Psychology in the world of tennis has evolved a lot in the last decade, to the point of studying the exact moment of a match where everything is decided. If you’re thinking it’s match point, Brad Gilbert is here to tell you that you’re wrong.
“The first two games of the second set, in a best-of-three-set match, are the games that decide everything”. That’s how clear it is Brad Gilbert and so he tells it in his famous book ‘Winning Ugly‘, where he reviews all the mental tricks he learned along the way to become No. 4 in the world despite not having the same skills as other generationmates. But what happens in those two games? Why is that moment so important? According to the American, it is the moment where a player has the opportunity to confirm his dominance over the rival, if he has won the first set. Or if you have lost it, the opportunity to reestablish your presence in the crash.
Statistics say that if you win the first set, in 90% of the cases you will end up winning the match, at least in the professional world. If you lose it, everything will be problems, since nobody wants to start paddling from the bottom. However, the fight is always there, the flame of contention is more alive than ever in those two games, so losing the first set never has to be a definitive thermometer. What you have to be clear about is the following: what happens during the restart, what you are able to do in those next ten minutes, will determine the dynamic until the end of the match.
On paper all games are worth the same, something that is not true in the psychological field. Because if you win the first set, there is a risk that your opponent will begin to see the road full of potholes. It would be logical for him to break down, to see him discouraged, for him to think that it is not his day and give up. If so, then great for you, you have in front of you one of those players who will never amount to anything. However, if this happens in the world elite, the most normal thing is that on the other side of the network the fable of the ‘wounded wolf’, one of the most dangerous species within the circuit, is presented. In those moments is where the wild instinct arises, where the born competitor doubles his motivation and jumps onto the track with the conviction that something is going to change. That is why Gilbert does not hesitate to affirm that EVERYTHING begins in the second set.
OF THE REALITIES FACED
Brad insists on the importance of winning that first set and then maintaining the momentum; If not, it is of no use. Trust is so hard to gain and so easy to lose if you start off on the wrong foot in the second act. That small door back to the opponent opens in the second set and the objective is to close it immediately, based on energy and conviction. If the rival wants to return to battle, at least he doesn’t do it easily, so that the wolf doesn’t find blood so quickly. In the head of the good competitor there is always the idea that the match is not lost, that the situation can always be turned around, but it all starts by hitting harder at the beginning of the second set, taking advantage of the possible relaxation of the opponent and extracting that extra bit from him. trustworthy. This is the beginning of resurgence that we must try to extinguish by any means possible.
To know someone’s competitive gene you only need one thing: take them into a dangerous situation. Losing the first set can serve as an example, that is where your true personality will be revealed, something that everyone has, just some more developed than others. Even those who seem to give up usually take a last breath at the end, even if it usually comes too late. There are tennis players who need very little to give up, those who go out in search of any excuse to respond to the fears they already brought from the locker room. The same danger exists for those who show excess confidence, those who believe that they must always win, those who do not accept that someone inferior – if this can be measured – gets in the way of their path. All of these feelings are likely to blossom at the time Gilbert indicates.
“Many of your opponents will see the start of the second set as a barometer of what is to come. If they lose early, they may quit early. If they win early, they will think that the matter is already solved. Many players will hold out until you show them that you can beat them too at the beginning of the second set.“, writes the one from Oakland in his book, where he also adds the example of Ivan Lendl. Legend has it that the Czech – later nationalized as an American – only lowered his arms once in his career, a moment where everyone pointed out to him. On the other hand, with someone like Goran Ivanisevicwho used to do it regularly, people took it normally every time they saw him throw a match.
KILL THE PARTY OR LEAVE IT ALIVE
Come on, the beginning of the second set is the moment where there is the most chance of a great psychological change happening in the minds of the candidates. For the player who is losing, it is an opportunity to start from scratch, to bet on a strong restart, even to create hopes if things start well. This is why we must always take into account the figure of the wounded wolf. “Winning the first set comes with a problem: you have hurt your opponent and therefore motivated him to attack you. Pay close attention or you will get hurt”warns the man who trained André Agassi, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Coco Gauff.
And who hasn’t ever relaxed after a good first set? Who hasn’t accidentally fallen into that trap? Therein lies the danger of seeing it almost done, a threat that we are all susceptible to feeling. “The moment when you are most likely to lose your service is right after you have broken it.”recalls the author of the book, although this is purely linked to attitude. The one who breaks – or the one who wins a set – tends to fail, or at least to be careless. Those who break serve – or win the set – tend to break and play much more. Winning the first round generates that false feeling of victory, of apparent security. That moment of happiness and relief causes hormones to relax, reduces mental alertness and, therefore, lowers the competitive level. In the end it will be better to lose the first set!
Brad Gilbert calls this figure the ‘Happy Camper‘. This is when the player becomes more vulnerable by losing hunger, settling and relaxing. What happens if at the beginning of the second set your opponent breaks you? There the story changes, everything is equal, the first set no longer has the value it had before. Those who saw everything black now breathe optimism. Once you give up that momentum, it’s very difficult to get it back. That is why it is so important to kill matches as soon as possible, not to let your opponent re-enter the ring, at least not because you took a mini-vacation. The beginning of the second set is the ideal opportunity to show your rockiest tennis, making him suffer more if possible. Be clear, if you are the one who is behind, all your chances of winning go through those first two games. It is the last window.
John McEnroe is the ideal prototype to explain this theorem, according to Brad. What was the American doing so that his opponent didn’t have any reaction in the second set? Very simple: get ahead of events. Suddenly you saw McEnroe making a bad face, getting angry without sense, even stopping the game if necessary. Of course, from the outside the public did not understand anything. “If he won the set, why is he like this?”. Meanwhile, John demonstrated why he was the smartest in the class. That show meant lowering the opponent’s temperature to the maximum, disconcerting him, removing him completely from the battle. That irreverent and vulgar little act implied the last nail in his opponent’s coffin.
WHAT IF THERE IS A THIRD SET?
Many will wonder, what happens if the match goes to a third set? Aren’t those first two games equally important? According to the 62-year-old coach, with more than 500 victories and thirteen seasons of professional career, there are fewer options to change the dynamic in that context. “Starting a set in which both players know they can win the match is a situation that possibly motivates both tennis players, both arrive with alerts on. If one of them breaks early, he understands that You only have to recover that break, not a break and a set. Psychologically there is a big difference”. This is the Gilbert doctrine, although there will always be exceptions. What do you think?
2023-12-13 20:00:58
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