Mastering extreme pressure situations and set deficits: The US Open show how important mental freshness and focus are in tennis.
Every tennis player knows this moment: You are leading comfortably, victory is within reach – and suddenly you lose your thread. In amateur sport, the mental component is often underestimated, but the pros at the US Open regularly show us that a match is only over with the final point. Whether extreme comebacks or dealing with physical exhaustion: On the biggest stage in tennis, almost everything is decided in the head.
How quickly a match that seemed safe can turn around was something Taylor Fritz had to experience painfully. According to reports from Tennis Majors and Tennis365, the American was already leading by two sets and a break in the third set against Francisco Cerundolo. But Cerundolo did not give up, raised his level and fought his way back. The absolute turning point followed in the fifth set: Fritz had a 0:40 on the Argentine's serve at 4:3 – three break points that felt almost like match points. Cerundolo showed extreme nerve, fended off all three chances with brave, active tennis, took the game and shortly afterwards the match.
Such mental turning points are not isolated cases. Qinwen Zheng also showed unbending will in her third-round match against Madison Keys. In the deciding third set, she turned around a seemingly hopeless 0:5 deficit and advanced to the round of 16 with a 1:6, 7:6 and 7:5. These examples show: If you lull yourself into safety too early or give up when behind, you lose.
Mental strength is closely linked to physical condition. If you are overplayed, you lose concentration in the decisive moments. Flavio Cobolli, who had to play tough marathon matches in his first rounds, looked increasingly powerless as the match progressed in his defeat against 21-year-old Alexander Blockx. Cobolli later explained in the press conference that his energy was lower that day and he felt tired and tense.
The discussions around Carlos Alcaraz also highlight the problem. Former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski analysed, according to Tennis365, that Alcaraz's injury-related break was due to "overplaying" through too many exhibition matches. If you do not take breaks, you risk injuries and mental burnout. Even top pros have to learn to skip tournaments to stay fresh.
For your next match on clay or hard court, you can draw important lessons from the observations of the pros:
Your takeaway: A match is only over when the last ball is played – stay active when leading and never give up when behind.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.