Serena Williams Quote on Belief

Serena Williams is the most dominant women's tennis player in the last decade. When she is focused and on top of her game she imposes her will on her opponent. Her sheer physicality and sense of belief, while being abstract feelings, win her points, games, and matches.

What I appreciate most about Serena is her self-belief. She believes that she should win every match she plays and is going to win or lose on her terms - playing her game. I believe this quote sums up well the deep well of self-belief that makes Serena Williams an all-time great:

Ferrer, Almagro and the Mental Game at the Australian Open

David Ferrer's 12-0 record versus Nicolas Almagro may have kept Almagro from having his finest day. Almagro was two points from his first Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. Three times Almagro served for the match in the third and fourth sets, and three times Ferrer broke Almagro. Eventually Ferrer won by two breaks in the fifth set.

Is Ferrer Almagro's worst nightmare? Ferrer now is 13-0 versus his fellow Spaniard, and I think that dominance kept Almagro from his first semifinal in a Slam.

Ferrer Defeats Almagro in Grueling Five-Set Match to make Aussie Open Semis (Australianopen.org)

Just imagine for a moment that you played tennis against someone often, but when you played a match when it mattered they always beat you. Then, at the most important tournament of your life you played them again and you were beating them. How good would it feel? But, the specter of never beating the person reveals itself as you are about to close them out. How emotional would you be? How hard would it be to focus on just hitting the ball?

Novak Djokovic's Swagger: Why He is a Champion and Does Not Get the Respect He Deserves

What makes Novak Djokovic a champion also may make him less likeable to tennis fans across the globe. More so than probably all of the top players on the Men's ATP tour, fans either love or dislike Djokovic. Why? He has amazing skills, conditioning and mental toughness. Novak wins when he should and has proven himself to be a champion. He also has been gracious in defeat. Djokovic should be considered a proven champion with the likes of Nadal and Federer.

Detractors of Djokovic will tell you that their dislike started early in his career. They talk about tanks, breathing problems, medical timeouts for less than appropriate reasons, and cockiness as evidenced by his post-match emulations of tennis stars' routines prior to serving. Certainly Djokovic taking a medical timeout prior to Murray serving out this year's US Open will only add fuel to their opinion.

Confident Sam Stosur Guts Out Win over Robson

Defending US Open champion Sam Stosur of Australia gutted out a two-set victory today at the US Open. Stosur overcame giant-killer Laura Robson who had sent Kim Clijsters in to retirement and then defeated Li Na. Despite losing serve while serving out the match, Stosur hung tough and got the job done on Sunday. The post-match interview details the thought process that kept Stosur believing and staying composed despite losing a number of match points (from USOpen.org).

Q.  Were you thinking on those match points that she really rose to the occasion?

SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Yeah, I mean, I think out of the, what, nine that I missed, I didn't do too much wrong on at least half of them.  So that being the case, I think you got to just take it for what it is.  Okay, it's another point.  You're hopefully going to get another chance if you keep doing what you should be doing.  Kind of what I said to myself on the change of ends. Doesn't matter.  See where it gets you.  Disappointing not to have gotten in one of those other two games, but I still felt I was in a good position.

Jack Sock Dominant on Day 1 of US Open

On Day 1 of the 2012 US Open the most impressive player on the day had to be Jack Sock of Nebraska. He dominated Florian Mayer the #22 seed and won in straight sets. Sock locked confident and composed throughout the match.

I think my serve was definitely pretty reliable when I was down.  I was down Love‑30 once or twice, down Love‑40 once.  Came up with some good serves, first‑ball combos.  I think that was definitely some turning points, not letting him get a break and not letting him get some momentum back. (from USOpen.org)

There has been talk that maybe Sock is not in the greatest shape. John McEnroe talked about it during the telecast. The interesting thing on Monday was that Sock outlasted Mayer who had to retire in the third set. Sock was convincing in the win, and looked the superior player throughout. Could that be due to the injury or fatigue of a long summer for Mayer? Quite possibly. Still, it is difficult to dominate at the professional level. A player has to have weapons to be able to beat seeded players and beat them handily. Sock has a huge serve, can back it up from the baseline and also threw in some serve and volley. His serve helped him keep the momentum on his serve and allowed Mayer very few looks at a break.

Errani Defeats Stosur with Her Mind at the French Open

Sam Stosur talking about her French Open semi final loss to Sara Errani, "You're always going to be a bit nervous going into a semi - it's the semifinal of a Slam, of course you're going to be nervous." Stosur overcame those nerves to play brilliant tennis and defeat Serena Williams at the 2011 US Open. Today, however, it was her opponent than managed the nerves better.

Peter Bodo at tennis.com gives an interesting take on the match between Stosur and Errani (French Open Errani d. Stosur). His opinion is that Errani won with her mind. Despite it being an up and down affair, in the end Errani held strong as she broke Stosur and then won four straight points to serve out the match. Errani held her nerve despite losing a break in the third set.

Tsonga Believes A Frenchman Won't Win Roland Garros

Many people have noted that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bears a resemblance to the great boxer Muhammad Ali. The quote I read from the Tennis.com website suggesting that Tsonga believes that a Frenchman cannot win the French Open is furthest thing from resembling the ultimate self-believer, Ali.

Tsonga's quote from Tennis.com (story is at http://tennis.com/articles/templates/news.aspx?articleid=17769&zoneid=25):

"Let's be clear, there is no chance that a French win Roland Garros," he told reporters in Rome. "There is no inevitability in my comments. It's just an observation. But not to be able win a Masters 1000 clay, then a Grand Slam seems impossible."

Azarenka Dominance in 2012 Due to Adaptation of Mental Approach

Victoria Azarenka has been dominating the WTA tour for most of 2012. Her first loss came in Key Biscayne. That is in April! Azarenka did not credit a change in grip, stroke, or conditioning for her revelation. Instead it was all about perspective and mental approach.

In the June edition of Tennis magazine, Azarenka discusses the five things that have led to her success:

1. Practice with the intensity of the match
2. Stay calm - but not too calm
3. Find a teaching pro who lets you develop your way
4. Go back to basics when you're losing
5. Enjoy the game

Trusting Your "Stuff" Essential to Performing in the Clutch

In my consultations with tennis players I will often refer back to Cliff Lee, in his first stint pitching with the Philadelphia Phillies, talking about his Game 1 World Series performance against the New York Yankees. On the road Lee shut down the strong Yankee offense. When asked afterwards how he was so calm Lee talked about having put the work in practice to be prepared - and then just trusting that he was ready.

Dan Rouhier posted about Lee's confidence under pressure and that post Game 1 interview on the Ahead in the Count blog.

How Do You Handle Pressure?

I relate this story to tennis players because they often struggle under pressure with hitting the kind of ball they normally would. If you have put the work in you can trust that the game will be there when you need it. Your balls will land in the court. Just go for it!

As a coach remind your player that all he or she needs to do is trust their stuff and play their game. While this may seem simplistic it is the kind of reassurance and simple thinking needed to excel in pressure moments.