2017 General Tennis News

We wish @andy_murray a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the court very soon. pic.twitter.com/5QDX47LQvm

— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) 18 maart 2017

avasbar wrote:

The galley continues for the world number two. Novak Djokovic could be forfeited for the Miami Masters 1000 due to a right elbow injury ....

In California, the Serb had to accept to play anti-inflammatory most of the time, he who hates it, due to strong pains at the elbow. The doctors on the spot assured him that he could continue but, suffering too much, the world No. 2 flew Friday night to Monaco to consult his doctor ...

This right arm was also a problem since the last US Open ...

Bonjour à tous, je suis déçu de vous annoncer mon retrait du tournoi de Miami mais j'ai dû rentrer pour la bonne cause... #babycomingsoon

— Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (@tsonga7) March 17, 2017

avasbar wrote:If its learned behaviour it follows that he isnt inherently a bad guy at all and hence popularity is not so surprising.  If its learned, he should be cut some slack- by which I mean understanding and compassion- instead of solely criticism. I think he really needs a mentor as much as a coach to guide him to bringing out his best side and unlearning that behaviour and his best tennis will follow.   I think thats what he means by 'cares about him'.  I think he's a softy inside. I like him despite his 'behaviour'  because I see a confused kid who maybe really doesn't know the rules, or was taught to play life ugly and the confusion makes him immature. I think he's spot on with what he needs now though- the psychiatrist may have helped him a lot there.  

How do you handle a match point well ?


By Florian Cadu
WeAreTennis.com


Just like Pablo Cuevas, who missed two match points before losing against Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter final of the BNP Paribas Indian Wells Open, many tennis players seem to be having trouble keeping their nerves during this tensed moment. Why ? And how can you improve in this very specific area of the game ?


It’s very often the same old story. While we’re getting close to what should be the end of the match, in the last or one of the last points, the last set, a little bit of stress comes in to replace the appetite for effort, in the mind of the player who’s about to end the match. The arm is shaking, the legs are trembling, the heart rate goes up and the brain is thinking way too much. As a result : the shot is forced and the yellow ball doesn’t land where it should. Here you go, one more match point has been missed, and has joined the graveyard of wrongly approached points. Because the fear of concluding is a form of sickness which affects an awful lot of tennis players, whether they are professionals or amateurs, old or young, talented or not.


« Thoughts alternate between the past, the present and the future »

« The difficulty of sport, is ending the point. Ending the game. Ending the set. Ending the match. In any case, it’ s ending something, says Gilbert Sochet, a tennis coach who also has a diploma in sports psychology and mental preparation. Emotions don’t show up at the beginning of a match, but when the result is close. That’s when the mental aspect becomes super important. » Ok, but why ? If it appears to be logical, why do the muscles answer less precisely when the objective is getting closer ? Why is the stress taking over when the harder part has been done ? Simply because it’s the moment chosen by parasite thoughts to trouble the champion’s brain. « Thoughts alternate between the past, the present and the future. Naturally, a player who’s got a match point will project himself in the future. However, when he does that, he’s already lost. The same goes if he remains in the past after having missed his match point, analyses Gilbert Sochet. Mentally, the best tennis players are the ones who are able to chase away their thoughts involving the past and the future. »

Sébastien Tholozan, a French federal physical coach with a diploma in positive psychology, who also had to deal with negative pressure when it came to handling match points along his career, confirms : « That point is different than others because it’s very difficult to remain focused on the present moment. The trick is not to focus on the result of your action, but on the action itself, and detach yourself from the stakes, to remain focused on the game. » Focusing on the point itself without thinking about any positive consequences (a win, a trophy to lift) or negative consequences to protect yourself from the fear. Rafael Nadal, for instance, has already explained that the biggest obstacle in his career was to be able to remain in that present moment without projecting himself towards the victory, or on the contrary, to forget the frustration linked with a lost point.


Understand that you have the right to lose

Therefore, how do you deal with this issue ? The first thing to do is to remain clear-headed, in order to identify the enemy, before fighting it. In other words, admitting your fear. « Being conscious of that is essential, and it’s not easy. Some players refuse to admit their troubles », says Sébastien Tholozan, while his colleague has noted that things are tending to evolve : « Having discussions about this has become very common. And it’s relatively new. Fifteen years ago, it was almost a taboo, you weren’t allowed to feel fear. » When everything is said out loud, the work can start. The goal is to be the master of your emotions when the match point comes. And try to play it like any other point, if possible. In order to do that, understanding that you have the right to lose this point is essential. Knowing that the result depends as much on us than on the opponent, who can very well strike you with an amazing return, or an outstanding serve.

Only then, it’s up to each and everyone of us to learn a personal trick to remain focused and avoid falling apart mentally when the match point comes. With a single aim : keeping your calm and your nerves. « The notion of calmness is closely associated with the notion of performance, which barely exists when it’s associated with anger, anxiety or any other emotion which can be linked to the result. However, calmness has been mentioned by all the great champions and plays a vital role », says Sébastien. Different methods have been mentioned by the two specialists, to try to detach yourself from the final result : breathing, hitting an early ball, focusing on your grip…Players who are often disturbed by these tensed moments can also learn from other profiles. Such as…children, or players from the new generation, according to Gilbert : « Adults have a lot of trouble not overthinking after a match point. There is a lot of post-match work to do with them. While children cry for one hour and forget very quickly. As for Nick Kyrgios, Borna Coric, or Dominic Thiem…do you see how emotionally detached they look ? It looks like they are boosted by match points. Because they understand that tennis is just a game. » And that a match point can even be enjoyable.

Cromar wrote:

Interesting read!

I won't be impressed with technology until I can download food.

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) April 9, 2017

Wi-Fi went down for five minutes, so I had to talk to my family. They seem like nice people.

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) April 6, 2017

avasbar wrote:Hey wcr
I hope you didnt spend 3+1/4 hours learning how to post tweets