You will play your best tennis when you are focused on the present moment, swinging freely, and letting your thoughts go. This state of optimal performance is often referred to as “flow state”, being “in the zone” or playing “out of your mind.”
To get to the point of trusting yourself that you can execute in the key moments of a match takes considerable practice. And the more you can practice and internalize the sequences of shots that will put you in a position to win points and matches, the better you will be able to execute these sequences automatically when it matters most.
In that spirit, I recommend that you dedicate a significant amount of your practice toward perfecting shot sequences. If you can “rehearse” some very basic patterns of shots so they become automatic, then you will be much more likely to execute these in the heat of battle.
Given the variability of tennis and the unpredictability of what your opponent might do, it is not necessarily possible to choreograph an entire point. But you will find that you can often execute a three shot sequence assuming that you have started a point with a decisive and clear purpose.
Serve Progressions
Return Progressions
Neutral Progressions
Attacking Progressions
Defensive Progression
Net Progressions
Passing Progressions