HOW TO PREPARE PROPERLY BEFORE A TENNIS MATCH

Pre-match preparation isn't just about a warm-up. There are several recurring practices to learn and then repeat before stepping onto the court. Here are our tips.

A tennis professional will focus on every aspect of their career: creating an environment conducive to performance (recovery, transportation, nutrition, etc.), technically preparing their game based on playing conditions (surface, weather, balls, etc.) and the opponent's playing style (attacker, defender, left-handed or right-handed, etc.), and preparing their equipment (rackets, string tension, shoes, etc.). They will retreat into their familiar routine with their circle of coaches or friends and "get into their zone." No surprises, just stability.

He will be precise in his approach, as early as possible, at "D minus 2" of the match if possible, to put all the conditions in his favor.

He will seek the right sensations in the last training sessions and above all he will prioritize a good and useful "pre-warm-up".

I'm not talking about the warm-up on the court. I'm talking about the time before stepping onto the court, the period leading up to it, from a few hours to just a few minutes before. This is the time that's difficult for some, who tend to overthink and tense up. Those who feel fear creeping into their bodies, while others are calm and peaceful, waiting to step onto the court.

SO HOW CAN WE MAKE PREPARING FOR A TENNIS MATCH A GOOD AND USEFUL TIME FOR ONESELF?

Because a good warm-up is the best way to start a match. The professional knows what he needs to do to be fully prepared to begin.

Amateur or young players starting out in tournaments seem to have more difficulty finding the right tension to begin a match… We often see disastrous starts to matches, which influence the player's behavior and tip the scales in favor of the one who starts better? Even though in tennis, the score allows you to "recover" from a calamitous start.

You can find many books on physical warm-up.

What interests me is the mental aspect of preparation, with the implications on thoughts and emotions.

In the world of tennis, my observation is that an amateur player's warm-up too often boils down to purely physical exercises (muscles, joints, movements, etc.). Often, the player mechanically repeats the movements.

Too routine, this preparation disconnects from the reality of the player: his emotional state, his thoughts, his current muscular tensions.

He doesn't really prepare for the next match. Often, he can't shake off his stress before starting. He can't "get into it" right away.

A good warm-up is the best way to start the match. Jacques Hervet

INTEGRATING THE MENTAL ASPECT INTO THE WARM-UP BEFORE A COMPETITION

It is essential to combine physical warm-up with a "mental warm-up". This will allow you to establish concentration: your relaxation, your confidence, your motivation, the energy and the positive emotions necessary for performance.

It is essential for everyone to know how they connect with the moment of their competition.

My mental battery

Connect with your inner voice. Depending on whether you're more pessimistic or optimistic, it will tell you if you're up to the task, or if you're not ready.

When regaining mental control, shift your focus to the middle, and think of keywords (like consistent, tenacious, patient, determined, enthusiastic, positive). Find your own. Incorporate empowering beliefs—beliefs that make you feel good, beliefs that resonate with you. Like, "I am stronger than I think," or "I can win, just like my opponent; the important thing is that I am ready."

Focus on what you want to happen, not what you fear will happen.

My emotional battery

Get in touch with all the sensations that arise. Accept the negative emotions that surface. It could be stage fright, a necessary step to get into a performance state, it could be real fear.

Activate the pressure valve if the emotion is overwhelming, almost paralyzing. Release the tension by activating the pressure valves…

The release valve is an activity that allows you to purge emotional pressure, whether in real time or later. A gesture, a word, a shout, habitual movements that unblock you… the release valve involves an action of liberating the body.

Regaining control, if you're feeling emotional, comes from the joy of playing. Clarify your desire to be on the court. What am I primarily looking for? The pleasure of the game? The challenge? Victory? Showing my worth? Helping my teammates in a team match?

Without the positive energy of wanting to play, no performance is possible.

Developing start-up rituals

The ritual is a "routine" that helps to calm emotional fire by providing inner security, and preventing the overuse of outlets.

My physical battery

More than the activation of muscles, it is an inner state that makes you feel good.

It is essential to combine physical warm-up with mental warm-up. Jacques Hervet

If you're more focused on physical sensation, aim for supple, relaxed muscles. Find the right tension for you. Depending on the individual and their current state, the warm-up should be more invigorating or, conversely, more soothing. Feel this energy flowing through you.

For some, preparation will be effective alone in the locker room, in seclusion; for others, with others in the clubhouse. Often, one of these two situations will be stressful and not the other.

Help yourself by controlling your body: your posture, facial details (eyes, eyebrows, mouth, smile), your breathing (abdominal or chest), your muscle tone (broad, supple, energetic gestures or movements) and finally the details of the body (hands, arms, legs, feet)

One possibility is to get closer to the sensations of Jim Loehr's EIP model.

In his research, Dr. Loehr highlighted that athletes can create a particular mental climate that allows them to achieve excellence.

This is what is called an altered state of consciousness, referred to in sports as the ideal performance state (IPS).

They affect the mental, emotional, and physical aspects.