Mindful Tennis Part 2: How Professional Tennis Players Improve THEIR TENNIS GAME BY IMPRoVING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
In part one, we discussed 3 tips to strengthen your mental game. In this part two of our mindful tennis series, we highlight what professional tennis players are doing on and off the court to increase their success by improving their mental health and practicing mindfulness.
It takes more than skill and talent to compete in tennis
As a tennis player, just with any sport, you will have success on court with your unique talent and skills, but this is not enough to win and compete at the highest levels. In order to perform under pressure you also need some mental tools like court awareness, focus, determination, grit, “tennis IQ” and the list goes on. All of these mental tools do not involve your physicality or tennis skills.
So how do professional tennis players handle competing under pressure?
Mental Coaches / Sports Psychologists: Tennis players often travel with their coach, hitting partner and physiotherapist to tennis tournaments. In recent times, more tennis players are adding sports psychologist and other mental health professionals to their coaching teams. Top tennis players Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek travel with a mental health coach. The addition of these mental health coaches and sports psychologists definitely correlate with improved results with these players going deeper in tournaments and winning titles.
As a recreational tennis player, it may not be economical to hire a mental health professional specifically for sports, but here are some of my favorite resources to strengthen your mental game:
My must-read favorite tennis books: These books have helped me immensely in about how I think about the game of tennis and how to better improve my mind and body connection
Open by Andre Agassi - It’s an autobiography of his life and tennis career, which should be made into a movie in my opinion! A very entertaining and engaging story that will open your eyes to all the highs and lows of a professional tennis player’s journey. I really enjoyed the audio version with Andre Agassi narrating.
Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey - a sort of philosophical book that explains the tension between your conscious and unconscious minds, and how this conflict relates to performance, specifically through the lens of tennis. Even non-tennis professional athletes have cited the Inner Game of Tennis as helping them achieve success in their sport.
Plan B Tennis by Dr. Allen Fox - I have watched a few of his videos and I really enjoy his mental strategies on approaching the game of tennis. My favorite is this one on “Plan B Tennis,” check it out here.
Meditation and Manifestation: In recent times, I have noticed tennis players like Bianca Andreescu, Azarenka and others talk openly about how mediation and manifestation has helped them improve on court. Being able to calm your mind and focus on the present is such an amazing way to reach an inner peace that allows you to perform in stressful situations on and off the court.
Aromatherapy: Through the ages, civilizations have harnessed the potent properties of plant extracts to enhance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. During matches, I have noticed more tennis players pull from their tennis bags jars of things that smell good and help them relax. Try packing some essential oils in your tennis bag, from calming lavender and uplifting citrus to soothing chamomile and invigorating peppermint, these precious elixirs offer remedies for a multitude of ailments and provide a holistic approach to healing and relaxation.