How To Build Self-Confidence in Tennis — SS #39

You’ve experienced it, I’m sure. Or maybe you’ve seen your child, if you’re a parent, or a player, if you’re a coach, walk onto the court with absolute self-confidence and surety in their skills. You might have noticed a strut in their step or the way they bounce their ball or twirl their racket that made you think, “Oh yeah, they’re feeling it today.”

If you’ve been in this position, maybe it was during the warm-up where everything seemed to hit the sweet spot of your racket, and the ball seemed easy to track regardless of how your opponent was hitting it. Or maybe when it was 30-30, you stepped up to the line knowing you were going to unleash a sidewinder slice on your opponent that would get them off the court or at least deliver a weak return to you.

Self-confidence is something we’ve all experienced, I hope, and enjoyed the feeling of playing with.

But, unfortunately, for many people, this feeling—whether for themselves or the tennis players closest to them—is fleeting. Here for a match, disappearing the next. Here for a tournament. Out for the next few months.

What’s worse is the fixed or rigid idea that, “Some players have it… and others don’t. She’s just born to be a confident player while he’s just not cut from the same cloth.”

While trait confidence and personality characteristics do come into play, the research disagrees. There are ways we can build up confidence in ourselves and our athletes.

We’re going to cover them in today’s issue.

To do so, we’re going to rely on Lauer and Chung’s (2010) recounting of Weinberg and Gould’s (2007) writing on how self-confidence is built through six specific avenues.

#1: Previous Success Or Mastery or Skill or Tactic

It’s no surprise that this is the first one on the list. Drawing on memories of past success and knowing that you’ve been able to deliver under pressure is a powerful source of self-confidence. Players like Novak Djokovic—and legends of the game such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams—have a vast reservoir of self-confidence to draw upon, built through years of triumphs on the biggest stages. Past experiences of success lay the foundation for believing you can perform when it matters most. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle: win often, gain confidence, and use that confidence to continue winning.

The second part of this component is displaying mastery. Example? Ever spent weeks fine-tuning a component or skill in your game so that when match time came around, you were rock solid with your execution? I can give you a personal example. I remember my dad and I spent a couple of weeks just working on attacking short forehands. It was dull and repetitive after some time, and I remember arguing with my dad that, “Nobody is giving me short balls like that. I need to work on earning them, not just dispatching them.” Yet, when I played matches for a couple weeks after, I remember killing it on my forehand side. Really hurting my opponent.

Apply This To Your Game

As an aspiring professional or recreational player, your reservoir of confidence might not run as deep as the pros, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own. Start by writing down specific moments when you’ve played well—whether it was winning a tough match, hitting a perfectly placed passing shot when it most counted, or simply executing tactics really effectively.

If you have match footage, watch it. This is one of the reasons I advocate for recording your matches. Relive those successful moments often, especially before matches. This not only reminds you of what you’re capable of but also primes your mind to approach upcoming matches with a better outlook.

The next way is to build mastery through deliberate practice. Confidence isn’t just about past wins—it’s about preparing yourself to win again and building skill sets. Focus on mastery goals rather than outcome goals. Make a long-term plan for your game instead of simply aiming to win, try to think about your game as fluid and capable of change; you are constantly trying to make it better and improve your skill set.

By the way, if you have kids who are junior tennis players, this is what you should emphasize. Instead of getting obsessed with “two-inch trophies” (a phrase I picked up from Steve Smith), encourage your kids to think about the kind of player they want to be by the age of 21 or when they are fully developed.

The trophies are just a bonus for playing well and building skills that will take you to your potential.

But back to what I was talking about—achieving mastery to improve confidence:

• Want to feel confident in your second serve under pressure? Spend time practicing your second serve with specific targets and in realistic, match-like scenarios.

• Struggle with your backhand? Don’t avoid it. Confront your weaknesses. Think long-term. Dedicate a block of practice to fine-tune the execution until it feels automatic and reliable. Be deliberate.

Mastery creates a foundation of confidence because it assures you that you’ve put in the work. When you know you’ve done the preparation, stepping on the court feels less daunting—and more like an opportunity to show off what you’ve built.

According to Lauer and Chung’s writing, success in results or mastery is by far the most powerful way of building self-confidence in athletes.

#2: Watching Another Player Having Success

This one might not be obvious at the start. But watching other players have success can be a strong catalyst to building our confidence. Seeing others—and perhaps even your peers—succeed can almost provide a model to map out of your success. “If they can do it… why can’t I?”

I would take this even further in a few ways. The first is with groups of junior players. Ever notice how players from certain academies or friends in junior tennis build and feed off each other's success?

