Marcin Bieniek

At the first glance tennis looks like a fairy tale. It is an intense physical exercise that puts 2 players across the net and let them use various shots to get advantage and win the match. However when we take a deeper look at this beautiful sport we can start discovering that the journey with racket and ball consists of many ups and downs. Players who respect the wins and go through the loses are the ones who achieve high results in the long-term period.

All players love to win. After defeating the opponent we don’t only advance in tournament and build up the rank. What is more important is the aspect related to our feelings. Winners feel better. Winners feel more confident. Winners are happier. Winners have motivation to continue the work and put even more effort into daily activities. That is great but the reality of tennis is brutal. Only one player doesn’t lose the match during the tournament so it means that the rest of participants have to face the failure. And with the failure come negative feelings.

Lost match. It can happen because player underperformed. It can happen because player didn’t play well the deciding points. It can happen because player struggled physically. It can happen because opponent was just too good. There are different reasons why players lose matches but not winning few times in a row can have negative influence on player’s mind. Especially on motivational aspect.

We all know how important motivation is in tennis. Every day we have to perform specific tasks to become better athletes. It starts with technical abilities, goes through physical and mental work, and ends up with recovery and nutrition. Consistently taking care of all these details guarantees improvement but at the same time it takes a lot of effort. And we are talking both about the physical and mental efforts. To get up early, exercise with tired muscles and maintain high level of focus motivation is irreplaceable.

It is not something negative when player loses motivation. However it should be a signal to take proper steps to change this state and come back to fighting for own dreams every day. To effectively deal with lack of motivation:

1. Have the reason

We are just human beings. Even the best athletes sometimes lose motivation to work as hard as they were working before. However if you want to get this fire again you need to have a reason. Ask yourself: Why am I doing that? Answer to this question can simply put you back on track and let you start necessary activity.

2. Set new goals

If we do the same things over and over again we can get into the routine. Our thinking and moving will be performed automatically without conscious process. That is why after some time player can start to lose motivation and passion to the things that he has loved before. Setting new goals is always a motivational tool to start feeling back the adrenaline. If you have a challenge and you are ambitious you won’t waste any time because it won’t allow you to get better.

3. Find inspiration

Inspiration is the best method to get motivated. We can get inspiration from different sources. If you love reading books you can reach for autobiographies of tennis champions or get inspiration from other sport’s icons. If your evening has to include watching the movie you can also find many interesting titles which will make you do some push ups right after you finish the movie. Can’t imagine the day without Instagram? Make sure you follow top tennis stars and get motivation from their daily activities.

4. Do something for yourself

Even when we love something we can get tired mentally by doing that day in and day out. We all need some time off the court so it is a good choice to do something with pleasure. Going to the cinema, meeting with friend in the favorite restaurant or buying yourself something that you always wanted to have are simple steps to get your mood up, recharge your mental battery and take your motivation back to the level you need.

Pleasure. Everything is easier when behind any activity there is a pleasure. For tennis players it is even more important because they have to do a lot of things every day to progress with own level. If you ever lose motivation to run extra miles or to go the court and serve from the basket make sure you read this article again to get some energy and start doing the things that will make you better.

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