Sports Psychology

From graceful serve-and-volleys, to grinding top-spin forehands … sky high lobs to net cord drop shots … social just-for-fun gatherings to ultra-competitive tournament play … learning the very basics of the game to high-energy calorie burn … from playground tennis to Grand Slam championships …...Read more

A few weeks ago, I remember seeing a sign outside of a fitness studio. The words and message struck me … It read like this: “You recharge your phone once a day, how often do you recharge yourself ?” I thought this was a great message and applies so well to sports. As a mental training coach, in my...Read more

A few months ago, I was listening to John O’Sullivan’s Way of Champions’ podcast when he interviewed his colleague, renowned mental training coach Dr. Jerry Lynch. They were talking about how all athletes want to win , but the path to winning is not so much about wanting to win, but understanding...Read more

Sometimes, as a tennis player, you exist on an island. Alone, solo, under the lights of your local club or drenched in the sun, there you are … between the lines, either gaining the accolades of glory hitting the winning shot or facing the weight of defeat. There are no teammates to pass to, no...Read more

It’s always fun to sit on the dais with some of the great thinkers in the world of tennis. I was recently invited to participate in a panel discussion at this year’s New York Tennis Expo at NYCB LIVE . The panel consisted of Steve Johnson, the California-born powerhouse currently ranked 34th in the...Read more

Most of us saw Novak Djokovic’s dominating win over Rafael Nadal in the finals of the 2019 Australian Open . Usually, coaches, parents, fans and even the athletes themselves write off this kind of big win as: “He just played great.” But this explanation is often too simplistic. In sports and in...Read more

It’s no secret that confidence is the one defining factor of winners and those who remain at the top. Confidence seems to be the reason the ball drops in when it should not, that luck is on your side and that you can come back from behind and always believe in your ability to win. Have you ever...Read more

I remember it like it was a lightning bolt, my then mentor said to me: “Your opponent is your partner, not an enemy!” I thought that statement was blasphemous! My entire competitive life, I viewed the opponent as my enemy, someone whom I must defeat. The entire goal was decimation! My mentor, Jena...Read more

This story first appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of New York Tennis Magazine. Click Here to see the full issue. The local tennis community has some of the sport’s finest facilities and some of the top coaches in the world. With this wealth of talent available, New York Tennis Magazine...Read more

To become a champion, you must have talent, fitness, good coaching, money, supportive parents, access to courts, discipline and patience. The sport psychologist is usually called upon when a player is having trouble with anxiety, anger, confidence, focus or pain tolerance. Any coach and athlete...Read more