How pros like Elena Rybakina and Jannik Sinner master maximum pressure with smart breaks and mental strength – and what that means for your training.
Keeping your nerve under maximum pressure while protecting your body from wear and tear is one of the greatest challenges in sport. The US Open 2026 impressively showed that athletic success at the highest level is not a product of chance, but the result of smart load management and mental resilience. Whether in professional or recreational sports: if you want to remain injury-free in the long term and deliver your best performance in the decisive moments, you must learn to listen to your body's signals.
The newly crowned US Open champion Elena Rybakina made it clear after her triumph in New York that her top priority is not achieving the career Grand Slam, but her health. At 27, she feels that some physical problems no longer disappear completely. According to reports from Tennis Majors, she took a complete break from tennis before the tournament after retiring due to injury in Cincinnati, in order to dedicate herself intensively to recovery and gym training. This conscious time-out paid off.
World number one Jannik Sinner also had to withdraw from the entire North American hard-court season, including the US Open, due to inflammation in his right knee. As reported by Sky Sports, his team decided against a rushed start to ensure a full recovery. Support for this approach comes from a prominent source: ex-pro Juan Martín del Potro, whose own career was derailed by serious injuries, praised this caution. According to del Potro, players must listen to their bodies and take breaks in good time to avoid long-term damage.
Alongside physical fitness, mental strength decides victory or defeat. In the final of the US Open, it became clear how differently pros deal with extreme pressure. Rybakina openly admitted that in the deciding set, nerves took control and she struggled with double faults and aces. Nevertheless, a clear match plan, which she consistently followed, helped her.
Her final opponent Aryna Sabalenka made it clear after the lost final how important it is not to let disappointment and aggression build up in the body. She smashed her racket immediately after the match and explained, according to Tennis Majors, that she had to let these emotions out in order to be able to speak again at all. Alexander Zverev, who has stabilised himself after years of self-doubt through his French Open victory, also uses fixed routines – such as bouncing the ball frequently before serving – to channel his concentration and control his nervousness.
The lessons of the pros can be perfectly transferred to recreational sports. If you want to enjoy sport in the long term and improve, you should keep the following points in mind:
Should you experience persistent physical discomfort or pain, it is advisable to have this professionally clarified before your next intense training session.
Your takeaway: Consistently listen to your body's signals and use fixed routines to keep your calm in stressful game situations.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.