How the moon ball player thinks about you
Tennis insider Marco Kühn has struck again - this time even with the one who spoons the balls on the other side of the net in the sky.
by Marco Kühn
last edit: May 22, 2020, 01:56 pm
There is this one weapon that the moon ball player draws against you in every match. It is not the high played ball on your backhand. Nor is it the low error rate. The moon ball player gets stuck in your head at the beginning of the match and doesn't leave it until the handshake on the net. Your thoughts, and thus your punches, are mostly unwanted influenced by the way the moon ball player plays.
The moonball player knows this weapon. He knows you're upset about how he plays. We are now going through three paths of thought that the moon ball player applies to you in many cases. At the end of each thought, we will consider how you can mentally engage with this style of play in order to play more successfully against this type of player.
# 1 "The mistake will come - guaranteed"
When you play against a moon ball player, two completely different game ideas come together. You want to play a great match on the one hand and experience great rallies. The moon ball player on the other hand wants to prevent that.
Unfortunately, you make a little more mistakes than Novak Djokovic. The moon ball player knows that longer rallies usually lead to you making a mistake. His mindset is oriented accordingly: "The longer I keep the ball in the game, the greater the chance that the guy over there will lose his patience!"
Ball changes that last longer than four strokes are one of the strengths of the moon ball player. You get hectic from blow to blow.
Tip: distance yourself from the idea of quickly going to the points. You will have to go on longer rallies. If you are prepared for it in your head, it will be easier for you to keep your nerve.
# 2 "He's already getting upset. Now I just have to keep playing"
You are in a nervous exceptional situation against the moon ball player. Every emotion, every curse is perceived and strengthens the self-confidence of the moon ball player. When you show weakness, your counterpart feels stronger.
You know the feeling of hitting a forehand wonderfully in the middle and playing a grandiose longline winner. You can do this if you feel confident and have real confidence in your abilities. You will make a few more mistakes against the moon ball player than you are used to. This is in the nature of this way of playing. The rallies are longer and you have to keep going at slow balls.
Then when you start to doubt your abilities, you make even more mistakes. These mistakes annoy you and strengthen your opponent.
Tip: Prepare for a higher error rate in your head. Stay cool if you play a slight forehand out. You need a high frustration tolerance against the moon ball player.
# 3 "Always high on the backhand. Come whatever you like."
Of course, the moon ball player also has his strategies. He will try to play over your weaker side in tight game situations, this is usually the backhand.
Since your backhand is a little more insecure and especially slow and high balls often play too short or on the net, this strategy is effective against you. Uncertainty and nervousness are used by many players as an opportunity to play riskier: flatter, faster over the net and closer to the lines. The moon ball player uses this know-how against you.
Tip: Don't fall into this trap and let this strategy surprise you. Instead, remember that if you have high balls, orient yourself backwards on your backhand, drop the ball and then hit it at waist height. You get problems if you hit the ball between your hip and head on your backhand - ask Roger Federer.
These are three mind sets, inner attitudes that can help you in the match against the moon ball player. You will have the punches in your repertoire to beat these players. It is crucial that you are prepared for this task in your head.
Stay cool!