There was a great article in a recent Tennis magazine about moving to the top of the club ladder and believing you belong there. The article went on to describe how players lose to opponents based on that player's reputation and their "respective position on the tennis food chain". How many times have you played someone and decided you've lost the match before the first serve is struck because of losing to that player before or knowing they are undefeated. Mentally, you have to realize that past accomplishments and reputation have absolutely nothing to do with present performance. While playing this player, it's normal to want to rush through points because of a sense of inferiority, which leads to poor decision making and unforced errors. You have to figure out a way to win points by making the opponent prove superiority shot after shot. Remember that intimidation becomes a factor only if you let it. Study your opponent's strategies, positioning and shot making, but don't think about who that person is. Play the ball and concern yourself with your own game and wait until the end of the match to see who wins.
