MENTAL TOUGHNESS
by Henry-Adjei Darko, Associate Professional

One of the most difficult if not the most difficult aspect of tennis is one’s mental attitude.

Having a free mind, devoid of problems is the best state in which tennis player would like to operate, but as human as we all are, we cannot run away from the many problems that plague us.

As a tennis player, it is important to have a great mental attitude. You’ve got to be mentally tough and be able to play through the many problems, which affect us on a daily basis.

Let me start by telling you a story about a time in my professional tennis career when I had a serious family situation. My mum and dad were going through marital problems and this was negatively affecting me. I had the chance to play in my first challenger in Orlando, Florida and this was one of my most trying moments. Here I was, at a point in my career where there was an opportunity for a major breakthrough and yet, I just couldn’t concentrate.

The only solace I had at this point was my bible and trust in God. I started the tournament on a shaky note losing the first set of my first match but fought hard to come back into the game and won in over 3hrs in the tiebreak of the final set. To make matters worse I lost my last round qualifying match. I was a lucky loser going into the main tournament.

After winning my first round main draw match, I gained more confidence and this propelled me to the semi-finals of my debut ATP Challenger. On my way to the semis, I managed to beat 4 top 200 ATP ranked players.

How did I manage to pull this off? It might seem like a great run, YES but it did not come easy. My secret in achieving this feat was God. In those silent minutes before and during the match when there was a change over, the temptation to brood over the problems at home were great but I had to fight it and concentrate on all the hard work that I had put into getting ready for the tournament. The early morning runs on the hill, the gym works; and these propelled me. I was definitely not going to let all this hard work go to waste. Let me not forget the power of GOD.

Mental toughness is key in winning matches, which especially go into tiebreaks and final sets. The ability to believe in yourself, even if your opponent is clearly ahead of you in terms of ranking or even physique is essential.

Another time, I was in Nigeria playing a futures tournament, I went down with malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by mosquitoes and what it does is break your immune system and make you very weak. The only real treatment apart from taking drugs is to rest because even the medicine you are given is designed to make you weak so you rest. I had to fight this disease off, playing when I felt weak and sometimes dizzy and eventually I won the tournament. The key here is also determination to conquer. When you are determined to make it, you will have no option but to put the problem behind you just for those few hours and win it.

Imagine going into a tournament knowing you have no money for food and that in the unlucky event that the strings on your racquet break, you might not have the resources to even re-string your basic tool. Whew!!! Well I have been through all this and more. I remember playing a tournament having only two racquets with no extra strings for re-stringing. We all know that it is almost impossible to go through a whole tournament with only two racquets. All I could do whilst playing was think about how hard I was hitting the balls and whether the strings on my racquet would break.

My mind was too focused on my strings and I eventually lost the match.

Let me also say here that as kids growing up in this business, which requires a lot of self-reliance, please desist from making your parents do everything for you. Learn to pack you racquet bag, lace your tennis shoes etc.

Be determined, but in your determination remember that you have to focus on the task at hand and forget for a moment all the pressures around you. That lingering foot problem you have, mum and dad having problems, no food to eat; I’ll tell you what, God will take care of all these problems if you will take care of the problem at hand: WINNING THAT MATCH WITH GREAT MENTAL FORTITUDE.