Mental coach Michael Berrer answers questions about "Mental Health", Episode 2
In the second part of our series of articles, former German tennis pro Michael Berrer answers questions on the multifaceted topic of "mental health".
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Feb 20, 2023, 08:02 pm
Ex-DTB player Michael Berrer has fully arrived after his tennis career. The 42-year-old from Stuttgart, who was able to climb to 37th place in the ATP ranking during his active sports career, now works as a management consultant and mental coach. His clients include athletes as well as well-known companies such as Porsche.It is always Berrer's aim to exploit the potential of its customers as far as possible. tennisnet.com also answered questions from the Davis Cup starter. In a multi-part article series, the likeable Baden-Württemberger provides insight and expertise on the subject of "mental health".
tennisnet.com: Let's start today's session with a really nice general question: What can youtake with you from sport for life?
Michael Berrer: I think a lot. First of all, motivation and setting goals. Sometimes in life I need goals. You can't always do that. I'm not a fan of saying, 'What do you want to be in five years?' I find that a bit odd these days. But of course you can also work that way. Definitely: setting goals is very, very important. What motivates me? What drives me out of bed in the morning? That was a "no brainer" in tennis. So I knew I had to go on the track now because I want to be able to play three sets with Nadal in three weeks. So think in terms of consequences. If I do that now, then I'm not in the mood for it, but I have to do it. That's the same as: I have to issue an invoice so that I have my money in my account in three or eight weeks. I don't like doing that, but I just have to. So that is, because so think in these chains. An athlete always has to think in chains, even in the long term. I do it when I'm 16 so I'll be on top by the time I'm 20.
And if something doesn't work the way it should?
Then we come to the topic of resilience. How do I deal with setbacks? And that is one of the most important issues for me. I always notice how people are completely thrown out of control when something doesn't work out so well. But to be honest, it's no different in tennis. If you lose on Tuesday, you'll be playing in qualifying for the next tournament on Saturday if things go badly. So there are enough opportunities and I have to find a mechanism to deal with them relatively quickly. And I just noticed for myself that the first thing is acceptance, to say, okay, that's how it is now. Nobody can turn back time anymore. Perhaps we can briefly analyze what the problem was. "Lessons learned" is also not entirely unimportant, and is only done in the rarest of cases. And then check them off and prepare for the next thing or do the next things so that it becomes successful again. It's actually a very simple process. And then you can't get into a negative phase, because you're already busy with the next game. I think that's extremely important.
You can perhaps see the whole thing in even smaller parts, because in the end every point you play is a mini-decision. When I'm at the net, do I volley to the right or to the left? And of course that can go haywire. But then I can't immediately say today is a bad day, I have to be ready for the next point. That means that as a tennis player you have to constantly refocus, rebuild. And that's certainly something that you can use incredibly well in your private life - or in your professional life.
Absolutely. I think that's the good thing about sport. You have an advantage, you get a direct consequence. You get instant feedback. Sometimes it isn't, but in most cases it is. And I'm a big advocate of the right mindset, which includes a good physical appearance, no matter what the actual situation is. When you come to work in the morning and there are six people in the office with you and you're in a really bad mood. Of course, then you can just be the one who pulls everyone's energy out. It can happen. But I expect 80% of people to come in with a good mindset. And then look for someone where they can vomit or cry. And that also has a lot to do with self-conversation. It's always amazing when you're in the lower leagues with association players. Every ball is commented on, there is only negative talk. And these are things that you have to practice. That means you have to practice using positive self-talk. Because you are your best friend. And when I have to give a presentation in front of 600 executives, my heart sinks too. But then? Then I just imagine how great it will be afterwards and how happy everyone will be. Then I give myself the double fist again like on the tennis court, go in there and do it. And to be honest: in most cases, the worst that can happen isn't that the world is going to end, but that something just doesn't add up.
If you think the worst too often, the focus can't be right, can it?
That's the way it is. In sports, you have to be able to quickly focus on and hide things. I find it difficult these days. A second there on Instagram, then there on the website, then there, there, there, ... That's a learning for me, to be able to hide things that are not relevant and to focus on the essential things, the important, to focus. To be able to judge what I should pay attention to. I think I learned that in sports. And I think that's very, very important. That means someone can yell at me, want to irritate me and I try to keep my attention focused on what is relevant. And the fourth thing we can learn in sport - even as tennis players - is the topic of "teaming" . Think of it this way: We tennis players pay our coaches to criticize us. But I won't get any better without this criticism. So a very interesting situation. Some companies are now doing this very, very well in that they have their own screening program for athletes that they bring into their company. Because at the end of the day, we're like CEOs who pay people to make us better consultants. And this realization is so incredibly important: that you can't do it alone.
If you have any questions about "mental health in sport", please send them to us at: redaktion@tennisnet.com. We will forward your question (anonymously if you wish) to Michael Berrer and will publish it here in future issues. Together we raise awareness of the need for mental health!