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How imagination reveals—and limits—our mental game
Eight years ago, while working on a project for Wilson Racquet Sports titled Mental Readiness, I interviewed several of their top contract professionals, including Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov, Gaël Monfils, Simona Halep, Venus Williams, and others.
While athletes in many sports have long used creative visualization to improve performance, few tennis players and coaches truly understand why visualization works, what it reveals about the limits of the mind, or how to practice it effectively.
The Value of Visualization
Creative visualization can help players develop relaxed focus and perform more effectively under pressure.
Two books are especially informative: The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey and Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain.
Gawain defines visualization not as fantasy or wishful thinking, but as directing mental imagery with feeling, clarity, and receptivity. Key elements include: Clear images — not vague hopes like “I hope I play well today,” but specific, sensory scenes you can see and feel Emotional resonance — experiencing the image as real For example, a tennis player might visualize striking a clean forehand on a big point: hearing the sound of the ball, feeling solid contact, sensing balance, and noticing the calm…