Sound familiar? The warm-up is over and you spin your racket to decide serve and ends. Your heart is pounding in your throat, your hands are damp, and the first serve lands in the net. So does the second. One sentence runs through your head: “Please, not again.”
I know this feeling from tournament matches. For a long time I thought I had to get rid of it. But there is a better way: nerves are not an opponent. They are energy that your body makes available to you. The only question is what name you give them.
Why you get nervous before a match
Before an important match, the body switches into alarm mode. Heart rate and breathing speed up, the muscles tense, the stomach makes itself felt. That is not weakness but a stress response. For a sprint to a drop shot it is even useful.
How much activation is good for you is individual. The sports psychologist Juri Hanin described a personal zone in which each person plays best. Some need a lot of tension, others only a little. That is why the advice “Just stay calm” so rarely helps. It doesn’t suit everyone.
Calm down or reframe?
Many players try to wind themselves down before a match. Often something else works better: reframing the excitement. In studies by Jeremy Jamieson, students did better in exams after learning that arousal can support performance. The researcher Alison Wood Brooks had people say “I am excited” before giving a speech. That worked better than the sentence “I am calm”.
The reason is simple. Fear and excitement feel similar in the body. Heart rate, breathing and tension rise in both cases. The difference lies mainly in the interpretation. And that is up to you.
Reframing nerves in three steps
The Mental Journal has a card for this, which you use before important matches and points:
- Feel: Notice what is happening. “My body is getting ready.”
- Reframe: Say your excitement phrase to yourself, quietly or in your head.
- Act: Choose a clear, simple plan for the next point.
The line to remember: Nervous means ready.
Find your excitement phrase
A good phrase is short, honest and yours. It doesn’t have to sound cool. A few examples to try:
- “My body is ready.”
- “These are exactly the points I train for.”
- “Now it gets exciting.”
Try it out in practice first. Think back to an exciting situation on court, notice how the excitement feels, and say the phrase out loud. Pay attention to what changes.
Before break point: are you above, in or below your zone?
Big points feel different. But the lines, the net and your stroke stay the same. That is why a quick check is worthwhile before a break point or set point:
- Above your zone (heart racing, thoughts tumbling over each other): Breathe in through your nose for about four seconds and out for six seconds. Let your shoulders drop.
- In your zone: Stick to your plan. One target for the serve, one for the return.
- Below your zone (tired, empty, indifferent): Move your legs, take a few quick steps and say a phrase to yourself that gives you energy.
A fixed routine between points helps as well. You can read how to build one in the post Mental routines for big points.
Practise pressure in training
If you never feel pressure in practice, you meet it for the first time in a match. In a study with basketball players, experienced participants practised free throws under artificially created pressure for five weeks. In the test under tension they held their level. The group without pressure training got worse.
In tennis this is easy to do. Play tiebreaks instead of endless rallies. Start games at 30:40. Or agree on a small consequence that really means something to you both, for example that whoever loses collects the balls. Use your excitement phrase deliberately as you do so.
Nerves in everyday life
Exam, presentation, job interview: you know the nerves beforehand from the court. In one study, school pupils wrote down their worries for ten minutes before an exam. Particularly anxious teenagers then did as well as less anxious ones. Writing things down can clear your head for the task. Try it before your next important appointment and finish with your excitement phrase.
Frequently asked questions about nerves in tennis
Is it normal to be nervous before every match?
Yes. Nerves show that the match matters to you. As Billie Jean King says: “Pressure is a privilege.” You only feel pressure where something is close to your heart.
What do I do if my hands are shaking?
Breathe with a long breath out, loosen your grip on the racket and play the first few balls with a little more margin from the net and the lines. Once you find your way into the match, you automatically become steadier.
Should I distract myself before the match?
For a short while, yes, for example with music while you warm up. But just before the first point, a clear plan helps you more than distraction. It gives your mind a task.
How to practise it with the Mental Journal
“Pressure and nerves” is the sixth week in the Mental Journal by Tennis Schweiz. For seven days you observe how your nerves show up and when pressure builds for you. You develop your excitement phrase and build pressure into your practice on purpose. Each page takes about five minutes. The foundation includes the circle of control from the first week.
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