5 Essential Keys to Navigating Pre-Competition Doubts in Tennis: A Coach’s Guide

How do I get ready for a match or tournament?

What/How do I need to do to prepare?

Did I do enough?

What if I'm not good enough?

What if I lose...

Every tennis player faces a barrage of thoughts, questions, and doubts before a competition. These mental hurdles often creep in unannounced, attaching themselves at the worst possible times and disrupting our focus.

While mental preparation is a skill that can be developed, much of it is influenced by who we are off the court—our daily habits, stressors, and self-awareness. Deep introspection can help us recognize and understand these patterns, empowering us to address them more effectively.

For tennis-specific situations, it is possible to manage, reframe, or quieten these doubts. Training the mind is as crucial as training the body. Let’s unpack some of the most common pre-competition thoughts and explore practical methods to tackle them.

1. Understanding Your Mindset and Objectives

Before any match or tournament, ask yourself:

• How am I preparing my mind? What am I hoping to accomplish?

• Are you looking to implement a new tactic or strategy?

• Is your goal to test a specific mindset or technical skill under pressure?

• Are you chasing a particular performance milestone?

• Or perhaps you have a combination of goals?

Coaching Insight:

Clearly define your objective for the event. When you focus on a controllable goal—rather than just the final score—the outcome becomes less daunting. Remember, you can’t control every variable, but you can control your intent and approach.

Personal Reflection:

I always establish my primary objective well before the event begins. It anchors my preparation and ensures that, regardless of the result, I’m competing with a clear sense of purpose.

2. Strategic Preparation: The Physical and Mental Checklist

Preparation isn’t just about time on court. It’s about quality and balance:

How much time remains before your match? Are you allocating it wisely?

Did you target the right areas of your game during practice?

Are you sharp from enough practice points and match play?

Are you physically and mentally rested?

Is your equipment and nutrition plan ready for competition?

Coaching Insight:

Preparation is highly individual. Discover what routines, habits, and rituals set you up for success—physically and mentally. This process might take experimentation, but it pays dividends on match day.

Personal Reflection:

I rarely feel 100% prepared, but that’s part of what keeps me humble and motivated. It reminds me that growth comes from clear focus and honest self-assessment, not from expecting perfection.

3. Balancing Training and Rest

A common concern:

Did I do enough?

Was your training time well spent and well distributed?

Did you avoid the trap of overtraining, which leads to fatigue and burnout?

Did you allow time for recovery, especially in the days leading up to your event?

Coaching Insight:

Test and track what balance works for you. Overtraining can drain your energy right before competition—find your optimal rhythm.

Personal Reflection:

Earlier in my career, I often overtrained and arrived at events exhausted or dehydrated. It took trial and error to learn that tapering intensity in the final days leads to a stronger competitive spirit and better performance.

4. Facing Doubt: “What if I’m not good enough?”

Remind yourself:

Growth comes with every match—win or lose.

Each event is another opportunity to learn, adapt, and improve.

Nervousness and self-doubt are natural; channel them constructively.

Coaching Insight:

Keep your focus on the positives and the learning process. Every competition offers valuable feedback for your next steps.

Personal Reflection:

Collecting match data and focusing on adjustments has been fundamental in my own development. I compete with clear objectives, keeping my mind away from obsessing over outcomes.

5. Handling Loss: Turning Setbacks into Strengths

Personal Story:

I vividly recall sleepless nights before tournaments, plagued by anxiety and fears of underperformance. Sometimes, I even hoped for rain to cancel play. For years, I never discussed these struggles, nor did my coaches address them directly.

It wasn’t until my mid-twenties, after competing in national-level events, that I confronted these issues head-on. In one memorable match, paralyzed by nerves, I squandered a match point and lost in heartbreaking fashion. The sting of that loss lingered, but it became the turning point. I recognized the need to:

1. Identify the source of my anxiety

2. Address it with honest self-reflection and targeted mental training

3. Resolve it by building strategies for the future.

Coaching Takeaway:

Mental hurdles are not signs of weakness, but opportunities for growth. By recognizing, understanding, and actively addressing them, we transform setbacks into stepping stones.

Final Thoughts

Competition is as much a mental battle as it is a physical one. Mastering the pre-match mindset—through clear objectives, balanced preparation, and honest self-reflection—sets the foundation for long-term improvement and enjoyment in tennis. The journey isn’t about eliminating doubt, but learning to harness it as fuel for growth.

Let’s embrace the process, support each other as athletes, and continue striving for excellence—one match at a time.

-Amyn