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5) Face Your Fears! e drive for intentionally confronting and overcoming deep-seated fears is the foundation of mental toughness. Tennis mental health and toughness directly results from overcoming fear in sports like tennis. We cite Dale Carnegie, who once stated, "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. Do not sit home and think about it if you want to conquer fear. Go out and get busy." 6) Let Critics Come In! Nothing is more valuable to a sports person than constructive criticism or feedback in a tennis mental game. Constructive criticism aids in the development of rock- solid mental toughness, which improves the athlete's performance. People in the sports sector frequently criticize and discourage athletes. Learning to receive comments from the best critics is vital to improving mental toughness and overall game results. In the long run, knowing whose criticism is constructive and beneficial is more critical than accepting it. 7) Let Go Off the Stress: Stress is unavoidable at times. In tennis, a basic strategy is to visualize all of your stress going into an (imaginary) tennis ball, which you then hurl away. is is an intentional decision that we can make, requiring mental toughness. We may do the same thing in terms of productivity - take all of our worry and dissatisfaction and condense it into a fictitious ball, which you then toss away. 8) Exude Confidence: Look alert, energized, assured, and cheerful. Looking that way will help you be that way to a large extent, and it will protect you from encouraging your opponent. If your opponent is prone to choking, your confidence on the point of defeat may instill just enough doubt in your head to make you cave under the strain of finishing the match. 9) Focus On the Positive Aspect: If you focus on the negative, you will become hesitant, undecided, and paralyzed, not benefiting you. Instead, keep in mind that the future isn't set in stone and that you may (and should) be working to improve it. is mindset is focused on accomplishing achievement rather than avoiding failure. In tennis mental training, instead of dwelling on or analyzing a terrible play, you should focus on your next shot, which should be better and more positive. You can save the analysis and come back to it later. ~ Shirley Ferguson, Tennis Mind Games TENNIS TITANS | LIFE IN SOLERA | JUNE 2024 | 43 IMPROVE & ENHANCE MENTAL TOUGHNESS IN TENNIS, PART 2 L-R: Shirley Ferguson, Glenn Bradd, Terri Garcia, Carol Mee, Cindy Bice, Emile Pinaud, and Beverly Crowe