Prelude: A few years ago I played chess with my brother, I lost the match when his sole surviving pawn and king marched down the board to doom my lonely king. On multiple occasions, I was one move from winning if he overlooked a trap. After the match, I noted, “That was a close match.” He said, “Not really. You never did anything to make me uncomfortable. I saw all of your possible checkmates. We did trade pieces, but I was always a little ahead on material and was in a better position so why not trade?” Ouch

This is perhaps going to come across as Captain Obvious pontificating. That is okay.*

The best way to manage nerves in tennis is to be a notably better player than one’s opponent.

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This observation may seem to be a truism that would apply to all competitive endeavors. I think tennis’s scoring system makes a difference here though.

In some sports, an underdog can grab a lead, eat the clock, and let psychological pressure build on the favorite. That mental weight can lead to a drop in form from the favorite making an upset even more likely. We witness this nearly every March in early-round NCAA basketball tournament games (look to the bottom to see my 2024 pain). There is no real clock in tennis.

Beyond tennis lacking a clock:

A player has to win the final point of each game to make any progress toward winning a set.

A player has to win the final point of each set to make progress toward winning the match at hand.

A player has to win match point to win the match

All three of these factors favor the better player. I could hit a lucky shot to end a long rally. I could hit my best return to grab a 0-30 lead. I still need to win two points to break serve while limiting the number of points my opponent wins. If he is a better player, is he really in any trouble? If he rallies to hold serve, my two won points don’t do anything to make winning the set any closer for me. If I do break him, he still has multiple chances to draw even, and I have to keep coming up with the goods on my serve at least to maintain my lead.

In tennis matches, competitors play a lot of points. There is no equivalent of George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer. A lesser player can hit a great shot, win a point, and feel pumped up. In the grand scheme of things, it likely won’t matter. If a superior player is going to win 60-70% of the points played when serving and 45-55% of the points played when returning, he should win a match even if his opponent has some nice one-off moments. Pro-sets, no-ad scoring, and super tiebreaks replacing third sets favor the lesser player. Imagine a basketball game where halftime could only occur when one team had an unanswered 8-point run after 24 minutes of game time passed. The better team could just extend the half in most cases. Once the better team reclaimed or established an imposing lead, it could then mercifully bring the first half to an end.

Beyond needing to win the final points of games, sets, and matches, tennis, in singles at least, does not allow for minimizing a great player by double-teaming or intentionally walking him. The lesser player must hit the ball to the better player’s side of the net.

I have seen my share of 3-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-4) wins. Pressure, nerves, and the weight of expectations can throw a set in an unexpected direction, but matches are another story.

Addendum: The best way to manage nerves in tennis is to be a notably better player than one’s opponent and simultaneously possess a deep understanding of tennis’s scoring system.

For high school coaches facing dual matches, training a team to have clear advantages is the best way to minimize the impact nerves have on deciding an individual or a dual match.

For college coaches, recruiting and training a superior team is the best way to do the same thing.

Part 2 – The Less Obvious Part Ways To Build Advantages for Your Players

Post Script: How Tennis Avoids Nearly Total Predictability

UTR leagues should avoid mismatches and lead to competitive matches in which nerves come into play. The older 7-point rating system also did some of this work.

Pro tours often pit highly skilled players against one another as well. In these cases, psychology is a factor because a lesser opponent is still skilled enough to take advantage of a physical ailment in a superior player.

Most high-level division 1, minor league, and pro tour level players have big enough serves that breaking serve is not nearly as likely making the scoring system a bit more balanced between lesser and greater skilled players.

Furthermore, servebots can shrink the match making each point that isn’t an ace or service winner more valuable so a better player may be more apt to get nervous on the few points that determine a set or match. (Isner was up 2 sets to 1 on Nadal at the French Open once upon a time)

*Most great coaches across all sports had great players.

March Sadness for Me in 2024