Mental Toughness for Juniors
As a former national junior and now a USTA BJK National Tennis Center Staff Pro, I’ve both learned and coached juniors in the biggest battle on the tennis court and it’s not your opponent — it’s between your ears. Talent and technique are important, but the ability to stay composed, present, and resilient can make the difference between winning and losing.
We all know there are countless factors that can influence a tennis match. There’s the audience— whether it’s a crowd of 23,000 in Ashe Stadium or just your parents — the sunlight, the wind, the score, expectations, and more. The truth is, none of that matters because either it already happened or it’s out of your control. Here at the National Tennis Center, we focus on producing junior results by guiding players in all aspects of the game and focusing on what matters most. What matters is the next point and whatever is within your control, e.g., your temper, your body language, your footwork, your effort, and your ability to forget the previous point.
The strategies to build your mental performance edge begin with preparation and routines. An app like APeak Tennis guides players through mental performance with graduated lesson plans. On the court, one of the age-old routines that every tennis player should implement is the 16-second cure by Dr. Jim Loehr. In my experience as a player and coach, these simple fixtures can elevate and reset the focus for you as a junior player at every level of the game.
“When you’re playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you… This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point with intensity, clarity, and focus.” – Roger Federer
The ability to forget about the previous point is crucial to staying focused — especially if you lost that point. You don’t want one mistake to snowball into two or three.
You know the feeling: you lose a point and it’s 0–15, you get upset for a moment, and suddenly it’s 0–40. Those points flew by because mentally, you were still stuck on the first one. Forgetting and refocusing quickly can be tough, but the quicker you reset, the quicker you can focus and win the next point.
“That’s tennis. You play a great point, you win with a fine shot… but that has no more value in the final score than the gift of a point I gave him here. That’s where the mental strength comes in… You put that failure immediately behind you, clean out your mind. You do not allow your mind to dwell on it.” – Rafael Nadal
It’s okay to show emotion on the tennis court — in fact, it’s healthy to let it out and something we always encourage here in Queens. Holding in the frustration and carrying it into the next point will affect your play more than less. How can you give all your attention to what’s ahead if part of you is stuck in the past? You can’t. So release it in a positive manner, reset, and move on to winning the next point!
