Preparation · Mindset
Knowing yourself to perform in tennis
Knowing yourself to perform in tennis means knowing exactly what you do well, what troubles you, how you react under pressure and why you play. You build this knowledge by reviewing your matches, listening to a coach and seeking varied experiences, then turn it into game plans that suit you.
Key takeaways
- Four areas to know: your technique, your fitness, your mental functioning and your tactical preferences.
- Knowing your weaknesses is an asset: your opponent will look for them, so you may as well have anticipated them.
- Three sources of insight: self-reflection after every match, feedback from a coach or partner, and a variety of playing situations.
- The end goal: a game plan that puts your weapons forward and protects your weak spots.
Why do you need to know yourself to perform in tennis?
A player often mirrors their personality on court: the way they approach points, react to errors and handle the score. Knowing yourself, physically and mentally, lets you make the most of your strengths, manage your weaknesses and adapt your strategy to each situation.
Without that knowledge, you endure the match: you play the same shots whatever the opponent, get angry without knowing why and lose “winnable” matches. With it, you make decisions. It is one of the foundations of mental preparation for tennis.
What do you need to know about yourself?
| Area | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Technique | What is my most reliable shot? Which one breaks down under pressure? |
| Fitness | Am I more of an endurance or an explosive player? How do I finish a long match? |
| Mind | How do I react when trailing? What makes me lose focus? |
| Tactics | Do I prefer to attack or defend? Which type of player troubles me? |
Why is it essential to know your weaknesses?
Improving is not only about building on your qualities. On court, opponents will inevitably try to exploit your gaps. If you know them, you can anticipate: position yourself to avoid them, prepare a response, or even turn them into a trap (a low backhand slice, for example, to break an attacker’s rhythm).
How can you get to know yourself better?
1. Reflect after every match
Step back after every practice or match. Identify the moments when you excelled and those when you struggled. What threw you: the wind, your opponent’s game, the score? A match notebook makes this reflection regular and reveals patterns.
2. Get an outside view
A coach, a hitting partner or even an opponent sees things you do not. Ask for precise feedback: “where did I get pulled out of position?”, “when did I stop playing my game?”. Match video is also an excellent mirror.
3. Understand your motivation
Why do you play? Love of competition, pushing your limits, the pleasure of the game, the social side… Knowing your motivation helps you stay committed when results are slow to come, and set goals that mean something to you.
4. Seek variety
Play on different surfaces, against varied styles, in different weather. Each new situation reveals a reaction, strength or weakness you did not know about, and builds your adaptability.
How do you turn self-knowledge into performance?
Build a game plan that suits you
Once you know your strengths and weaknesses, build your plan around them. If your forehand is your best weapon, organise play so you hit it often (serve out wide, then forehand, for example). If your backhand is less reliable, work on your positioning so it is not exposed too often. The main principles are in our guide to tennis tactics.
Adapt to each opponent
Every opponent has their own strengths and weaknesses. The better you know yourself, the faster you know which adjustment to make: hit deeper, vary, come to the net. This flexibility is precious in tricky matches, such as against a lower-ranked player (see beating a lower-ranked opponent).
Manage your mental states
Knowing what makes you doubt or tighten up lets you prepare the answer: a routine, a breath, a simple instruction. It is also the basis of lasting self-confidence, grounded in what you know you can do.
At a camp, a coach’s daily eye speeds this work up: an initial assessment, goals, feedback after each session. That is the idea behind the Performance Camp Adult.
AdultsFull daysAll levelsPerformance Camp AdultA week of intensive tennis, 4 players per coach: technique, match play, physical and mental training.DISCOVER The keys to knowing yourself as a player
- Honesty: look at your matches as they are, without excuses.
- Regularity: a short review after each match beats a big annual assessment.
- Openness: accept outside feedback, even when it stings.
- Constant adaptation: you change, so does your self-knowledge.
How does a coach help you know yourself better?
It is hard to watch yourself in the middle of a match. A coach’s eye gives you what feel alone cannot: facts. How many points you win behind your first serve, which shot breaks down when the score gets tight, how your footwork changes at the end of a set. Video and a few simple statistics confirm or correct the picture you have of your own game.
Knowing the player is the starting point of the Mouratoglou Method, which tailors every training plan to the individual. At the Mouratoglou Academy on the French Riviera (Biot, near Nice), coaches use this assessment to set priorities; discover the Academy. To go further, see our guides to physical and mental preparation, pre-match routines and staying relaxed on court.
Frequently asked questions
How do you identify your strengths and weaknesses in tennis?
Review your matches (where did you win and lose points?), ask a coach for their view and film yourself. A match notebook kept over several weeks brings out clear patterns.
Should you work on your strengths or your weaknesses?
Both, but differently. You develop strengths into weapons, and work on weaknesses so they stop costing points, while protecting them tactically in matches.
Why do I play worse in matches than in practice?
Often because pressure changes how you react: tension, cautious choices, loss of focus. Pinpointing exactly what changes in matches is the first step to fixing it, with routines and pressure drills.
How do you keep a tennis training journal?
After each session or match, write a few lines on what worked, what didn’t and how you felt that day (tiredness, stress, timing). Add the score and two or three concrete facts, such as your backhand errors under pressure. Read back every month, the journal reveals patterns your memory erases and helps you set precise goals with your coach.
How do I know if I am an attacking or a defensive player?
Look at how you win your points: if you often finish them yourself, from the baseline or at the net, your profile is attacking; if you win them on your opponent’s errors after long rallies, it is more defensive. Both profiles win matches. On the Performance Camp Adult, coaches help you identify your profile and build your game around it.
