In tennis, there is always a winner and loser. When two players compete against each other the score has to indicate who was better this time. That is why tennis players focus a lot on the score during the match and they want to increase own chances for leaving the court as a better participant.

Marcin Bieniek

There is no doubt that tennis competition puts a lot of stress on players. Ranking points, daily performance, possible financial income, others’ opinions or just own level of satisfaction are reasons why the body gets stiff and there is no comfortable state while playing the first points of the match. Some players are able to deal with the pressure and start to play better and better while others stay in this uncomfortable state for a longer time or even for the whole match. Players who have skills to deal with stress start to gradually build the lead during the match but leading in a match doesn’t guarantee winning at the net.

Many players have problems maintaining the lead. They are able to win a few gems in a row just to find themselves in an underperforming state and losing even more gems. No player wants to give opponent the win so it shouldn’t be surprising that winning doesn’t happen randomly. To build a lead and then maintain it players have to through a specific process, conscious process that gives them the opportunity to win the match. But it has to planned and executed with details.

It is really disappointing to lose the match while having many opportunities to win it. It clearly shows that some little aspects decided that the opponent was happy after the match. To avoid it in the future make sure you know exactly where the difference is and what you have to do next time to maintain the lead up to the end of the set and then of the match.

1. Be aware of the actions

Players get the lead but they are not aware of why it happened. They just play point after point and are happy when the things work out really well for them. Unfortunately, that is not the recipe to maintain the lead. To do it you have to know what gives you points and you have to continue the same actions. If playing deep balls to the opponent’s backhand gives you short balls available to attack then by knowing that you can play next points with a clear tactical mindset.

2. Don’t change things that work out

Another factor that is responsible for blowing the lead is changing the working approach. Starting to use different attacking methods or placing balls to the stronger side of the rival are examples of why players can’t maintain a positive score during the match. To get a good score to the end you have to be both conscious of your decisions as also dedicated enough to repeat good decisions over and over again.

3. Focus on one point

That’s the general psychological rule that you have probably heard many times before but it has to be emphasized again. Thinking only but one point and dedicating best physical and mental performance just to the given action will always guarantee the most optimal results. If your thoughts go to the past winner or are related to the feelings after the match it is possible that you will start losing advantage. Your mental skills are crucial to win matches so make sure you work on them as hard as you do with your physical abilities.

5. Don’t hurry up

We all want to win as fast as possible. Sometimes the match lasts 45 minutes while other times it is prolonged up to 3-4 hours. However to increase our own chances for maintaining the lead and winning more competitions we have to consciously take time between the points and gems. It is a natural process for many athletes to try to play points as quickly as possible while having a lead but that is a trap that can put a player into big trouble. It is always better to take time, analyze the previous point, consciously prepare plan for the next one and start the next point after 20 seconds. This process guarantees optimal preparation and allows us to maintain the lead even while playing against good opponents.

A tennis match is not limited by time so the player has to win a given number of sets to finish the rivalry. Having a lead is the first step to positively finish the match but after reaching this point it is important to be able to maintain this lead for as long as possible. Players have to be aware of the details that have an impact on the performance and train them before the tournament to make sure that under the pressure their automatic habits are beneficial for them.

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