In tennis you don’t lose because you miss a shot.
You lose because you are too tense to make good decisions.

When Novak Djokovic recently reflected on what he would tell his younger self, he didn’t talk about technique.

He didn’t talk about tactics.
He didn’t talk about fitness.

He said this:

• relax more on court
• be more patient
• trust the process
• surround yourself with good people
• understand more so you can decide better

Five simple sentences.
Five lessons that reveal an uncomfortable truth:

👉 the main problem for young athletes is not talent.
It’s tension.

Tension is the real invisible opponent

When a young player steps on court tense:

the arm becomes rigid
timing shortens
vision narrows
decisions get worse

And something dangerous happens:

the player stops choosing.
He only reacts.

That’s when:

he forces unnecessary shots
loses patience
changes tactics every two games
judges himself while playing

And slowly… loses control.

Why breathing really changes performance

Here is something still underestimated in tennis:

breathing as a regulator of the nervous system.

This is not motivation.
This is not relaxation talk.
This is pure physiology.

Research shows that deep breathing:

  • reduces anxiety and depressive states

  • helps control panic attacks

  • lowers blood pressure

  • improves sleep quality

  • increases heart rate variability

  • stabilizes the nervous system under stress

On court, that means:

👉 more calm
👉 more clarity
👉 better decisions
👉 fewer unforced errors

Not all breathing techniques are equal

A recent study compared:

• pursed-lips breathing
• unilateral nostril breathing
• loaded breathing

The result was very clear:

👉 pursed-lips breathing had the strongest calming effect on emotions.

Not because it relaxes muscles.
But because it directly regulates heart rhythm and nervous system activation.

The real message behind Djokovic’s advice

Djokovic was not giving motivational quotes.

He was saying something much deeper:

👉 if you don’t learn to regulate your emotional activation,
you will never truly use your talent.

Patience comes from inner control.
Confidence comes from stability.
Good decisions come from calm.

And here is the real question every young player should ask:

👉 how well can you regulate your nervous system when the score gets heavy and the pace increases?

Because level is not built only in your strokes.
It is built in your ability to stay clear while everything inside you wants to panic.

*****

✍️ Who wrote this article

This article was written by Federico Coppini,
mental coach and author specialized in mental performance, emotional stability in competition, and building a resilient competitive mindset.

🧠 Want to train your mind the same way you train your tennis?

If your game collapses when the pressure rises,
you can explore my mental coaching work here:
👉 https://coppinifederico.com/it/

This is where ideas like these become real tools for match performance.

🎾 From mind to court

The same inner skills that create clarity and control under pressure are the ones that win matches.

That’s what we build every day at Coppini Tennis Academy:
👉 https://coppinitennisacademy.com/

Training strokes without training the mind creates weakness.
Training the mind without testing it on court creates fantasy.