How to train for your first tournament
If you’re reading this you took the jump and signed up for your first tournament. I just want to applaud you for making it to this stage of your tennis journey! If you’ve been thinking about joining one but not sure if you’re ready you can learn more about your level in our blog post De-Mystifying your Level to see if you are ready. Spoiler Alert, you can start entering tennis tournaments as early as a 2.5 level or above! *
Playing a tournament is a great way to let your competitive side out. It’s exciting to get out there but at the same time we know that there can be some anxiety when it comes to performance and whether you might play badly. Not to worry, this guide will provide and navigate you through all of those unanswered questions.
Here are 8 tips to help you have a successful match day.
Let go of expectations
One of the biggest surprises in the tennis world this year was when the 19 year old polish female player Iga Swiatek won the women's Roland Garros without dropping a set. She said it best after one of her matches “So happy I managed to keep my expectations low and standards high”
This is the same principal I share with my players - To keep your expectations low and standards high. Going into your first tournament you’d want to prepare for it the best you can so go in with a mindset of learning.
Learn and get to know your game, your strengths, weaknesses and how you can begin to build opponent awareness under pressure. The best time to learn is under pressure, so as much as you’d like to win, managing the internal game will help your tennis in the long run.
The key to a successful competitive play is learning how to adapt to these situations under pressure and change what isn’t working as fast as you can in the match. Setting your mindset is so important to set the tone of how you will take on tournaments again.
Invest in rallies and practice matches
When it comes to tournaments it is about knowing how to win points. We all have seen that one player that has weird wacky strokes but ended up winning the match. How? He/She knew how to not just play but actually win points.
Working on your strokes can only take you so far, if you’re worried about how you’re not following through with your forehand while your opponent is thinking about how he is going to open up the court to attack your weak backhand (not saying you have a weak backhand) but see who is going to win here?
The best way to practice this is by playing more points and matches. Break the Love’s Rallies and Round Robins are a great way to get you started into that point-play mindset. If you're trying to work on your net game or footwork when under pressure, Paddle Tennis is also a fun way to practice both. I suggest, giving yourself one week before your tournament to get acclimatized.
Let go of perfectionism
There is a time and space for everything, so this is the time to focus on winning points. During match day let go of perfectionism and save the forehand upgrades for after the tournament.
The best players learn to let go of control and let go of the outcome, if you can start implementing what they have been doing for many years you’ll not only have a long successful competitive journey but cut out many years understanding what to focus on when entering tournaments.
Stay consistent with your training
Having a good tournament day is about how comfortable, confident you are with your shots, movement and how you win points. Stay consistent with your training and I would suggest playing between 2-4 times a week and 2-4 weeks before if you can.
The more you train consistently, the more you get to understand your game, your shots which will add to your confidence and with the right mindset it will definitely be rewarded during tournament day.
Be prepared the night before
You’ve made it to the night before, all the training, point play and practice has been consistent the past two weeks. You invested yourself into preparing for this tournament and the time has finally come but you feel a little nervous and I want to tell you that you are not alone, everyone goes through this the night before a tournament so the best thing you can do is prepare your body and mind for a good rest.
Eat well and hydrate. You want to have energy to sustain the next day but not over doing it, allow yourself to do your normal nightly routine and if you still find yourself being nervous pause, take 3 deep breaths and switch the words nervous to being excited. “I am so excited for tomorrow” with a smile.
Don’t compare yourself to others
“Comparison is the thief of joy” - Theodore Roosevelt
Your journey into playing tournaments is uniquely your own. Comparing ourselves to better players is hurtful to our progress and moving forward. Stay in the moment and play each point one at a time.
Have fun on tournament day
Our best advice to competing is: to have fun. Having fun allows you to stay relaxed and be present which will help you perform better on match day.
It is easy to fall into a hole of negative self-talk when you’re nervous and start making silly mistakes that you normally don’t do in practice. If you find yourself in that position - slow down, take your time in between points and take deep breaths. What I teach my players when they experience this is to take a 4:8 breath. Inhale for four seconds and exhale for eight and remind yourself you’re there to have fun.
Try not to put unnecessary pressure on yourself and just go out there and do what you know how to do and take it one point at a time. Best matches are won when you’re playing free with no expectations.
You’ve been consistent with your training and prepared the best you could, then you know that you’ve put it all out there. Anyone coming out of the court knowing they gave it all they have no matter the outcome is a winner in every pro’s book.
Take mental notes and write them down after the match
After your matches it is helpful to learn what you did that was effective and what wasn’t working too well.
What were some of the shots that you struggled with the most?
- Shots that were winning you points - Serve, forehand, volleys?
- Where did you like to stand? - back in the baseline/Rushing to the net?
- How did you feel before/during/after the matches?
Taking these notes down will help expand your awareness of yourself and as well as your opponent which is a great mental foundation of becoming a strong competitive player moving forward.
By: Ariez Elyaas is a former Davis Cup player for Malaysia and was ranked in the professional circuit for both singles and doubles. When he’s not on the court, he is a mindset coach helping athletes prioritize their mental health and perform better through conscious awareness.