Recreational tennis puts no pressure on players, but as soon as rivalry enters the game, mental aspects play a crucial role in competition. Coach Marcin Bieniek explains whether tennis is more mental or physical.
Professional tennis is both mental and physical
In professional tennis, a match can last for hours, so it looks like the most important skills have to be developed in the gym and on the track. On the other hand, we can see Iga Swiatek dominating all the players in 2022 and Novak Djokovic playing his best tennis during the crucial points of the match, so we start to put priority on mental toughness.
Playing tennis successfully requires different skills depending on the level of play, opponent’s game style and weather conditions. It is not possible to say that a specific skill is more important than the other one in tennis. There are so many different situations that happen on the court and players have to adapt and find solutions to get advantage over their rivals.
Importance of physical skills in tennis
Working on your body should be your daily routine as a tennis player. In order to train and compete, you have to react to the ball, run, decelerate, stop, and hit the ball using proper kinetic chain movement. All this puts pressure on your body just for one stroke and you will have hundreds of these repetitions on court.
Afterwards, you will have to recover your body. The better your physical preparation is, the faster your body will restore energy and get rid of side effects of intensive workouts.
Moreover, don’t forget injury prevention. Running, stretching and working out in the gym are all proven methods of keeping your body in good shape and decreasing the chance of having forced breaks because of minor or major injuries. That is why it is of utmost importance to have regular fitness sessions that will be a part of your weekly schedule to make sure that your strokes are not the only skills you consistently improve.
Reasons tennis is a mental game
Tennis is a really specific sport where all the pressure is on a single player. Additionally, tennis matches are not time-restricted, so you have to be ready to keep your focus on for a prolonged time. Adding the fact that one or two balls can decide the final result of a match, being able to deal with emotions and control the stress level are necessary skills that players have to develop to win crucial points.
It is of utmost importance to set goals and regularly work on mental aspects related to requirements of specific situations that occur during every match. If you want to make sure that you are ready to face challenges effectively, you have to do a specific number of repetitions to be able to automatically react with the best possible solution. There are various ways of working on your mental skills, but thinking that just playing tennis will get you mentally strong is a false thinking.
You have to work on your mental game in training. If you don’t consciously focus on it, you will just miss opportunities and your mental state will be the same all the time.
The synergy of mind and body
The only recipe for big results in tennis is to constantly work on both mind and body. You need a holistic approach to your schedule to guarantee complete athletic preparation.
If your body is weak, you will know it and you will definitely not have high self-confidence. On the other hand, if you know that you collapse mentally when the score gets tight, even the best endurance won’t help you win matches against solid rivals.
To learn more from coach Marcin Bieniek, join his on-demand video training program and get a 30% discount with the code WTBPROMO. Also, visit our Tennis Tips page to learn how to improve specific shots and skills, handle pressure, adapt your game to all surfaces and weather conditions, and much more.
Playing tennis is often thought to be a physical sport, but the mental side of the game cannot be overlooked. Just as much as it requires agility and strength, playing tennis also requires skillful decision-making and focus. To gain insight into this topic, we spoke with a veteran coach who has been playing and coaching tennis for over 25 years. We asked her to explain which she views as being more important in the game of tennis – the mental or physical aspects?
yes after winning WTA CHAMPS she is now struggling in every match.