At this point, you know how to play the game of tennis. Obviously, if you have
the correct mentality when it comes to a steady and consistent progression, you are
continuing to improve in certain areas and fine-tune all aspects of the game. But
ultimately, you understand how to play the game and have likely developed some
style of play. You have areas of the game where you are strong and other areas that
need improvement. Maybe you have a dominant serve or a forehand shot that
people simply cannot return, but occasionally struggle with your backhand.
However, it is important to note that your ability as a player, your strengths, and the
areas that need improvement do not change based upon your opponent.
Try to think of the last time that you were being taught a basic tennis skill. It
is unlikely that your coach was teaching technique that would change based on the
ability of your opponent. The technique he or she was showing might be relative to
what your opponent does, but the overall technique does not change based on your
opponent’s ability. For example, you would not use the same type of shot when your
opponent is at the net versus when your opponent is playing more conservatively,
but you should not change good technique just because your opponent is good or
bad at one particular area of the game. Essentially, you should not change any aspect
of the way that you play best based on your opponent.
the correct mentality when it comes to a steady and consistent progression, you are
continuing to improve in certain areas and fine-tune all aspects of the game. But
ultimately, you understand how to play the game and have likely developed some
style of play. You have areas of the game where you are strong and other areas that
need improvement. Maybe you have a dominant serve or a forehand shot that
people simply cannot return, but occasionally struggle with your backhand.
However, it is important to note that your ability as a player, your strengths, and the
areas that need improvement do not change based upon your opponent.
Try to think of the last time that you were being taught a basic tennis skill. It
is unlikely that your coach was teaching technique that would change based on the
ability of your opponent. The technique he or she was showing might be relative to
what your opponent does, but the overall technique does not change based on your
opponent’s ability. For example, you would not use the same type of shot when your
opponent is at the net versus when your opponent is playing more conservatively,
but you should not change good technique just because your opponent is good or
bad at one particular area of the game. Essentially, you should not change any aspect
of the way that you play best based on your opponent.
It is a common mental mistake in sports to worry about the way that your
opponent plays. You should not be going into any match thinking about avoiding any
aspect of your opponent’s game. This includes his or her ability to play really
aggressively at the net, his or her ability to serve, or any other strength that your opponent may or may not have. Play YOUR match! Focus on steering the match to
your style of play and to where you feel comfortable. If you do this correctly, you
should feel confident that you could play competitively against any opponent. Focus
on playing your game.