APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2020 , Vol . 6
The following is a short list of some of the skills youngsters gain on the tennis court and can benefit from in all spheres of life . They learn how to :
• behave appropriately when meeting other players , parents , coaches and officials
• control their emotions and behaviour when the anxiety of a big match or moment sets in or when they encounter bad behaviour from others
• make fair and honest line calls under pressure
• negotiate towards a fair outcome when there is a dispute
• think clearly on their feet
• assess behaviour and body language of other players
• compete with a 100 % effort even though winning is not guaranteed
• develop teamwork and communicate with a doubles partner
• build self-belief to deliver confident future performances in a range of circumstances .
My journey towards self-belief My competitive tennis journey included a battle against the fear of losing or letting a lead slip following early successes as a 10 year old . Following a very disappointing loss when I squandered countless match points ( 17 in total ) as a 16 year old , I realised I had to change my thought patterns , habits and mindset . I read the Inner Game of Tennis ( Gallwey , 1974 ) and started altering my mental approach .
• I improved my focus ( present moment awareness , breathing and relaxation exercises ) with emphasis on strategy and playing the very next point .
• I forgot mistakes immediately unless a lesson was to be learnt .
• I reframed my self-talk to positive .
• I vividly visualised optimistic performances .
I worked hard on this new approach to my game . In an amazing reverse of fortunes , I won the South African Junior Grass Court Championships two weeks later . The prize was an air ticket to London , Junior Wimbledon and a realisation that I could be a professional tennis player .
During my early years on the ATP Tour I had to convince myself ( with focused effort and visualisation techniques ) that I had the ability to beat any opponent . Six years later in the third set tie-breaker at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow , I was very focused on my strategy and the very next point . I hit a winning forehand , I pumped my fist and said “ come on , next point ” to my partner . He ran and jumped into my arms , shouting “ we ’ ve won !” I was so engrossed in my strategy and the moment that I did not realise it was championship point ! This transformation taught me the valuable lesson of what you can achieve when you develop your self-awareness , focus and mindset . It also gave me the self-belief to eventually beat players like Goran Ivanisevic , Andy Roddick and even Roger Federer on a given day .
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