When you are learning something new , keep your mind open and absorb as much as you can. In the case of learning tennis, discover how you learn and what mindset you need to have to fit to your learning style to focus and pick up the game.

Many times one might be eager to get as many swings at a ball but quite aimlessly doing so. Then it dies away with just that few ball on racket impact. Did you start to think what was wrong about your stroke or how you actually deal with the difficulty? Did you start to realise how hard it was for you, or how easy and how could you then frame your mind to adjust to that outcome. It really is a self discovery through learning a sport and then we can start to form our mindset unique to us to build our game.

A positive mindset for professional players or even recreational player helps one perform.

I came across this Pre-Final read from WImbledon with Pliskova Coach, Sascha Bajin.

Sascha Bajin used to be Serena’s hitting partner and was a former coach to Naomi Osaka but I’ll just share one of the interview responses below from him.

Q. I’m doing work on Novak Djokovic who everyone says is unbeatable over five sets. How would you advise a player to approach a match against him here at Wimbledon?

SASCHA BAJIN: “Oh, man. That’s like, How do you walk on water? That’s a tough one.I think especially against these guys, if you don’t win the first two sets, it’s all tough. Like, a good example was with Rafa in Rome. I’ll just use him as an example. He was practicing. I’m not going to lie, I think the first 10 minutes he hit, like, 20 balls into the fence. But you could see it did not bother or stress him one tiny bit because he knew he was going to find his rhythm, his timing. Once he does, it’s going to be over for the competition.“

During coaching time, it is necessary to stay focus on your hit and not let outcomes affect your mindset. It’s like a domino effect, once you start playing badly and you get frustrated , chances are you’re just going to mess things up more. In this response from the coach, staying on course knowing he has good techniques , its just a matter of finding the groove and keeping the state of mind and emotions in check.

So if you are hitting out most of the time and you know that you are working on something specific such as the rhythm and feel ,you just need to manage your mood and not let it affect you until you find your groove.

Even while editing this post today, 24 Jan 2025, Djokovic withdrew from his Quarter Final match in Australia Open against Zverev although a super close 7-6 (5) score due to injury. I wonder what was going through his mind before he decided to retire. It must have been necessary to prioritise his health and good for him to do so. More interestingly, what kind of mindset must have had him pull through the first set with an injury already present and still performing at a high level.