Philadelphia Medicine Winter-Spring 2021 - 25

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Ignore background chatter and distractions and be a horse with
blinders. Be responsible for yourself and your own actions; manage
what you can and realize you cannot control the weather or actions of
your opponent. The " now " refers to staying present and focusing only
on the current point. Do not think of past mistakes. If you are winning
a match, do not think about celebrating while the match is still in play.
If you are losing, do not start to write a script of excuses why you lost
the match. Instead, just concentrate on the present, point by point.
Focusing will allow the player to understand what is true and
important in the here and now. Focusing will help alleviate stress, and
the player will be better able to make quick decisions and be clear
about his intended actions.
* Set realistic and achievable goals: It is always good to have goals and
dreams; however, you as a player must understand the realities of
your current level of play. Know your level, don't grandiose yourself
and think you are able to beat Rafa Nadal.
Having an unrealistic attitude will result in frustration and poor
performance during a match. Instead, set achievable and realistic
short- and long-term goals for yourself, which will aid in your overall
tennis development. After the match is over, reflect upon and evaluate
the points and your overall performance. Don't devalue yourself if
you lose a match. Do not feel too low from a loss or too high from a
win. When you have a match loss, use it as an opportunity to learn
from your mistakes and to improve by working on your weaknesses in
future practice until you feel confident enough to use your new skills
in a tournament.

* Stay positive: Do not tie up your self-esteem as a person with your
match outcome, that is, separate feelings of self-worth from your
match results. Cultivate an optimistic attitude and talk positively
to yourself, strive to improve and maintain positive self-esteem in
practice and in matches. During practice, allocate 110% effort, and
focus upon the process, not the outcome. Arrange your practice
matches so that a third of them are against players of your same
level, a third against players worse than you and a third against
players better than yourself.
* Deal with adversity: It is important to be able to deal with external
pressures going on in your life, such as family, peer, school, work
and relationship conflicts. Deal with and manage this discord before
your match so you can maintain control of your emotions and can
give 100% effort on the court.
* Learn mental techniques: Many athletes may have difficulty teaching
themselves cognitive skills and would benefit from a few sessions
with a sports psychologist/psychiatrist to understand and learn the
techniques. Once the tactics are understood and learned, the player
can apply them to their training and ultimately to their tournament
arsenal, allowing him or her to play to their ultimate potential. *
Richard W. Cohen is board-certified in psychiatry. Julia A. Cohen has a
master's degree in sports psychology and was an All-American tennis player
at the University of Miami; was the No. 2 ranked college women's tennis
player in Division 1; the No. 1 ranked junior in the United States and
No. 4 in the world; and played the Women's Tennis Association pro circuit
for four years with a ranking of No. 97 in the world in women's tennis,
having played all four Grand Slams.

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Philadelphia Medicine Winter-Spring 2021

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