By Billy Freer
Illustrations by Maria Rendon

Confidence. It’s the difference between your best days on the tennis court and your worst. As a tennis professional, "confidence" is a word I hear many times a day. Confidence is elusive — it can come and go seemingly without cause — yet it is a "must-have" ingredient if you are to play at the top of your game. I define confidence quite simply as your state of mind when you envision a successful performance. It sounds so simple, yet confidence is difficult to harness, day in and day out.

Wouldn’t it be nice if confidence could be purchased in a bottle? Simply go to the pro shop counter and purchase your bottle of confidence, take two teaspoons one hour before you play, and shazam, you will have confidence when you walk on the court. Goodbye to the emotional ups and downs of the game of tennis and hello to a reliable, close-to-perfect performance every time you play.

No, indeed it would not be nice!

Remember, your opponents also could have their confidence in a bottle and they too would be close to the top of their game every time they play.

I think bottled confidence would take away the most important element of the game — that psychological aspect of tennis that tries to test us every time we play. Without the extreme lows of a terrible performance because of a lack of confidence, we could not enjoy the emotional highs we get when confidence is firmly in place and your game gets in the "zone."

Imagine a spaceship landing on Earth and a Martian scout’s explanation of what he saw the Earthlings doing? "The Earthlings were running around inside a cage, with a goofy-looking stick in their hands, and chasing after a little funny, fuzzy sphere. And, strangely, they were getting very emotional and intense about the activity."

The physical concept of tennis, if you think about it, is rather simple. And the psychological and emotional aspects of the sport make the game challenging. Therefore, it’s up to you to maximize your chance to harness confidence every time you play. Confidence will develop as you become more successful. The catch is, success comes mostly when you are confident — a typical "chicken and egg" scenario.

STEPS TOWARD CONFIDENCE
So where do you start? I won’t offer you a guarantee, but if you follow a few simple steps, your chances of gaining confidence will improve enormously. One thing is for sure: Playing tennis without confidence is no fun and you will seldom win. So, if tennis is the game you play for fun and satisfaction, here is your formula for building confidence:

Get to the tennis club early. Do not expect to find confidence if you are rushed or thinking about the day’s difficulties at the office. Stretch and exercise before you go on the court. Think about your tennis game with your racket in hand, making some imaginary strokes at an imaginary ball. Have you ever noticed how good you are when you play imaginary tennis? Seldom do you miss. Confidence begins to build as you imagine successful shots.

Warm up correctly. I often see players making sloppy swings in the warm-up. When asked, they will answer, "Well, it’s only the warm-up." In my opinion, it is essential to make technically sound strokes at the ball in the warm-up in order to build confidence. That’s why it is so important to stretch prior to walking onto the tennis court so that you are physically capable of making correct strokes in the early stages of the warm-up. Every good shot you make in the warm-up is a step toward gaining confidence. Every bad shot you make works to destroy confidence. Your footwork must be as good in the warm-up as in the match.

Start the match strong. It’s academic: If you really want to win, you will have adrenaline released into your system. Adrenaline without confidence causes nervousness. Adrenaline with confidence gets you psyched up. You are ready to play. Have a simple game plan in place and stay focused on its execution. If you make an unforced error, go over the shot in your mind, visualizing the correct execution. If your opponent forces you into an error or beats you outright, congratulate him or her, bear down, and prepare for the next point.

Maintain confidence. Confidence is only a visitor. It will stay as long as you care for it. It will immediately leave if you take it for granted. How many times have you won the first set easily and entered the second set thinking you were a superior player, only to come unglued and lose the match in three? Remember, your opponent will try to get a fresh start in the second set. It can be easy for your opponent to gain confidence because, after having lost the first set, the pressure is off and he or she is resigned to the possibility of a loss. This is when an opponent is most dangerous. The fear of losing has dissipated, the adrenaline rush has settled down, and concentration is on the execution of a game plan. Therefore, your job is to start the second set as intensely as the first and prevent any increase in your opponent’s confidence. A note: Sometimes we take confidence for granted and take low percentage shots. That sort of thinking can let your opponent get a foot in the door and, as you know, once your opponent’s foot is in the door, you might not be able to close it.

Confidence doesn’t sleep over. Every one of us has had the experience of playing with the ultimate feeling of confidence, which has become known as "zoning." After having won your match, you leave the tennis club walking on cloud nine, telling yourself that your game has entered a new phase of improvement. You think your newly found confidence is going to take you to new highs as a tennis player and it is time to start playing with substantially stronger players. You can’t wait to get to the courts the next day. However, the next day you are rushed getting to the club and, because you had a tough day at work, you have difficulty getting your mind away from the office. You don’t stretch and warm up your body properly and your on-court warm-up is substandard. Based on yesterday’s performance, however, you think it doesn’t matter. When the match starts, you will be the player that you were yesterday. Wrong. Confidence does not sleep over. You have to earn it every single time you play.

MIND GAMES
Confidence is a very broad term that encompasses many concepts, such as mental toughness, tournament toughness, in the zone, positive visualization, and many more. My coach used to joke that tennis is 80 percent mental and the other 20 percent is also mental. Of course, we know that much of the game depends on the soundness of your strokes and your physical fitness and ability. After all, these things also help to achieve success, and success breeds confidence. So, honing the physical aspects of your game is critical to a good mental approach. It also is important to have a clear understanding of "percentage tennis." Based on pure physics, certain shots have better chances of working in certain situations than others. Your chances of success are higher if you try a percentage shot and, of course, if you try a low-percentage shot, your chances of success are lower. Remember: Success breeds confidence. If you think that you are lacking in the knowledge of "percentage tennis," then consult with your club pro.

Some will say that you can only become mentally set for tournament play by playing in tournaments — I think they are correct. Many times in my career, I have felt supremely confident in practice prior to a tournament, but felt overwhelmed with nervousness in my first tournament match. In order to be tournament tough, practice as if you were playing in a tournament match and, of course, play as many tournaments as you can.

Finally, a word about weather. Some folks contend that certain adverse weather conditions, such as wind or heat, interfere with confidence and the ability to perform well. The fact is that, whatever the conditions, they are the same on both sides of the court. The player with the more positive approach toward dealing with such conditions has the best chance of success. To illustrate, here’s a story I often pass along to members. It’s about "Sticks" Schroeder. I grew up playing with Sticks, who was 6 feet tall and weighed no more than 155 pounds — hence the nickname. Sticks preferred to play against me on windy days because he used the wind to his advantage. More important, he knew that I was inclined to become frustrated. (I since have learned better.) So, deal with the circumstances at hand and let absolutely nothing interfere with your ability to gain confidence. It makes tennis more fun and rewarding.

Confidence in a bottle? Definitely not! It would spoil this wonderful sport called tennis.

Billy Freer is director of tennis at Brookhaven Country Club near Dallas. Earlier this year, the U.S. Tennis Association named Brookhaven Racquet Club the 2003 USTA Member Organization of the Year. In addition to the national recognition, Brookhaven is the reigning 2003 Member Organization of the Year for the USTA Texas section. Now that ought to give them confidence!