• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tennis Tribe Logo

Tennis Tribe

Tennis Racquet & Gear Reviews, Doubles Lessons & News

  • Best Racquets
    • Best Racquets Overall
    • By Skill Level
      • Beginner Racquets
      • Intermediate Racquets
      • Advanced Racquets
    • By Type
      • Racquets for Power
      • Racquets for Control
      • Racquets for Spin
    • By Brand
      • Wilson Racquets
      • Babolat Racquets
      • Yonex Racquets
      • Head Racquets
      • Prince Racquets
    • How To Choose A Racquet
  • Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Skirts
      • Dresses
      • Women’s Shorts
      • Socks
      • Men’s Shorts
    • On-Court Gear
      • Shoes
      • Bags
      • Sunglasses
      • Elbow Braces
    • Equipment
      • Ball Machines
      • Training Aids
      • Strings
      • Ball Hoppers
      • Overgrips
      • Tennis Balls
    • Tennis Fans
      • Best Books
      • Best Gifts
      • Best Podcasts
  • Podcast
  • Doubles Strategy
    • Courses & Ebooks
    • Newsletter
    • Free Lessons
  • Pro Tour
    • Pro Tournaments
    • Pro Doubles News
    • Doubles Scouting & Strategy Analysis
  • About
    • Will Boucek
    • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

The Mental Toughness Checklist: How to NOT Lose Focus in a Tennis Match

Will Boucek · August 15, 2023

How does Nadal continue to fight so hard on the court?

Why does it seem like there’s almost never a dip in missed returns from Djokovic?

When you’re playing a tennis match why can’t you keep the same level of focus?

There always seems to be that one game where you have a few loose points and maybe a double fault, then all of a sudden, you’ve lost your serve.

Why does this happen?! And what can we do to stop it?

Mental Toughness Checklist for Tennis Players

Quick Navigation
  1. How to Maintain Focus Throughout a Tennis Match
  2. The 3 Step Focus Checklist
    1. #1 – Tell your partner exactly what you’re going to do on the next point.
    2. #2 – Visualize the point like Steve Nash.
    3. #3 – Exaggerate your foot movement.

How to Maintain Focus Throughout a Tennis Match

Tennis isn’t just a mental game, it’s a game heavily influenced by sustained concentration”

Jeff Sackmann in his post Rethinking the Mental Game

Tennis is about mental toughness, but really what that means, is the ability to stay focused throughout a match.

You don’t double fault because you’re not “mentally tough,” it’s because you lose focus. Same thing when you miss a few forehands in a row. You’re playing looser or tighter than you should be for whatever reason.


The 3 Step Focus Checklist

Below is my checklist you can use to stay focused during matches. Anytime you feel a slip in focus, a dip in your level of play, or you have a BIG point coming, do these 3 things.

#1 – Tell your partner exactly what you’re going to do on the next point.

Telling them where you’re going to serve, for example, will help you focus on hitting that specific spot, instead of just “getting it in.”

And don’t just signal to your partner, take them back to the baseline and tell them!

Then tell them if you’re going to come into the net after. Be as detailed as possible in your language. This will force you to focus on the details of the point, and it will help with #2.

Pro Tip: If your partner is the one losing focus, go to the back of the court and ask them specifically what they’re going to do on the next point.

If you’re a singles player, you can tell yourself what you’re going to do, then visualize it.

Win matches easier & improve faster with better, smarter tactics.

Learn Doubles from a Top 10 ATP & WTA Strategy Analyst

LEARN More

#2 – Visualize the point like Steve Nash.

Steve Nash is one of the best free throw shooters in basketball history.

How was he so good?

Well, one technique he used was visualization. Before every single free throw, he would visualize the entire free throw including the ball going through the hoop.

We can do this in tennis.

After telling your partner what you’re going to do, visualize it.

Use your mind’s eye to see yourself hitting the serve into the body and running to the net for a volley afterward.

This is very effective and top pro athletes use this in every sport.

#3 – Exaggerate your foot movement.

Often when you lose focus, the problem is that you get lazy and out of position on your shots or you get tight and stop moving altogether.

Exaggerating your footwork will help you fix this.

Focus on taking a lot of small steps as you prepare for your shot. Don’t worry as much about the swing – you already know how to swing the racquet. Just make sure you get in the right position.

A common mistake club level tennis players make is thinking that there’s something wrong with their swing when they’re playing poorly. Usually, it’s a footwork and positioning problem.

Plus, it’s not advised to change your swing technique during a match. That should be done on the practice court.

Write these steps down. You can look at it on changeovers in your league and tournament matches to remind yourself how to stay focused.

This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Read part 2 here.

About Will Boucek

Will Boucek is the Founder & CEO of Tennis Tribe. With over two decades of experience playing & coaching tennis, Will now works as a doubles strategy analyst for ATP & WTA tour players and coaches. Will helps tennis players at every level play better doubles through smarter strategy. He also has expertise in tennis racquets & gear, testing the latest products from Wilson, Babolat, Head, Prince, and other tennis brands.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Luís Lemos says

    September 22, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    Thank you! GREAT.

    Reply
    • Will Boucek says

      February 15, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      Thanks Luis!

      Reply
  2. Cindy Conley says

    May 8, 2023 at 11:37 am

    Thank you!
    That is great advice!

    Reply
    • Will Boucek says

      May 8, 2023 at 12:13 pm

      Thanks Cindy! I hope it helps in your next match 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Will Boucek

Will is an ATP & WTA doubles strategy analyst. He helps doubles players at every level of tennis improve their game using smarter strategy & tactics. He has worked with players at the USTA 3.0 level, all the way up to Wimbledon and the US Open.

"I think most club-level players focus too much on technique and not enough on strategy. You probably don't have 10 hours per week to improve your serve... but you can improve your court position, movement, and shot selection immediately!"
- Will Boucek, Tennis Tribe Founder

The Best Tennis Gifts for the Holidays

Some of the best gifts for tennis players

Shop 40+ of the Best Tennis Gifts for Her, Him, & Junior Players!

Best Tennis Gifts

25 Winning Doubles Tactics

Teaching doubles strategy

This course has over 50 video doubles lessons with 60+ doubles points analyzed, guaranteed to help you play smarter & win more matches.


Learn More >>>

Review Tennis Gear. Learn Doubles Strategy. Follow The Pro Tour.

  • Tennis Racquet Reviews
  • Reviews of Tennis Apparel, Gear, & More
  • Doubles Lessons
  • Doubles Strategy Products
  • Pro Doubles News

Doubles Only Tennis Podcast logo

Become a smarter doubles player with expert tips & strategy. Learn from ATP & WTA Coaches and Players.

Listen Here


Most Popular Lessons

  • Doubles Strategy: A Complete Guide
  • How To Be A Good Doubles Partner (& What To NOT Say!)
  • 7 Tips For Poaching In Doubles
  • The 3 Step Volley Checklist [Volleys Made Simple]

Follow Tennis Tribe

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

FREE 20-page guide - Learn 3 doubles tactics to force errors and get more easy volleys! Download

Tennis Tribe

Copyright © 2023 | The Tennis Tribe

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy