Momentum: The Winning Edge in Tennis (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781915855497)

In tennis, the scoreboard can't be trusted. A player can be dominating from the baseline, winning point after point, only for everything to unravel within minutes, with nothing changing technically. No injury. No bad luck. Just momentum, the hidden force that shapes every match, and the one force most players never learn to manage.

Momentum is what separates the player who knows how to win from the one who simply hopes to. It is why the better player doesn't always win, and why some competitors always seem to find a way through the most challenging moments on court. Understanding and mastering momentum offers the real winning edge.

In this groundbreaking book, former LTA National Coach and Head of Coach Development Alistair Higham, and Sport Psychologist Dr Ana Soares, combine decades of elite coaching experience with cutting-edge research to give players and coaches a complete framework for managing match flow. Drawing on the experiences of world-ranked professionals, GB international players, and the latest academic findings, this book is aimed at tennis players and coaches at all levels and covers:

• The phases of a match - how matches move through predictable stages and how to read the state of play in real time
• The scoring system - how tennis's unique structure creates pressure, opportunity, and psychological turning points
• Turning points - how to identify, trigger, and embrace the critical moments that decide matches
• Tactical game management - when to stick with your game plan and when to change, and how to adapt under pressure
• Mental skills - routines, self-talk, visualisation, attentional control, and how to find your ideal performance state mid-match
• Strategic thinking - how to zoom out, assess your options at the change of ends, and commit to clear decisions
• Learning from match to match - how to review performances and build momentum management into your long-term development
• Coaching matchplay skills - includes more than 25 practical on-court drills and exercises to develop these skills in training