The psychology of turning points in tennis

Abstract

The psychological strategies used by players to deal with these turning points will determine how effective players are in using these situations to their advantage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concept of turning points and understand more clearly the strategies applied by elite players to deal with turning points during a tennis match. A series of semi-structured interviews was conducted with nine elite professional players from five different countries, followed by a thematic content analysis of the interviews. The analysis revealed four key themes: positive turning points situations, negative turning points situations, strategies to capitalise on positive turning points and strategies to cope with negative turning points. On a practical level, strategies are suggested that coaches and psychologists can use to help players managing turning points. This research was partially supported by an International Tennis Federation Sport Science Research Grant.