I received the following email from a reader, and I’m going to answer him point-by-point, because I think the information will be useful to tennis players who are trying to improve or struggle with their mental performance. As a reminder, you’re welcome to write in to me if you want free, personalized advice. (I will anonymize your name and remove all identifying features. Just reply to any of my emails).

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My name is Andrew (name changed for anonymity), and I’m writing to you from Peru. I’ve been reading your posts on your website over the past few months, and I genuinely think you’re extremely knowledgeable—despite how often you remind readers that you’re not a psychologist.

I clearly remember you saying that information alone is just awareness, but what truly matters is applying those mental skills in competition, which is where real transformation happens. I feel that this might be something I’m currently missing. At times, I get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of useful (and undoubtedly valuable) information you share, and I’m not always sure how or when to apply it during my matches. That is the first problem.

Secondly, I’d like to briefly share a recurring pattern I’ve noticed in my recent matches—it has happened three times in very similar ways. I’m 17 years old and currently a 7 UTR. Lately, my first sets have unfolded like this: I start confidently and go up 2–0, then my opponent comes back strongly to lead 5–2, and finally I manage to recover and win the set 7–5.

It feels a bit strange. The explanations I can come up with are that my opponent either starts playing better, figures out how to disrupt my rhythm with different shots, or slows the pace enough for me to begin making errors until the score reaches 5–2. Then, I seem to calm down, play with more control, and turn things around. At least, that’s how my opponents have described it to me after the match.

I’m not entirely sure how to interpret this pattern or what it says about my mental approach, and I’d really appreciate your perspective.

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Here’s what I’m understanding as Andrew’s main challenges:

Let’s handle these one by one:

This is a totally understandable problem. I think, if I were to use some sort of word-count software, this website would have over 100,000words of free applied sport psychology information for tennis. It’s easy to get lost in the details and be overwhelmed.

So, if that is you, and you do want to get a start on mental skills training for tennis (or any other performance), you basically have two rough options.

The first is to take a traditional psychological skills training (mental skills training) approach. This means learning—and as Andrew mentioned—applying mental skills such as goal setting, self-talk, arousal control, routines, and imagery. These skills are incredibly powerful and useful… if they’re applied. It’s no use if you just know about them. But you must consistently set out a routine and structure for applying and integrating them into practice and performance.

Where a lot of tennis players struggle is that they only think that “these are skills that I use when I’m competing.” That’s absurd. Do you only use your kick serve when you play matches and tournaments? I think you get the comparison I’m getting at. You must apply these skills in your practice weeks, practice matches, and then take them onto the match court.

I won’t go through the whole repertoire of psychological skills, but, for example, Andrew, if you wanted to start with just self-talk, use my self-talk log. It’s a simple document through which you can track your self-talk. My suggestion would be to spend a weekend of matches just tracking through that document, then on a Monday or Tuesday come up with motivational and instructional self-talk phrases that work for you (keep these flexible because you could use instructional self-talk to make tactical decisions before points). After that, play 2–3 practice matches before you head into a tournament weekend. And, importantly, just work on your self-talk. That’s all you’re going to address in the first few weeks. A lot of players try to put too much on their plate. Layer on your mental skills a couple weeks at a time.

This is the 2nd approach, and if I’m being honest, I would not recommend this to you. This is because you’ve said that you’re 17. One of my supervisor’s research interest is in youth development, and learning from her has really made me be more aware of youth development and where someone’s brain is at 17 versus where it might be at 25.

Of course, this is nothing against you! And, certainly, you could definitely benefit from mindfulness practice. But I think teaching you components from this approach—such as cognitive and somatic anxiety management—might be more useful. Basically, the younger someone is, the more tangible and simple mental skills need to be made. Please don’t take this as condescension; it’s simply age appropriate mental skills work.

Your pattern of going up a small lead, then losing focus or concentration or lowering your playing level (which is something you’re trying to figure out), and then coming back from being 2–5 down consistently, is, to be frank, something I’ve never heard of before.

It raises some more questions for me. When you say this is a pattern, how often has it happened? Once? Twice? I would say that if it’s something that’s happened 5 or 6 times, then I’d consider a pattern to overcome. Otherwise, it could just be some anomalies that you’re magnifying.

Regardless, what I would advocate for in this scenario, and it is a bit of a catch-all prescription, is the use of a pre-point routine. They are incredibly useful for tennis players and athletes for controlling somatic and cognitive anxiety and also directing your attention toward intentions. Here’s a sample routine that you can knock off in 15 to 20 seconds:

Keep in mind that what I mentioned before still applies to this. Meaning you have to practice and make this routine automatic before you take it into matches. You can just read this, not practice it, and expect to execute it successfully when the score gets tight or your body starts jittering. Yeah, you’re not going to remember to do that. But if it becomes part of your competitive repertoire, part of your normal competitive behavior, it’ll be easier to see the benefits from it.

This one’s important to me because I believe sport psychology and mental performance professionals should have a strong ethical backbone. The reason I clarify that I’m not a psychologist is because I’m not clinically trained. Meaning, while I have received (and continue to receive) training in identifying mental health concerns, my job will never be to diagnose and treat those. I have made it very clear in the past that I don’t foresee myself working with clients who need help with depression, generalized anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.

In the United States, the only people who can refer to themselves as “psychologists—legally—are those who have passed the EPPP (a psychologist’s licensing exam). This is a little different in places like Australia and England, where depending on education and certification, you can refer to yourself as a psychologist. Even if I went on to get a PhD in Sport and Performance Psychology, I would not refer to myself as a “psychologist.” The appropriate term would be something like sport psychology consultant, or, as the Association of Applied Sport Psychology prefers, “Certified Mental Performance Consultant.” That’s of course after you sit for and pass the certification exam.

(There’s also another genre of people who say things like, “I’m a mental coach,” or “I’m a mental performance coach,” who have no sport psychology, psychology, sport science, or counseling education. I have made it clear in the past that these people are unethical in how they operate.)

By the way, just because I’m not a psychologist, does not mean that I am not building competence and demonstrating it in the performance side of the spectrum! Sport psychology/mental performance professionals have extensive training in applied sport psychology, sport science, counseling (helping relationships), and psychology—all the things that make us competent to work with athletes and performers.

Hope that helps, and I’ll see you all soon.

P.s.: The Short Set is going to a slower publishing schedule as I work through some other projects and finish up on my research. Perhaps once a fortnight or 3 weeks .As always if you make it all the way down here, I appreciate you valuing my writing. By the way, if you click, “but it could be improved below,” could you also share how?

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed psychologist, mental health counselor, PsyD, or clinical PhD. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology and am a sport psychology practitioner-in-training, working toward the Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC®) credential provided by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). My work focuses on applied, non-clinical mental performance consulting, using evidence-based techniques grounded in psychology, sport science, and applied sport psychology to help athletes enhance focus, manage pressure, build confidence, and improve performance. I do not provide mental health counseling or clinical therapy. When needed, I will always refer clients to licensed mental health professionals for concerns beyond the scope of performance consulting. I have over 20 years of experience in tennis, including as a player, collegiate and professional coach, and director of programs. I am certified by the Professional Tennis Registry and am a member of Tennis Australia. My goal is to bring athletes the best research-backed insights to support long-term development and performance. If you are a researcher or practitioner and feel I’ve misunderstood or misrepresented any concept, I welcome you to reach out, and I will gladly review and issue corrections if appropriate.