On the professional tour, it’s quite the same. For example, take the vast number of Italian male tennis players who have recently made names for themselves on the professional tour. Imagine you are one of these players, perhaps go back a few years to 2021. You’re grinding it out on the future’s circuit, ranked #1257 in the world. You turn on the TV and see Matteo Berrettini is now in the Wimbledon finals.

“What the hell?” you think, “I used to beat this guy in practice matches a few years ago. If he can do… why can’t I do it?”

This is usually why packs of players come up together through different systems. It’s not the only reason, obviously, and I don’t want you to think that this means that you need to go out and befriend the best player at your club or have your child become their friend, but it definitely is impactful.

Apply This To Your Game

Surround yourself with players who challenge and inspire you. Ensure you’re in a great environment. This doesn’t mean you need to find the best player at your club or academy, but training alongside others who are improving and striving for success can push you to new levels. This is why the developmental environment is so important.

Seeing their progress—whether it’s a devastating forehand, being able to run a 15 on the beep test, or consistently competing well—can serve as a powerful reminder that growth and improvement is possible for you too.

You can also use others’ success as a learning tool. Watch how they approach their matches, handle pressure, or improve specific aspects of their game. Whether it’s a peer or a professional player, look for patterns you can replicate in your own training or matches. Use their success as a roadmap that can guide your own journey.

#3: Imagining Success in A Match Or Execution

Imagery, when utilized appropriately, is one of the most powerful tools for building confidence. In fact, it’s my personal favorite way to prepare for a match or competitive scenario because of how impactful it can be. If you struggle with confidence during competition, spending time visualizing success, the feeling of quality execution, and how you want to perform can make a significant difference.

What’s an example? Let’s say you consistently start matches timidly—poking the ball in with anxiety, scared to miss. Before your next match, use imagery to picture yourself competing in an ideal state. Imagine a confident warm-up where you’re hitting clean, solid shots from the very first ball. See yourself sticking to your patterns, taking opportunities without hesitation, and playing fearlessly. Picture yourself handling mistakes with kindness and resetting for the next point. Imagine connecting with the ball smoothly and tracking it with ease.

To make imagery even more effective, engage all your senses. Feel the energy in your body as you confidently clock the ball. Hear the sound of your exhale as you strike it cleanly. Smell the fresh morning grass if you’re playing an early match. Take in the sounds of the tournament—the buzz of activity, the announcements over the PA system, the rhythm of play on adjacent courts. Visualize the anxiety you might feel and picture yourself responding positively, using deep breaths or rituals to steady yourself. This isn’t some grainy 420p version of what happens—imagine it all in vivid 4K with Dolby surround sound with a haptic feedback vest and gloves.

(Sports psychology practitioners and psychologists are skilled at helping athletes develop imagery scripts tailored to their sport and specific challenges.)

Key Takeaways

Self-confidence is not simply inherent; it can be developed through specific actions and strategies. Past successes and deliberate mastery of skills or tactics form the strongest foundation for confidence.

Confidence grows from preparation and focused effort on specific areas of your game. By dedicating time to deliberate practice, especially on weaker aspects of your game, you can drastically alter your opinions on your game and abilities.

Surrounding yourself with a supportive environment and drawing inspiration from your peers’ success can also fuel your own belief. Watching peers, friends, or professionals achieve their goals creates a roadmap for your own success and highlights what is possible. Remember, “If they can do it… why can’t I?”

Finally, imagery is a powerful tool for preparing your mind and body for confident play. Visualizing successful performance with vivid detail, engaging all your senses, and rehearsing positive, measured responses to challenges can make a significant difference in how you perform under pressure.

In the next issue, we’ll dive into the remaining three avenues for building self-confidence, including the role of persuasion, emotional arousal, and the fascinating connection between physiological sensations and confidence.

I hope you found this valuable and as always, if you want personalized advice on how you can improve your tennis confidence, have a think about working with me. Information below.

This issue relies heavily on Dr. Larry Lauer and Dr. Yongul Chung’s chapter on building self-confidence from the USTA’s Mental Skills and Drills handbook. I’ve built upon it with my commentary and added other relevant information.

References

Lauer, L. & Chung, Y. (2010) Building Self-Confidence. In Lauer, L., Gould, D., Lubber, P., Kovacs., M. (Eds.), USTA Mental Skills and Drills Handbook (pp. 299–305). Coaches Choice

Disclaimer: I am not an Association of Applied Sports Psychology CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor, PsyD, or clinical PhD. I am pursuing a master’s in sports, exercise, and performance psychology, and I am a sports psychology practitioner-in-training. I have over 20 years of experience in tennis, including playing, coaching collegiately and with professional players, along with club management experience as a director of programs. I am certified by the Professional Tennis Registry and am a member of Tennis Australia. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement—but sometimes I will make mistakes. If this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please get in touch with me and if required I will happily issue a correction.