Whether Grand Slam or Davis Cup: on the court, it is often the mind that decides. How top players handle extreme stress and how you can use this mental strength for your game.
Anyone standing on the tennis court is rarely fighting only against the opponent on the other side of the net. The biggest opponent is often your own head. When an important serve fails or a set that seemed safe is still lost, the game collapses for many recreational players. But how do the pros manage to keep their nerves under extreme pressure – whether in front of thousands of spectators in the Davis Cup or in the final of a Grand Slam? A look at current tournaments and the statements of top players shows that mental strength is not a question of talent, but of the right attitude towards stress.
To the outside world, the stars of the scene often seem like machines. But appearances are deceptive. Alexander Zverev openly admitted during the Davis Cup in Halle/Westfalen that the role of favourite put extreme pressure on him during his triumph in Paris. According to a report by Tennis Magazin, he confessed in retrospect: "I lied to you in Paris. The role of favourite stressed me out incredibly." Only over time did he learn to deal with this pressure more calmly. During his later success at the US Open, he felt a completely different level of serenity and was just happy to be on the court. This acceptance of the situation helped him to play his best tennis even in tight phases.
How differently players react to stress is evident on the WTA Tour. Star coach Patrick Mouratoglou analysed the behaviour of Aryna Sabalenka on his YouTube channel. While legends like John McEnroe used to play even better through anger on the court, anger blocks Sabalenka in tight match phases. Mouratoglou emphasises that she must learn to control her emotions better, otherwise she loses her tennis. In contrast is the "ice tactic" of players like Elena Rybakina, who always maintain control. For amateur players, this means: in the vast majority of cases, outbursts of anger and frustration block the flow of play. If you get angry, you lose precision.
The pros at the Davis Cup proved that losing a set is far from the end of the match. Felix Auger-Aliassime turned the match around for Canada against Arthur Rinderknech after losing the first set and trailing in the tie-break of the second set. The Czech Jakub Mensik also managed a turnaround after a disappointing phase and a set deficit against US Open finalist Ben Shelton. Such comebacks only succeed if you immediately put the lost set behind you and focus on the next point. If your thoughts are still on the missed break point of the last game, you have already lost the next rally.
You don't have to be a Grand Slam winner to become mentally stronger. With a few simple tricks, you can stabilise your performance:
Your takeaway: Accept pressure as part of the game and write off mistakes immediately – if you get angry, you lose concentration on the next point.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.