The life of a professional tennis player is stressful. There are many things that they can worry about and which can make them depressed, angry, frustrated, and distracted, all of which will hurt their tennis. Unfortunately, many players, pros or junior players, worry about the wrong things. The big problem is that people get stressed out about things over which they have absolutely no control, i.e., they can’t do a thing about them. In a tennis player’s life, there are some things they should think about and other they shouldn’t.

Things that you should pay attention to are those things over which you do have control. These things include your physical condition, effort, attitude, thoughts, emotions, behavior, equipment, preparation, and performance. All of these are within your control, so by thinking about them and working on them, you can improve. Things that should not affect players include opponents’ attitudes, thoughts, emotions, behavior, and performances, coaches, officials, seeding, weather, and court conditions.

The next time you find that yourself worrying about something, ask yourself one question: “Is the thing that I am worried about under my control?” If it is not, let it go and focus on things you can control. If it is within your control, instead of worrying about, do something about it!

Remember, “The human body is the only thing we have that we can control to some degree, and the mental control the physical.”