The four rituals the pros use to stay cool and focused in a match
How do the best players in the world manage to perform at their best over long matches? Tennis insider Marco Kühn has made observations on this.
by Marco Kühn
last edit: Jan 28, 2023, 10:44 am
You beat yourself seven times out of ten, right? Last summer at a LK tournament I saw a game between two players of the same skill level. Both played strong forehands and rock-solid backhands. The serve was a shaky affair on both sides. Especially the second serve was a throw-in in some pressure situations. There were more breaks than in women's tennis. And yet the match was not decided by a playful component.
No, one of the two boys talked himself down the whole time. It started at 2-2 in the first set. A score that actually offers no basis for emotional outbursts. He cursed his mistakes, his shot decisions and a few place errors. Even between his first and second serve he used the time and scolded himself. As an observer, one noticed: Yep, this playfully strong player had a fixed ritual: swearing.
In this article, I want to share four rituals with you that will help you get ahead in your matches. Swearing only works for very few players. Andy Murray comes to mind right now. Formerly John McEnroe. But otherwise? Let's see which rituals the pros use to play more focused, calm and concentrated in important match situations.
What are rituals?
Before an important league game, you really feel the jet. You're not just tense. You paint horror pictures in your mind. Your arm seems as heavy as lead when you want to fully pull through your forehand, which is actually dreaded, on the pitch. That, dear tennis friend, is a ritual. You repeat this ritual, unconsciously, before every championship game. Rituals are recurring patterns of thought and behavior. But we want to use rituals in such a way that they help us. They should allow us to "reset" the match. They should give us structure and calm for the best possible tennis. In the following lines we will see how the professionals implement this in the match.
Are rituals something mystical?
No way. Rationally, our entire game of tennis is made up of rituals and habits. For example, we can have the habit of looking for the winner from the third shot in the rally. For example, we have the ritual of tapping the ball before the first serve. So a ritual has nothing to do with a mystery. Every player, no matter how little they think of rituals, has already internalized their own rituals in how they behave in a match.
Now let's see how the pros use rituals to stay cool and focused.
Tsitsipas dance
He always seems a little hectic. As if he couldn't find peace. Did you notice? Before a return, Stefanos Tsitsipas runs up and down the baseline. Three steps towards the baseline. Then he turns and takes three steps back. Then he turns around. Zack, then it's back towards the baseline. Like an excited patient waiting in the waiting room for his diagnosis.
This ritual, which seems hectic to the viewer, is the source of strength and calm for the lanky Greek. What is striking is his downward gaze. When it comes to tennis, people like to talk about a "tunnel". With this ritual, Tsitsipas takes himself out of the match and the moment. He can collect himself mentally, process negative emotions and mentally plan the next rally. A much better option than standing at the baseline in annoyance and shaking your head in disbelief. Or not? You can use this ritual if you are a hectic player who rushes from point to point. The short periods between your rallies are important. It makes a difference whether you go into the next rally frustrated or cool and focused. The Tsitsipas dance is perfect for more rest before an important return.
The Zverev ticker
Do you remember the double fault days? Alexander Zverev served double errors reliably and almost on order. This automatism has been a thing of the past for some time. Well, they still sneak in every now and then. But on the whole, Zverev got the problem under control. To be honest, I don't know whether the ritual that follows is responsible for this. But what we do know: The Zverev ticker ritual is a small secret weapon for more calm and concentration before the serve.
The ritual works very simply. Zverev ticks the ball directly onto the baseline in the serve preparation. He reminds himself to aim correctly. From a psychological point of view, this ritual, you could almost call it a small task, is very intelligent. Sascha redirects his frustrated thoughts to an attention task. The professor of cognitive psychology, Stefan van der Stigchel, once explained to me that we can only really concentrate on one thing. If you concentrate on hitting the line with the ball before you serve, then you automatically concentrate fully on the ball. Is there anything more important before your serve than you and the felt ball? Hardly likely. So this ritual is also a really cool concentration technique. You prepare yourself ideally for your serve. In your rush, just don't forget to do this ritual before your second serve as well. You know how it is with the nerves between the first and second serve.
The Rafa move
Yes, the Rafa was and still is smiled at by many because of his rituals. But hey, he plays pretty solid tournament tennis. So there must be something to these customs. I don't want to go into too much detail about his pre-serve fumbling rituals in this part. We have already discussed the Zverev ritual for your serve.
Another cool Rafa ritual is avoiding the lines when marching to the bench. He doesn't step on the lines. Is that an omen for him? I don't know, but I would guess something else. I am convinced that this ritual gives him a certain structure. You know how scattered your thoughts can be during a match.
Avoiding the lines probably gives him some basic security. I remember a match he played at Roland Garros. He played far too short at the beginning. In addition, he sprinkled in a few mistakes that were not known from him. Especially not in his "living room". After playing a couple of first really good winners and marching to the break in his matador fashion, he looked at the red ash, concentrated on avoiding the lines and it seemed like a switch had flipped for him. You could almost hear the thought in his head: "Okay, all right, now it's working - I'm in the flow!".
You can think for yourself which similar rituals (or of course Rafa's Move ritual, more about that in the summary below) can give you a structure for your game.
We continue with the mental giant who makes as many unforced mistakes in a year as other pros in an entire match.
The Djokovic eyes
Unfortunately, I can't promise you countless returns directly at the feet of your frustrated opponents with the ritual that follows. But Novak Djokovic's wide open eyes, usually before an important return, are a fixed ritual for an increased focus on the next rally. In doing so, he takes his opponent in his sights. He stands upright, takes a deep breath, opens his eyes wide, breathes out calmly. Then he stands in his return position, bends his knees a little and awaits the opponent's serve.
This complete process brings the Djoker into the previously mentioned tunnel. This tunnel allows him to check off the last point and direct all his concentration to the next shot, the return. Several years ago Novak Djokovic said in an interview that he would see the ball as big as a melon. He meant that in a positive way, of course. This statement underscores the importance of watching the film ball. I wouldn't be surprised if widening your eyes is a "tool" to better focus the ball, especially on important returns.
summary
What can you take away from this article for your tennis? You already have fixed rituals in your game and in your behavior on the court. Try to find out three of these rituals in a little self-analysis. You may get angry too quickly after making a slight mistake or two. Maybe you're putting your opponent on a pedestal too quickly. But it can also be that you lose your concentration too quickly. All of this can be traced back to fixed processes that keep recurring. They're rituals.
In the next step you got to know four rituals of the professionals. These are all positive rituals to help you stay cooler in the madness of a tennis match. You don't need to incorporate all four rituals into your game. That would be a bit much. First, grab a ritual and think about how you might use it in your next match. The Tsitsipas dance helps you when you're too nervous. You don't have to imitate the ritual 1:1 either. Instead, you can think about how you can adapt the Tsitsipas dance for you personally. For example, you could move sideways before a return. You could turn your back to the opponent and take just three steps. There are various options for taking a ritual as a basis for ideas and making something of your own out of it.
In the last step you can specify how often you want to use the ritual. Should it just be a kind of anchor for you when things don't go well in the match? Or do you want to form it into a fixed ritual? This is different for many players. In mental coaching I have seen some players who were able to implement this "anchor idea" ideally for themselves. On the other hand, I think it's smarter if you build a ritual into your game. In the long run it will then be easier for you to use this effectively in the match. A Rafa tugs at himself before every serve. He doesn't just do that when he's hopelessly behind. This ritual is an integral part of his tennis character.
How are things going for you now? Think about what rituals can improve your game in the future. What new behavioral patterns can characterize your tennis character? I wish you lots of fun and success answering these questions!