Last night I sat down on the sofa and flicked on the TV to watch the latest tennis action only to remember that, due to COVID-19 there would only be pre-recorded matches to watch and I sat down in hope that something good would be on. It happened to be a match between Muguruza, Spain, and Kenin, America. At first I was stunned because I had seen Muguruza play a couple years ago and she was dominating the game then, however in this match, I saw Kenin seeded 14 and Muguruza unseeded. This just showed the wear and tear of sports and that brain power is increasingly a major battleground in sports science, as elite athletes search for a critical edge to take advantage of. As the game progressed Kenin began to find her rhythm and I could see the desperation to close the match. Bare in mind that the Australian Open title was on the line right now.
It was then that I realised, the “mind over body” part of the game. Muguruza had played 7 double faults on her serve whereas Kenin had achieved a score of 0 double faults. As the commentators put it ‘Kenin forced the errors’. Now some might say’ Well how could Kenin force the errors when the serve of Muguruza was not in her control’. The answer is mind games. Kenin broke the barrier of the body. This is how she went on to win the match. However, for Muguruza this was un-achievable. At the end of the day the match is a fight between two players and only two things are in their control. There racket and there mind.
Your body is a strong machine but you gotta fuel it with a powerful mind
Gymaholic
These such closely fought battles requires more than just the physical play. It requires almost twice as much brain power to ‘toy’ with the opponents mind and find that you have now made them stand on a cliff edge with all their moves countered in a split second. It requires will power and sheer determination. There have been several studies to show this.
One called the “Superstar effect” was identified by Jennifer Brown at the Northwestern University in a study on Tiger Woods, who was, far and away the dominant golfer on the tour at the time of the study. She looked at golf because, unlike tennis, it is a sport where one player cannot physically influence another’s performance directly. The effects can only be mental. In analysing scores from all of the other golfers in PGA events from 1999 to 2006, she found that when Tiger Woods was in a tournament, the other golfers scored an average of 0.8 strokes higher than when he wasn’t. In other words they performed worse.
A profound example is one from chess; for example, Bobby Fischer, who was arguably the best of all time, had a debilitating effect on his opponents known as “Fischer fear.” It hurt their play and even manifested itself physically in headaches, weakness and increased blood pressure. One of his great rivals, Boris Spassky, once quoted as saying, “When you play Bobby, it is not a question of whether you win or lose. It is a question of whether you survive.”
An example from tennis: Fededer’s Superstar Effect was a wide-spread effect commonly known during is dominant reign as a champion. I like to imagine it as a tether between the players minds that was infected by a virus which seemed to play with the other’s mind. In fact Federer’s simple presence over the net seemed to control the other players’ movement.
I believe that if one can break that mind barrier, and play without feeling like the world’s weight is on their shoulder’s, or that the whole world is staring at them they will come out on top. Never show weakness and dominate the game with strategy. Pressure the opponent. If you control the pace of the match and let them adjust to you, you will find your match a whole ton easier.
Viren's Weekly Blog 
”At the end of the day the match is a fight between two players and only two things are in their control. There racket and there mind.”
– absolutely love this!
Keep up the fab writing! And looking on the inside. God bless you
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thakyou
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Very well written Viren. I’m super impressed. I strongly agree with your points that “Your body is a strong machine but you gotta fuel it with a powerful mind”
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thanks
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Hey Viren
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hi
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So well written viren. God bless you always and keep it up. Would love to follow your posts.
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U can follow me by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.
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👌
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👌
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Excellent article and so well written!
I think you can apply this winning mentality to all things, so the next time you want that pair of trainers or new cricket bat be sure to apply this!
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Superbly written Viren ! In absolute agreement that playing any professional sport requires more of mental strength than physical. Keep writing ✍️
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Very well written 👌. Sports is as much about mental fitness and not just physical fitness .
P.s. Logo is cool 🙂
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Brilliant work Viren… very well written. Keep it up!
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Mind and body work together. I love your thinking. You can change the Fischer fear ❤️
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This is incredibly well written Viren! It is an absolute pleasure to read, you keep the reader engaged in every line and they finish the blog feeling enlightened – great work!
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Very interesting blog.. impressed by the research to give examples of other players dominating opponents psychologically.. looking forward to more 🙂
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Absolutely enjoyed reading this, you are so talented. I especially loved reading about the studies and effects of Woods, Federer etc on their opponents and I’m looking forward to more and a book someday……
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You make me proud, my boy! I remember planting the seed for you to create this site and you took that, embraced it and shaped it in to something “you”. This expression of you in the “inside” is making you shine on the “outside”. Love you
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Absolutely brilliant! Loved the Way you discussed the mental strength required to overcome your opponent in sports. This is so relatable in non-sports arena as well. We need the same mental strength to combat the current pandemic!
Keep up your writing. Fan already!
Thanks! Sujata Auntie
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My Boy! Keep writing AND keep singing 😊 God bless you always 💕
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Very well written….loved ur choice of topic…Mindgames, not an easy topic to write on…The mind can overcome any challenges, something we all need to remind ourselves especially now….thanks for reminding us….keep writing…looking forward to more!
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Very well written Viren..it made an interesting read and revealed a lot of things to me that I didn’t think of..can’t wait for the next blog..!!
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