Friends, do you know one of the most popular sports, as per experts is also the toughest one, and that sport is TENNIS?
Here are a few reasons which show why this sport is the toughest and most psychologically demanding sport, especially for the players who are playing single matches, for playing double matches, one still has the emotional support of the partner player:
1 Tennis is an individual sport
Here you are all alone on the court. No one to share your glory or the blame. There is no provision, if you are playing poorly then you can not be taken out of the game for a while so that you can recuperate.
2 Intense pressure at a young age
Many successful professional players have reported that the stresses of junior tennis were the greatest of their entire careers. The junior player must deal with the same frustrations during tournament play as the adult, but with fewer resources and life experience to handle them.
3 Tennis provides nowhere to hide
The players must remain in full view of spectators, regardless of how they perform. Embarrassment, discouragement, anger, choking, and euphoria, are all there for everyone to see. Some players dislike this while others embrace it. Either way, tennis provides little shelter for the emotions that can accompany a game.
4 One-on-one combat
This game is similar to boxing. You have a real one-on-one opponent that you must defeat to become victorious. Such direct competition can fuel intense rivalries and threaten friendships in powerful ways among young players.
5 The accuracy of line calling
Completely objective, professionally trained linemen mistakes all the time, and they are motionless and are concerned with one line only. Recent studies show that players are actually partially blind at the moment they land on the court, and when running adds to this problem. Add this to the fact that one bad line call can change the course of the match, and at the moment most of the players lose their tempers. Now in most live televised tournaments, there is a system of taking reviews for the line calls, and generally, a player can ask for television replay for line calls only twice in the set, and once in the breaker. If the review taken is right for the player, then the review count is not lost.
6 Tennis requires touch and finesse
It is primarily a skill sport, meaning that it is comprised of many movements requiring a ‘feel’. As such, these movements can be influenced by subtle changes in emotions. Anger, frustration, embarrassment, and other such emotions can be very disruptive to the delicate control needed in skills such as serving, volleying, drop shots, etc.
7 Constantly changing conditions
Changing temperature, wind intensity, court surfaces, balls, altitude, indoor/outdoor play, and equipment add to the depth of the competitive challenge. A player’s response to these situations can provide an indication of their level of mental toughness. Those who are not affected by changes in conditions are often the ones who win.
8 The unique scoring system in tennis
In tennis, play continues until one of the players wins two out of three sets (in grand slams for men it is three out of five sets). Consequently, there is no room for coasting a lead or waiting for time to run out. In tennis player can be ahead 5-0 in the third set, lose two games, and immediately have reasons to fear a loss and a huge comeback from the opponent can be expected.
9 Tennis training can be extremely expensive
For juniors, tennis training for the competitive player can be a very large expense for a family. Parents can quickly lose sight of what is important and begin to expect a ’return’ for their investment, and this puts lots of pressure on the player.
10 No coaching is allowed during the match
Except in some team games like Davis Cup, where the coach is sitting on the court and can give coaching to the player. Nearly all other tournaments do not allow for coaching. So players have to deal with the pressures and problems.
But still, Tennis is one of the most popular and followed sports in the world.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
27th January 2023