It's easier said than done, I know... But in a match, try as much as possible to detach yourself from the stakes, the score, the environment, the atmosphere... etc. .. In short, try to detach yourself as much as possible from anything that can interfere with your concentration: stay focused on the exchange you are making!
I'll tell you a little personal story:
I'm going to play a semi-final of a tournament (a TMC) I have five matches in my legs over the last three days... I'm tired, roasted, in poor shape... my opponent is young, in great shape he's a Parisian (I think they play Parisians well...) he plays in the same ranking as me (30/2),
I saw him play the day before: he plays very well...
We're going to start the match and quite honestly I'm not giving a damn... In my head I'm saying something like:
“well objectively, given the situation there is little chance that you will win this match”
I'm mentally losing (which isn't necessarily great)... But then I set another goal for myself and I say to myself:
"You may lose Fred but you're going to play this point to the fullest: Full concentration, full focus"
- And that's what I do.... I have a good day and I take the first point of the match... 0/15
- As I have a little juice left I do the same thing on the second point: 0/30
- As I have a little juice left I do the same thing on the third: 15/30
- Then on the 4th point: 15/40
- Then the 5th point: Game for me.
And like that throughout the match I hold on, absolutely not to the score, absolutely not to the game... but only to the point that I am going to play: I truly play my match point by point... I play it while being convinced that at some point I'm going to collapse because physically I'm really really in the red... however I will still take the first set: 6/3... Then the first game of the second set, then the second, then... until leading 4/1 in the second set... (there I 'admit I started to believe it, among other things because my opponent showed signs of annoyance but I didn't change anything), I played the points one after the other I ended up winning the match and qualifying for the final...
This match remains a reference for me... it's the one that taught me that each point is important and that you have to play points one after the other...











