We tennis players are all familiar with mental pressure , whether in a training match, during league matches, or at ranking tournaments. But it's surprising to learn that professionals often face the same mental challenges during matches as any of us.
Philipp Heger, mental expert and author of the book "Mental Strength in Tennis," uses the 2020 US Open final between Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev as a concrete example to demonstrate how mental pressure affects a match, how a game can turn around, and what the highs and lows are. And one thing is certain: you will definitely recognize many parallels to your own matches, even if you don't play best-of-five matches.
It's the last match day of the season, and your team is top of the table, playing against your direct rival. Your match is the last singles of the day, and if you win, promotion is guaranteed. You can feel the anticipation from the spectators and, above all, your teammates. The match is close, and both you and your opponent are playing good tennis. Each of you wins a set. The match tiebreak will decide it. Your knees are shaking, and you're incredibly nervous. You want to push through, but you can't. You have the strength and power, but your mind is telling you: "Just keep the ball in play. Don't make a single mistake." You're trembling, and your usually fast shots are flying over the net in slow motion. But your opponent isn't getting any power behind his shots either. What's going on?
Many players are familiar with this situation! Your own mind plays tricks on you, slowing down every shot. It's a terrible feeling. Sometimes you win these awful games, but you're still not happy. Because it doesn't feel like a victory.
I would now like to use the US Open final and numerous statistics to illustrate precisely how mental pressure affects performance. Let's begin with Dominic Thiem's second match point. Thiem just carelessly squandered his first match point at 6-4. Now, at 6-5, he still has a match point for the US Open title. Zverev is now serving. Zverev opts for the safe approach and hits his first serve like he would his second. But his first serve still misses its mark. The speed of this first serve is only 138 km/h.
Zverev is now under immense pressure. He's only three measly points away from US Open triumph, but if he doesn't land this second serve, Dominic Thiem, not he, will be the new US Open champion! What happens next? Zverev stumbles his second serve, hitting it at a mere 109 km/h! And the curious thing is, he gets away with it. Because Thiem is just as nervous and tense. Instead of punishing this miss, Thiem plays a slow slice return down the middle. The rally begins and ends shortly after with another unforced error from Thiem. So far, so good. Now let's look at the whole thing from the beginning.
Both Zverev and Thiem are playing well in a tournament, with Thiem in particular showing excellent form. He has only dropped one set so far. Therefore, Thiem is the favorite going into the match. Furthermore, he has already reached three Grand Slam finals and is thus more experienced than Zverev, who is in his first Grand Slam final.
But Zverev starts brilliantly. His first serve in this match reaches 217 km/h. He consistently serves at over 200 km/h in the first set, averaging 202.5 km/h on his first serves with a success rate of almost 70%. Thiem fails to return every third Zverev serve in the first set. Zverev also commits only one double fault.
Thiem, on the other hand, seems completely nervous and unable to cope with the situation. Zverev is playing his best set of the tournament, while Thiem is probably playing his worst.
The second set continued in the same vein. Zverev dominated, applying consistent pressure, arriving at the net at the perfect moment, and practically swept the far too passive Thiem off the court. At 5-1, however, Zverev showed signs of nerves for the first time. Up until then, he had made almost no unforced errors in nearly two sets, but now he faltered. He mishit an easy volley on set point, committed two double faults at 5-2, and another at 5-4. But somehow, he managed to clinch the set. His first serve on set point for 6-4 was by far the slowest first serve of the match so far (140 km/h).
Even at this early stage, both players are feeling the immense pressure. Thiem is now in the match and is increasingly able to reach his usual level. Zverev is still playing well, and it's developing into a very even match, in which Thiem eventually manages to level the match in sets.
It's going to a decisive fifth set. Both players have their chances, but Zverev is the first to pull ahead by two games. He breaks Thiem to lead 5-3 and now has the opportunity to serve for the US Open title. Zverev's average first-serve speed in the first four sets was 201.5 km/h. In no set did his average speed drop below 200 km/h.
Up to that point, Zverev had won 36 direct service points, including 15 aces. He also won 36 free points. From 5-3 until the end of the match, Zverev didn't win a single direct service point. The average speed of his first serves when he started the match at 5-3 was only 185 km/h. This was even more drastic with his second serve, which he averaged only 126 km/h for the remainder of the match, almost 30 km/h slower than before.
Thiem managed to break back and level the score at 5-5 with some courageous play. The Austrian then broke again. But Thiem was also tense and by no means confident of victory. While Zverev's tension manifested itself primarily in a much weaker serve, Thiem, when serving for the match, was almost unable to execute his backhand.
In that match, when he was serving for the US Open title, Thiem faced eight backhand shots. He answered all eight with a slice. One could argue that this was a tactical move. But why would Thiem change his strategy when he was on the verge of victory? Especially since this "tactic" backfired completely, as Thiem lost his service game because he was far too passive with his slice.
Now, of course, what had to happen, happened. The final tiebreak would decide the match between the two friends. Neither could overcome their mental blocks, even in this decisive tiebreak. Zverev's serving woes reached their peak. His first serve averaged 185 km/h, even in the tiebreak. His second serve averaged only 124 km/h. To make matters worse, Zverev committed two double faults. Thiem, meanwhile, struggled with his slice and couldn't find the courage to follow through with his backhand until the penultimate point.
It's also interesting to note that Thiem won only 52% of his service points from 3-4 in the fifth set, while Zverev managed a dismal 42%. For these two top players, serving proved to be more of a disadvantage than an advantage in the final stages of the match.
Of course, I don't want to speak ill of these two fantastic players in any way, but rather point out that even such top athletes are only human beings who also feel immense pressure and cannot always deliver their best performance under it.
My analysis is that Zverev lacked confidence in his strength at the crucial moment, namely his first serve. Instead, he often played it like a second serve. Deep down, he doubted himself and distrusted his first serve.
Zverev dominated the match, especially in the first two sets, with his serve, playing bravely and aggressively. But even in the third and fourth sets, and even in the early stages of the fifth, his serve was very solid and consistent. Of course, there were a few double faults, but he put Thiem under immense pressure with his serve. Naturally, in such a crucial moment, especially for someone as young as Zverev, mental blocks play a role.
However, I consider it extremely important, especially during such phases, to trust in one's own strengths. At the same time, it's crucial to banish the negative voices in your mind and replace them with positive ones. Particularly at the top level, players who adopt a wait-and-see approach—which, incidentally, both players displayed in the decisive phase of the US Open final—won't achieve anything.
Like most amateur players, even seasoned professionals sometimes get their nerves get the better of them, preventing them from performing at their best. In the case of Zverev and Thiem, Zverev struggled with his usually strong serve towards the end, while Thiem could only passively slice his backhand. The pressure was too much for both players, and too many thoughts raced through their minds. They couldn't control these thoughts.
My advice to amateur players in similar situations is to look at the whole picture as rationally as possible, push aside negative thoughts and replace them with positive, better ones. Also, play bravely and use your strengths. Believe in and trust your strengths and play to them even when you're nervous and tense.
//Philipp Heger
We highly recommend reading the book "Mental Strength in Tennis." It offers an excellent overview of the complex world of mental skills, packed with data and facts, practical tips, and concrete exercises. Perhaps you'd like to read our detailed book review beforehand?
Or you can buy the book right away - here are all the facts and figures:
//Photo credit: Neuer Sportverlag
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