Be Wary of Hidden Fear

When you see a player do something irrational, you are probably seeing hidden fear in action.

There is always some fear involved in closely contested tennis matches. And because it often lurks unseen beneath the level of
conscious thought, fear can cause a great deal of trouble.

In fact, whenever you see a player do something irrational on court which obviously hurts his chances of winning
the match, you are probably observing hidden fear in action.

A good example occurred a few years ago when I was coaching the Pepperdine men’s college team at the league championship tournament. Two of my players,
Mike and Tom, met in the quarter-finals, and their positions in the team line-up hinged on the outcome of the match.

It was particularly tense since only six people get to play singles and the loser would be #7, thereby relegating
himself to the bench in the next dual match. Mike felt special pressure because he had had a bad year and this was his big chance
to prove himself.

After a furious three hour battle, hidden fear determined the outcome between two of my college players.

They battled furiously for over three hours under a broiling sun….