Roger Federer and Andy Murray started the final of the Australian Open 2010 in a very controlled manner. There was of course a lot on stake for both players.

Roger Federer volleys at the Australian Open 2010 (Photo by PAUL CROCK/AFP/Getty Images)

Andy Murray was looking for his first Grand Slam title while Roger was looking to extend his record of Grand Slams to 16 and slowly but surely create a record that most likely won’t be broken for many years to come.

Here’s what happened in the match…

First set

Andy’s tactics was immediately obvious – play to Roger’s backhand over and over again and hope that Roger becomes frustrated with his inability to finish the point and get out of backhand-to-backhand exchanges. (more…)

Kim Clijsters has had a good run at the Australian Open 2010 until her third match with Nadya Petrova when she unexpectedly lost 6:0, 6:1.

Many players can start to doubt their abilities and lose confidence and don’t know how to approach such a match with the correct mindset. But that’s the wrong way of thinking and it can start a downward spiral of confidence.

Kim Clijsters not playing well at Australian Open 2010 (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Here’s what Kim said about the match:

Q. Is it hurting you more the fact that you lost the game or the fact that you lost the game 6‑0, 6‑1?

I think I haven’t changed anything in my whole preparations before every match. Everything was the same, same routine, then something like this happens. That’s probably the most frustrating thing about it, is not knowing. That’s sports. You know, it can happen.

There are two important things Kim mentions: (more…)

One of the main reasons why you lose games and eventually matches is because you don’t give 100% of effort all the time.

You may feel down, frustrated or disappointed (you’re in a low activation state) or you may feel angry, upset or nervous (you’re in a high activation state). In either case, you’re not giving 100% of effort at that moment.

You may also feel somewhat tired and your body’s natural response is to save energy. If you’re not mentally strong enough to overcome those impulses, you’re again not giving 100% of effort. (more…)