Tennis Strategy- "I am losing."

Victoria Azarenka uset about her game.

I don't know about you but I absolutely hate losing a tennis match. I am one of the most competitive players I know and when I do not come out on top I sometimes do not think straight enough to be able to appreciate the match for what it was. So what is so bad about losing? I have lost matches in every situation, tournaments, leagues, finals, school matches and matches against my friends.

Whenever you play a tennis player that is better than you there is a lot to be learned. I often tell players not to just play people all the time that they know they can beat. To improve your tennis game you must play against better players! When I left for college I met tennis players that were much better than I was. By playing these better players day in and day out my game improved by astronomical amounts, and I was losing every day.

When you play stronger players you get to see a variety of tougher tennis. You quickly learn that you cannot get lazy or lose focus. They will hit better passing shots, deeper ground strokes, better volleys, faster serves and execute their overheads better. They will wrong foot you more often and possibly just out-power you.. Playing better players is a great motivator to help you play better tennis. If you are beating players that you play every day there is little motivation to get any better.

Serena Williams is crying on the court.

I will admit, losing to someone you know you can beat, and maybe regularly beat, really sucks! However, maybe you need to look at why you lost, look at what you need to improve, look at where you fell short, and most importantly, think about how you can do better next time. Losing is a motivator to play better tennis plain and simple.

"As soon as I step on the court I just try to play tennis and don't find excuses. You know, I just lost because I lost, not because my arm was sore." - Goran Ivanisevic.

Losing a tennis match means you that you were not the better tennis player that day. That is OK, take it for what it is worth, let it motivate you, and keep on trying. To me, allowing my tennis game to improve is more important than winning a weekly match against the same group of players.

Rafael Nadal, losing to David Ferer at Australian Open 2010

You learn a lot more by losing then you do by winning. We learn more when we are down and going through trials and tribulations. This is sports, and losing is part of it.
You analyze what you did wrong and take defeat humbly. Everyone in sports has these days. It is not always going to go your way, but next time you might win and u will have your good days.

“I am losing” Tips from Timur Kamilov:

1. A match is a marathon- not a sprint, just because I’m losing doesn’t mean that I will lose the match.
2.  Collect yourself and pump yourself up.
3. Say “good shot,” it will take pressure off.
4. Do not think about the score.
5. Play your way back into the match, do not blast the balls.
6. Slow down, take your time between points, and control the pace of the match.
7. Concentrate on each point and stay focused.
8. Have positive body language on the court.
9. Do not stop competing, fight for every point.
10. You can get back into this match.