I have this dilemma. I’m now 24. As a junior I was ranked very high under 16 in my country.

My dilemma without going into my life story is that when I play in front of my parents (who come even though I’d rather they didn’t) I get really angry and as I’m playing all I can think of is that they are scrutinizing me and judging me all the time and it just makes me anxious to the point where I can’t concentrate on executing a game plan.

I’ve just started playing again after a 5 year lay-off and have just won a tournament and made the semi’s in my first two back since the lay-off but tonight I just lost to some guy who’s a big fish in a little pond around my local area night competition.

I’m just over being this guy who has so much potential as all my coaches and trainers and peers have told me my whole life and just wanna be able to step into my potential for once.

I only rarely seem to do this and I know now as an adult that it’s mental. Please help…

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I have a question…. I am a freshmen at my high school. I am on the tennis team and my current spot is #9. I play very well with my friend who is in the #2 spot.

I can volley and serve really well. But when I try to play a match (exhibition) I seem to always lose! I tense up after I make the mistake and make errors with even the simplest of volleys!

Is there a way I can keep myself from tensing up and losing and keep my mind focused on the game?

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Hello, I have been playing tennis on and off for a few years, but now I want to start playing with more decision.

My goal is to win a “class 4″ category in Italy this summer. I have already written down all the dates and I have been practicing every day.

I still have not found a coach with whom I really get along with. Don’t you think that a coach should help his student to “think big” rather than just “being realistic”?

Yesterday I asked my coach what I have to do to win a class 4 tournament. He told me that to win a class 4 tournament you have to be a 4.1 or 4.2 ranked.

I am not even ranked because I have never played any tournaments. In everything I do I think big.

I would appreciate your thoughts.

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Your “topspin serve” material interested me. But it left an unanswered question: does one pronate the wrist as part of this serve?

Your video suggests “yes”. But the easy way to brush up on the ball involves either no pronation or actual suplimation (turning your wrist out rather than in).

I would answer this in 2 ways.

First, if I was teaching someone, I wouldn’t mention pronation at any time (unless someone really wouldn’t “get it” after continuous practice).

Your goal is to brush up the ball as demonstrated and explained. And then do it better!

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Hi Tomaz,

In your Tennis Strategy ebook in the section on pushers (special bonus report of your ebook) you mention that there are pushers on the ATP, too.

Who are they?

Thanks very much for your time, and for the effort you put into writing the Tennis Strategy Encyclopedia!

Michael Chang and Arantxa Sanchez were the ultimate pushers at the start of their careers.

They would bring the ball back million times until the opponent got frustrated and started to attempt winners from impossible situations.

Later they both adapted their game and became more aggressive.

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Hi Tomaz,

I bought your Tennis Strategy Encyclopedia and just wanted to ask you a few questions about aggression in tennis which you mention a few times.

On page 30 of TSE, you say, “You can still be aggressive though, just to send the message of aggression to your opponent.”

On page 32, you say, “Your shots must be aggressive, yet safe and consistent.”

On page, 37, you say, “Don’t be aggressive without precision.”

On page 39, you say, “Play aggressive baseline shots, but at a big target…”

I’m having a little trouble feeling and visualizing an aggressive shot, in particular as it relates to your advice on pages 30 and 32.

My first thought is to hit it harder, but then there’s a greater chance that it will go out or into the net. Could you explain this a little more, please?

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I have a problem with confidence and doing my best, because whenever I actually try (I usually play by putting as little effort as possible) I feel depressed when I lose or mess up.

That’s because failing even at my best makes me feel as if my best is nothing, that is why I put little effort so when I mess up or lose I don’t feel as bad because it’s not my best. Help!

Let’s see where this comes from “because failing even at my best makes me feel as if my best is nothing”.

The game of tennis is not so much about winning or losing especially if you are a competitive player. Most players lose all the time. (go on ATP Tour website and check win / loss ratio of a top 100 tennis player. You’ll see what I mean.)

It’s the long term accumulation of POINTS that pretty good determines who is good or not. So when you lose it doesn’t mean you are “nothing”. That’s just your very critical description of a loss.

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I stumbled across your site by accident while trying to find tips to help my 11 year old daughter (12 in April).

She first picked up the racquet about 18 months ago and fell in love with tennis. We aren’t rich, but managed to get her a coach - he was quite young and she started to hit the ball over the net quite nicely.

He suggested that she enter some tournaments - so we entered her for some - it was a rude awakening.

She hadn’t been taught to serve and was playing against girls who had already been playing for 4-5 years… She lost every match 6-0 6-1. Out of 40 matches she won 4.

We decided that it was pointless putting her in matches until she could serve - so stopped entering tournaments and changed coach. She has played in a few tournaments recently and has done quite well - but her serve is still a huge problem.

She double faults regularly - sometime 2 or 3 a game. She is also finding it difficult to cope with the power of some of the other girls.

My question is - should she actually be competing in tournaments now…? Isn’t it better to wait until you have full confidence in your shots before competing?

Her coach seems to think that she will magically find her serve in a match situation - but this isn’t happening and it is eroding her self-confidence very quickly.

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I have a tennis tournament in only one weeks time! I want to have the right preparations such as diet, warm-up techniques…

I want to be physically and mentally ready for the tournament. What should I do?

Also, before I play, I tend to get butterflies in my stomache. How can I make my self-esteem high so I can play my game?

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a tournament.

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Hi, I’m a junior player who’s just started playing tournaments this year.

All my coaches as well as kids and my parents say I’m fantastic and could be top 5 in the nation if I could play that way in matches.

I used to play top kids in practice and beat them badly. But recently in a low level tournament, I lost to a kid who was EXTREMELY BAD:) he lost to alot of other kids who aren’t very good and I lost to him 6-4 6-3.

It seems as thought I am the weakest and dumbest tennis player ever mentally and during matches; I’ve never come back and won from a set down. For me, it’s either win in straight sets or lose in straight sets.

My question is do you have any tips for me with my kind of tennis mental problem? Is there any way that I can overcome this mental weakness and be positive and relaxed during matches?

Cause I feel like I’m letting my coaches, parents, and myself down when I play like that.

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