I still remember what my High School football coach told us when we took the field against bigger, faster teams in our league. He said to pay attention to what we needed to do as a team to prepare for the game during our warm up and do not gawk at the other team—don’t give them any attention. This was great advice. The more attention you give to others, the easier it is to get intimidated or psych yourself out.

Making comparisons does not help either. Most of the time when you make a comparison to another player, you compare yourself to players who you think are better than you. You then try to find out what makes them better and what you might me missing—a further knock to your own confidence. This is a bad approach to getting ready for any event. I would rather you focus on what makes you a good tennis player and your special talents.

It is all about working your pre-game routine and getting yourself ready to do your best. The pre-game routine is very helpful for you to stay focused on the game and your game plan. This is when you should be visualizing the sets of the game and anticipating what you might have to do in given situations such as when rushing the net on a drop shot. Your routine should also include the usual preparations you take before the start of the game from going over your strategy to getting suited up to stepping on the court.