General Tennis Psychology

Tennis psychology is nothing more than understandinghim is the man of dogged determination that sets his
the workings of your opponent's mind, and gauging themind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely
effect of your own game on his mental viewpoint, andfighting to the end, with never a thought of change. He
understanding the mental effects resulting from theis the man whose psychology is easy to understand,
various external causes on your own mind. Youbut whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he
cannot be a successful psychologist of others withoutnever allows himself to think of anything except the
first understanding your own mental processes, youbusiness at hand. This man is your Johnston or your
must study the effect on yourself of the sameWilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes
happening under different circumstances. You reactmore, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.
differently in different moods and under differentPick out your type from your own mental processes,
conditions. You must realize the effect on your gameand then work out your game along the lines best
of the resulting irritation, pleasure, confusion, orsuited to you.
whatever form your reaction takes. Does it increaseWhen two men are, in the same class, as regards
your efficiency? If so, strive for it, but never give it tostroke equipment, the determining factor in any given
your opponent.match is the mental viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is often
Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, eithergrasping the psychological value of a break in the
remove the cause, or if that is not possible strive togame, and turning it to your own account.
ignore it.We hear a great deal about the "shots we have
Once you have judged accurately your own reactionmade." Few realize the importance of the "shots we
to conditions, study your opponents, to decide theirhave missed." The science of missing shots is as
temperaments. Like temperaments react similarly, andimportant as that of making them, and at times a miss
you may judge men of your own type by yourself.by an inch is of more value than a, return that is killed
Opposite temperaments you must seek to compareby your opponent.
with people whose reactions you know.Let me explain. A player drives you far out of court
A person who can control his own mental processeswith an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and reaching,
stands an excellent chance of reading those ofdrive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by
another, for the human mind works along definite linesan inch. Your opponent is surprised and shaken,
of thought, and can be studied. One can only controlrealizing that your shot might as well have gone in as
one's, mental processes after carefully studying them.out. He will expect you to try it again, and will not take
A steady phlegmatic baseline player is seldom a keenthe risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may
thinker. If he was he would not adhere to the baseline.fall into error. You have thus taken some of your
The physical appearance of a man is usually a prettyopponent's confidence, and increased his chance of
clear index to his type of mind. The stolid, easy-goingerror, all by a miss.
man, who usually advocates the baseline game, doesIf you had merely popped back that return, and it had
so because he hates to stir up his torpid mind to thinkbeen killed, your opponent would have felt increasingly
out a safe method of reaching the net. There is theconfident of your inability to get the ball out of his
other type of baseline player, who prefers to remainreach, while you would merely have been winded
on the back of the court while directing an attackwithout result.
intended to break up your game. He is a veryLet us suppose you made the shot down the sideline. It
dangerous player, and a deep, keen thinking antagonist.was a seemingly impossible get. First it amounts to
He achieves his results by mixing up his length andTWO points in that it took one away from your
direction, and worrying you with the variety of hisopponent that should have been his and gave you one
game. He is a good psychologist. The first type ofyou ought never to have had. It also worries your
player mentioned merely hits the ball with little idea ofopponent, as he feels he has thrown away a big
what he is doing, while the latter always has a definitechance.
plan and adheres to it. The hard-hitting, erratic,The psychology of a tennis match is very interesting,
net-rushing player is a creature of impulse. There is nobut easily understandable. Both men start with equal
real system to his attack, no understanding of yourchances. Once one man establishes a real lead, his
game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of theconfidence goes up, while his opponent worries, and
moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, mentalhis mental viewpoint becomes poor. The sole object of
power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting,the first man is to hold his lead, thus holding his
fascinating type.confidence. If the second player pulls even or draws
The dangerous man is the player who mixes his styleahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with even a
from back to fore court at the direction of angreater contrast in psychology. There is the natural
ever-alert mind. This is the man to study and learnconfidence of the leader now with the second man as
from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A playerwell as that great stimulus of having turned seeming
who has an answer to every query you propound himdefeat into probable victory. The reverse in the case
in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in theof the first player is apt to hopelessly destroy his
world. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only togame, and collapse follows.