" Previously, I always thought it was just tactical and technique, but every match has become almost mental and physical—I try to push myself to move well. I try to push myself not to get upset and stay positive, and that's what my biggest improvement is over all those years. Under pressure I can see things very clear" (Roger Federer Post match press conference after winning Dubai Open, 2007).

Science of psychology plays a big role in tennis; basically you have to be mentally very strong to compete at high levels. I personally think, one of the reasons that tennis is such a fantastic game is becuase it is a mental game. I cannot insist how important knowing basic psychological aspects can help your game. For instance: imagine you teach a player,  to move as fast as Agassi on the court and serve like Andy Roddick  and do forehands like Federer but if they are not mentally strong then they will not get anywhere in tennis, not even become a county player. Because you have to believe that you can play well, no matter what happens in the match, you have to control your anger and have a plan to perform under pressure, plus the hardest bit is to stay positive at all the time during the match. The other point to remember, is when you are out there playing a tennis match, you will be on your own, you are not allowed to talk to anyone, so you have to work it out for yourself, how to deal with your emotions when things do not go your way.

Below is some of the psychological aspects of tennis which will be explained in details:

1. Confidence: it means believing in yourself, that you have what it to takes to succeed, you might be losing 4-0 in the third set, but you still need to have confidence that you can turn things around. I would suggest my players to remember their strengths and tell themselves that "I CAN DO THIS" no matter what. I often see at the tournaments, that the players who are more confident winning more matches than the ones who have great techniques but not much confidence, because you have to believe in yourself in order to succeed, and in my book that is the first step towards being mentally strong.

2. Anxiety: it is negative emotions that a player has due to stress; the worst time for a tennis player to become anxious, is when he or she is about to start a match or when there is an important point like set point. People usually get anxious when they are just about to do something important. However, sometimes being a bit anxious can actually make a player to perform a bit better, but most of the time players do not perform well when they are anxious, therefore they need to know how to cope with stress when they are under pressure. My recommendation is that, when you are anxious, to review your routines.

My favourite formula that I tell my players to use as a routine during the time between the points is RBF:

     1. RELEASE: Try and relax for a few seconds and forget about anything negative in your mind.

     2. BREATHE: Take a big breath and stay positive.

     3. REFOCUS: Be mentally prepared for the next point which you are going to fight for it, and make sure to stay                        focused.

3. Anger: it is a very common emotion that happens when a player is not happy with something. Anger, physically causes the heart rate and blood pressure to increase, and the worst is that the muscles get tight, therefore it affects on the player's performance, as in tennis the player needs to be very relaxed and breathe as they swing their rackets.

One obvious thing, that I have come acrossed with getting angry during a match is that it can ruin all your game plans. For instance: I never forget that I lost a match when I was a junior because of a wrong call by my opponent, that one point on its own would not had changed anything, however the anger that my opponent caused by calling the ball out when it was in ruined my game plan and therefore I lost a match which I should have won, simply because I got angry and did not know how to control my anger.

The secret of how to control your anger is the key to have mental toughness, because in a tennis match, it happens so many times that you want to do something and it goes wrong and results on making you angry. The best solution when getting angry is: try and slow the game, for example do your shoe laces or play with your strings, try to delete what just has happened in your mind and do your routines. 

4. Motivation: it is the reason(s) which makes players to do their very best to achieve their short and long term goals. Have you ever thought why you are playing tennis? the answer to this question can be your motivation. Motivations, for a club player can be social parts of tennis and getting fit.., motivations for a performance player can be winning a tournament or playing in a grand slam. Anyway, I would suggest that you take 10 minutes every month and think about your motivations that make you to play tennis.