Pressure Point – Rogers Cup 2018 Toronto – Day 4

Editorial Sports — 11 August 2018

Pressure, everybody feels it!

Rafael Nadal (ESP)

It is incredibly individual and affects everyone differently. Professional tennis players are faced with the extreme challenges of this unpredictable sport. However, it is the state of mind that dictates how one responds to the competitive pressures and expectations of the game.

Stan Wawrinka (SUI)

Alexander Zverev (GER)

These high performance athletes compete under tremendous physical and mental stressors. It is how these top players of the world control what is a natural component of match play and a critical component of success.

Mental pressure can act as a motivator (positive) or an inhibitor (negative) of the performance in any point, game, set and match.

Grigor Dimitrov, currently ranked 24^th in the world, shared how he learned to turn negative pressures into positive. Focusing on his positive inside voice and always looking for solutions and ways to play better. Today’s performance in the round of 16 is an excellent illustration of how Grigor finds away to win, defeating Frances Tiafoe 7-6,3-6,7-6.

Frances Tiafoe (USA)

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

he NextGen, 19 year old, Greek tennis sensation, Stefanos Tsitsipas, believes the best part of his game is his mental toughness. Stating that whether he plays a good or bad point, “I go on, forget it, play next point and pump myself up”. Feeling confident that he can be #1 one day. Stefanos’ confidence shone brilliantly today, with a major upset over previous world #1, Novak Djokovic, 6-3.6-7,6-3.

Denis Shapovalov (CAN)

The highest ranked Canadian in the men’s singles draw, Denis Shapovalov, spoke of pressure in his match as well, after he was eliminated from 3^rd round action at the Rogers cup, 7-5, 6-2 by Robin Haase. Asked if pressure affected his performance, he responsed simply by stating that “no” he felt no pressure, “I just had a bad day”. Surmising that Hasse was successful at making it difficult for him in addition to windy conditions on court.