{"id":14682,"date":"2022-05-05T12:19:26","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T16:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=14682"},"modified":"2025-06-04T07:57:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T11:57:43","slug":"how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Perform Well When Leading the Match"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/general-image-big-1.jpg\" alt=\"Tennis and Game Plans\" class=\"wp-image-11389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/general-image-big-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/general-image-big-1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Closing_Out_Your_Tennis_Matches\"><\/span>Closing Out Your Tennis Matches<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/#Closing_Out_Your_Tennis_Matches\" >Closing Out Your Tennis Matches<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/#Why_change_when_things_are_going_well\" >Why change when things are going well?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/#Getting_it_Done_When_Leading\" >Getting it Done When Leading:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Many tennis players struggle to <strong>close out matches<\/strong>. They stop playing the way that got them into position to win. They change their game&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We see tennis players react in two ways when leading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(1) Athletes may sit on the lead and get protective. Here, you stay to worry about missing and you wait for your opponent to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(2) They begin to be overly aggressive: serving with more pace, and trying to paint the lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deviating from an already successful game plan causes you to overthink, lose focus and allows your opponent to slowly chip away at your lead. You essentially give your opponent momentum as you falter down the stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_change_when_things_are_going_well\"><\/span>Why change when things are going well?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s what players tell us: &#8220;I tend to change my style of play when I have a big lead. I seem to blow big leads and always let my opponent back in the match.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might relate to the following scenario&#8230; You dominated the first set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You felt great. All aspects of your game clicked, and your game plan was going well. Midway through the second set, you decided to play it safe and now miss your shots. Instead of hitting well-placed deep shots, you decided to hit shots down the middle and keep it between the lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After giving your opponent several weak balls in the center, your opponent hit some winners and started to climb back into the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You couldn&#8217;t seem to regain your form and you felt yourself becoming angry and frustrated. You felt the match slipping away from you and started to worry about losing the match and how awful that would feel&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reality is that you can <strong>close out matches<\/strong> if you stay focused on what is working and stay aggressive or don&#8217;t protect the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you stay focused on what is working, stay aggressive, and play one point at a time, you are more likely to finish the match strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Getting_it_Done_When_Leading\"><\/span>Getting it Done When Leading:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, avoid playing safe with in the lead. Continue with the same tactics that helped you get into the lead. If you were going into the net often&#8211;keep doing it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Avoid slamming on the breaks and protecting the lead when up in the match. That means don&#8217;t wait for the opponent to hand you the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, focus on closing the points out quickly and staying on offense. You do this by swinging freely or taking full swings and not pushing the ball down the middle of the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-win-close-competitions\/\">How to Win Close Competitions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-finish-the-tournament-when-playing-with-a-lead\/\">How to Finish The Tournament When Playing With a Lead<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/pregame-stress-and-anxiety-athletes-mental-roadblock-to-success\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/what-separates-elite-athletes-from-the-rest\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-the-fear-of-negative-outcomes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Overcome the Fear of Negative Outcomes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"Sport Psychology Cds\" class=\"wp-image-15979\" style=\"width:205px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Closing Out Your Tennis Matches Many tennis players struggle to close out matches. They stop playing the way that got them into position to win. They change their game&#8230; We see tennis players react in two ways when leading: (1) Athletes may sit on the lead and get protective. Here, you stay to worry about missing and you &#8230; <a title=\"How to Perform Well When Leading the Match\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Perform Well When Leading the Match\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[324,246],"class_list":["post-14682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-focus-in-sports","tag-mental-toughness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many tennis players struggle to close out matches. They stop playing the way that got them into position to win. They change their game to their detriment...\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Cohn\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"focus and concentration for athletes,mental toughness\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-well-when-leading-the-match\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.6.2\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mental Game Tips to Close Out the Match When Leading\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many tennis players struggle to close out matches. 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