6 Ways to Win the Mental Battle in Doubles

Many players lack the tools to help them overcome the various hurdles that pop up in a match and to propel them to achieve exactly what their doubles skills deserve – winning. Here are six tools to help put you in that mentally tough place that makes winning a heck of a lot easier -- and losing a very difficult option.

[if !supportLists]1. [endif]Maintain Perspective. Once you get onto the court (if not before), you and your partner need to start working together for the one cause -- to win the match. The best way to do that is for both of you to get your heads into the match as soon as possible and keep them there for its duration. That means that all of your thoughts are centered entirely on the match and ignore anything else that will only cause a distraction.

[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Keep yourselves in the present and in the now if you want to maximize your performance and minimize interference from any mental hurdles that may arise.

[if !supportLists]3. [endif]Any dialogue between the two of you (and to yourself in your head) must strictly be about what is happening right now in the match because it is the only thing you can control.

[if !supportLists]4. [endif]You must avoid talking about the things (both good and bad) you both cannot control, such as the past. Avoid statements like "I can't believe how bad I was in the last service game," or even, "How good was the drop shot I just played?"

[if !supportLists]5. [endif]The same holds true for future events, such as, "What can we do to make sure I hold my serve next time around?"

[if !supportLists]6. [endif]Your concentration must be fully focused on what is happening now, which means the next point and nothing else is all you can control.