The fast, erratic, net-rushing tennis-player is a creature of impulse. There is no real strategy to his/her game, no comprehension of your game-plan. He will make brilliant rallies on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, no consistent thinking. It is an fascinating sort of character.
The really dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her style from back to fore court under the command of an ever-alert mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite intention. A player who has an answer to every problem you present him in your game. He is the most subtle opponent in the world of tennis. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of dogged determination that sets his/her mind on one plan and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the end, with never a thought of change.
This is the player whose psychology is fairly easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is difficult to derail, because he never permits himself to think about anything but the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.
Pick out your type from your own mental processes, and then work out your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are on the same level concerning stroke, strength and equipment, the deciding factor in any game is the mental standpoint. Luck, as it is called, is often no more than seizing the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own advantage. People talk a lot about the “shots we have made.” But few people understand the importance of the “shots we have missed.”
The science of missing shots is just as vital as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Let me explain. A player forces you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and getting there, drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and put off his stride, understanding that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again and he will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may fall into error. You have thus stolen some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error: all this by a miss.
However, if you had just tapped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt even more confident of your inability to put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would only have been winded to no avail.
Let’s just say that you had succeeded with that shot down the sideline. It was an apparently impossible achievement. First it amounts to TWO points, in that it stole one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one that you should never have had. Second it also upsets your opponent, as he feels that he has thrown away a big opportunity.
The psychology of a tennis match is fascinating, but readily understandable. Both men begin with equal chances. Once one player establishes a real lead, his/her confidence goes up, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental viewpoint becomes weaker. The sole aim of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thus maintaining his/her confidence.
If the second player draws even or pulls ahead, the inevitable reaction is an even more drastic contrast in psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader, but boosted by the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The situation of the other player is the reverse. He is likely to lose confidence and play worse. The collapse of his game plan soon follows.
If you are into the psychology of tennis, you should go to our website entitled Tennis Tips for Beginners Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service