Why Pro Tennis Players do Mental Training Mirra Andreeva

Why should I work with a Mental Game Coach?

By now, every tennis player knows that mental factors impact sport performance.

You have probably experienced times when your emotions got the best of you in a tennis tournament and knocked you off your game.

Or moments when you lost your focus and made several unforced errors in a row.

Or struggled with your confidence throughout a season and saw your ranking drop significantly.

Most players know that mental skills are important and that they could improve their performance if they had more confidence, better focus, and controlled their anger and frustration.

However, five things often hold tennis players back from committing to mental training:

  • Some players don’t realize that their mental game impacts everything they do in practice and matches.
  • Some players believe mental toughness is a part of an athlete’s genes and, therefore, not trainable.
  • Some players feel they don’t have any extra time or don’t want to invest time into mental training.
  • Some players say they tried mental training a few times but it didn’t work.
  • Some players don’t know where to go for mental training.

Let’s break down each of these points.

  1. Since your mind and body act in unison, there is a mental component for every action you take in practice and competition. In addition, your mind and body have a reciprocal relationship. In other words, your mind impacts your physiology and performance, and your body and performance affect your mind.
  2. Mental toughness is a skill; all skills, such as your serve or backhand, can be learned.
  3. Not having a lot of time is valid. Most players have tight schedules, but 15-30 minutes per day of mental training will significantly impact your game.
  4. Technical and mental skills require time and repetition to master. If you want a strong mental game, you must commit long-term to mental training.
  5. Mental game coaches and mental training are accessible to all players.


At the quarterfinals of the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva bounced back from 3-1 to eventually upset world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, 6-3, 6-3.

Andreeva continued to win the tournament, becoming the youngest player to claim a WTA 1000 title.

After her quarterfinal match, Andreeva revealed that she added a new weapon to her arsenal…mental training. Andreeva has been working with a sports psychologist, which helped her move from just outside the Top 40 to a World No. 11 ranking.

ANDREEVA: “We started not a long time ago. I feel like it’s been helping me a lot. I have some new tips. I have some new advice, in a way, how to work with my anger inside, what to do when I don’t feel great, how to maintain my level when I feel great, and how to keep being me.”

Mental training is not just for struggling players but anyone who wants to reach their full potential on the court.

Just as you dedicate time to perfecting your serve or improving your footwork, developing a strong mental game is essential for consistent peak performance.

Working on your mental game gives you the tools to handle pressure, maintain focus, and build confidence, giving you the edge needed to compete at your highest level.

If you truly want to maximize your abilities, mental training is the answer.

Schedule 15-30 minutes for mental training each day. Add it to the calendar on your phone with an alert. This will help remind you to take the necessary steps to work on your mental game.

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Improve Your Mental Game for Tennis

Tennis Confidence 2.0

Tennis Confidence 2.0

This “Tennis Confidence: Mental Game Strategies for Tournament Players” is Dr. Cohn’s program to help tennis players, coaches, and instructors improve the mental game of tennis is just 8 easy to learn sessions. Tennis Confidence: Mental Game Strategies for Tournament Players Audio and Workbook program is ideal for any junior, collegiate, and tour professional player. Tennis coaches and instructors would also be wise to teach the strategies “Tennis Confidence.”

Tennis Confidence is a complete mental training program developed Dr. Cohn. You learn the same strategies Dr. Cohn teaches his personal students to help them improve mental toughness and consistency – from managing unrealistic expectations to coping with perfectionism.

Read more about Tennis Confidence Program>>

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