The battle has finished. The two warriors meet at the middle to shake hands. Now, all that is left to do is to evaluate the match. Win or lose. Learn how to handle the outcome.
The Test of a Good Player
Ask yourself the following questions to measure your progress toward becoming a great tennis player.
- Covering the Court
- Hit the ball
- Control my shots
- Setting up the points
- Control my nerves
- Learn from my mistakes
- Intimidate my opponents
- Pressure my opponent
- Enjoy the battle
- Handle the outcome
Handle the Outcome
Handling the outcome of a tennis match can be divided into 3 time periods: the conclusion, the aftermath and the period of the match when the outcome is being determined.
No matter how close and hard fought the match, the winner and the loser should be gracious at the end. When the match is over we return to real life and have to live with each other.
So encourage the loser and congratulate the winner. After losing a match, don’t beat yourself up. Try to figure out why you lost. Did you blow a lead by changing your game? Were you tired? Does one or more of your strokes need improvement? You will learn more from losing than from winning.
During the match, if you are struggling and getting frustrated, try not to show it. Frustration feeds on itself. Try to relax and tell yourself that the more balls you hit the better you will play. As we have learned in the previous post, remember to smile instead of cursing. Shouting, cursing and throwing your racquet only ruins it for everyone including yourself so remember that tennis is after all a game. Most importantly, have fun, relax and enjoy every minute on the court.
And Smile 🙂