also be impossible to turn around a losing streak because you would lack the confidence needed to succeed.
In our Mental Game of Tennis Needs Survey, a collegiate tennis player sent us the following question
After I lose matches, I often feel overwhelmed and fearful that it will happen again. How can I remain confident and not feel hopeless after losing a match in straight sets?
When you rely on winning for confidence, losing a match traps you in a loop of low confidence and under performance.
When you are stuck in this negative loop, it feels like there is no end in sight. That is the reason you feel overwhelmed and fearful of continued losses. Eventually, feelings of being overwhelmed and fearful turn into hopelessness and resignation.
There are many more contributors to confidence than winning:
- Recognizing your strengths – Defining yourself by your strengths lays the foundation for confidence.
- Highlighting small wins – Successes are not just tally marks in the win column. Success can be a higher first-serve percentage, fewer unforced errors, increased power on your groundstrokes, staying calm under pressure, or managing your emotions under duress.
- Using mistakes and losses to learn – Losses are not failures but opportunities to grow your game. When you work on correcting mistakes and recognize those small gains in your game, your confidence will grow.
- Refraining from being overly critical – Recognizing areas of your game needing improvement is beneficial. Beating yourself up over mistakes is counterproductive and detrimental to your confidence.
- Committing to consistency – When you have consistency in your training, you will feel fully prepared, which enhances competitive confidence.
During the 2024 WTA season, Emma Raducanu battled with confidence issues after inconsistent play, injuries, and time off from training. Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, shared her thoughts about the season and her confidence journey.
RADUCANU: “My assessment is that sometimes I need to remind myself that I’m among the top 60 in the world and have played fewer than 15 tournaments, which is quite unheard of in a way. I have to pat myself on the back for that.”
“I know I’m a dangerous player. I know no one wants to draw my name in the draw. I take pride in that and hope to stay on the court longer next year.”
While winning can provide a temporary boost, long-term, stable confidence is built on preparation, focusing on improvement, and recognizing your accomplishments.
When you proactively build confidence, you can maintain your confidence no matter what the scoreboard says.
First, make a list of your superpowers and strengths as a player.
Next, before you practice or compete, review your strengths, successes, and super powers.
Commit to focus on what you have instead of what is missing in your game.
Related Tennis Psychology Articles
- Boosting Confidence in Young Tennis Players
- Do You Have Unshakeable Confidence?
- Does Confidence Waver During Matches?
- Download our a FREE Tennis Psychology Report
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