Mental Skills Every High School Tennis Player Needs This Season

Tennis is one of the only sports where you have time to think between every single point. Between points, in that walk back to the baseline, your mind can go one of two places. It can stay right here, in this point, on this shot. 

OR

It can drift to the double fault you just hit, the score, or what your coach might be thinking. That small shift in thought is where matches get lost, even when your strokes are working just fine.

So what is the good news…? A strong mental game is totally trainable, just like your serve or your footwork. Here are six skills to start building this season.

1. Bring Your Mind Back to Right Now

Tennis doesn't let you "settle in" like some other sports. One point can be over in three seconds, and then you have twenty seconds to reset before the next one starts. If you spend that time replaying the last point or worrying about the next one, you're not actually present for the point in front of you.

Being present just means your attention is on what you can control, right now: your breath, your footwork, your next shot. Not the score, the last error, or who's watching. A simple way to practice this: between points, pick one physical anchor, like the strings on your racquet, or your shoelaces. Look at it for a second before you walk back to the baseline. It sounds small, but it gives your brain something concrete to focus on instead of spiraling.

2. Talk to Yourself Like You'd Talk to Your Teammate

You would never tell your doubles partner “you are playing terrible today" after one bad game. But a lot of players say exactly that to themselves, out loud or in their head, multiple times a match.

Your self-talk isn't just background noise, it directly affects your confidence, your focus, and even your muscles. Harsh self-talk tends to tighten you up, which makes your strokes worse, which gives you more to be harsh about. It's a cycle, and you can break it.

This doesn't mean pretending everything's great. It means being honest and useful. Instead of thinking "I'm so bad today," try something like "That's not my shot. Reset and go again." Short, calm, forward-looking.

3. Use Your Breath to Reset Your Body

When you're nervous or frustrated, your breathing changes to get short and high in your chest. This small breathing shift can make you feel rushed and tight, even if nothing is actually wrong. The fix is simple and it works! Take a few slow, deep breaths between points can bring your heart rate and your head back down, so you can actually execute the game plan you practiced.

4. Build a Routine You Trust

Ever notice how the best players do almost the exact same thing before every single serve? Bounce the ball the same number of times, take the same breath, set their feet the same way. This is a mental anchor that you can lean on with consistency.

A consistent pre-point routine gives your brain a job to do instead of spinning out about the score or the last point. It doesn't have to be complicated. Even three steps, take a breath, look at your target, bounce the ball twice. Whatever it is for you, it is enough to signal to your body to say, “we've done this a thousand times, we've got this.”

5. Let Go of Mistakes Fast

Every player, at every level, hits bad shots. The difference between players who have one bad game and players who have one bad point is how fast they let it go. Holding onto a mistake, like replaying it or getting frustrated at yourself, steals your focus from the point that's actually in front of you. Give yourself permission to be annoyed for about three seconds, and then make a decision to move forward and focus on the next play, next move, next hit.

6. Carry Yourself Like You Belong Out There

Your body language talks. It is sending a message to your opponent, your coach, your teammates, and to yourself. Slumped shoulders, a dropped head, and a slow walk after a bad point don't just look defeated, they can actually make you feel more defeated. You don't have to fake being happy about a bad shot. But you can control your posture: shoulders back, head up, steady pace between points. Confident body language, even when you don't fully feel it yet, helps your mind catch up to your posture instead of the other way around.

Bringing It All Together

You don't have to master all six of these overnight, and you don't have to be perfect at any of them by your first match. What matters is that you start paying attention to where your mind goes between points, how you talk to yourself after a mistake, to your breath, your posture, your routine. Every one of these is a skill you build one match, one practice, one point at a time, the same way you built your forehand. The players who handle pressure well are not the ones who never feel nervous or frustrated. They are the ones who've simply practiced what to do with it. This season is a great time to start.