Hey Tennis Freaks!

Some weeks feel smooth.
Some weeks feel messy.

This one had both.

Big matches. Tough moments. Good conversations. Hard training.

And it reminded us of something important about growth, pressure, and what actually separates good from great.

Let’s get into it.

Great players do not avoid negative thoughts.

We watched a clip of Novak Djokovic this week. He said he has more negative thoughts than most people realize.

That stood out.

Champions are not positive all the time.
They just recover faster.

Arnold Schwarzenegger shared something similar. Every great run includes heartbreak, doubt, and setbacks.

What separates the best is not clean confidence.
It is recovery speed.

After a missed forehand.
After a bad call.
After a lost set.

Calm is not soft. Calm is control.

We watched a return of serve breakdown this week that was simple and practical.

Instead of trying to hit a bigger return, the advice was this:

• Stand six inches closer on second serves
• Take your first step forward, not sideways
• Aim more through the middle on big first serves

Most players miss returns because they over swing or over aim.

The adjustment is positioning and intent.

This week in practice, try this:

On second serve returns, move slightly inside your normal spot and commit to stepping forward.

Small positional changes create big pressure.

The best forehands in the world are not just powerful.

They create options.

Rafa uses spin and patterns.
Federer used angles and disguise.
Sinner uses pace and timing under pressure.

The great forehand does not just hit hard.
It removes your opponent’s choices.

For most players reading this, here is the real question:

Does your forehand only do one thing?

If it does, better players will figure you out.

Power matters.
But options win.

Listen to their discussion below.

This season was our first season coaching the UNB Men’s & Women’s tennis teams, which went from near the bottom of the league to the finals.

There was no magic drill.
No secret speech.

We worked on tactics.
We worked on fitness.
But most of all, we worked on belief.

Confidence is not built by talking.

It is built with reps and someone believing in you long enough for you to believe in yourself.

Life is like that, too. It’s about the quiet reps that build trust in your engine.

Tennis is the same.

This week made us think about something we started taking more seriously over the past year.

Training the mental side the same way we train our serve or forehand.

In this video, we share the daily habits that can help you feel mentally clearer and more stable on court.

Things like:

• Non-sleep deep rest during the day
• Hydration discipline
• Structured supplementation
• Weekly check ins
• Tracking habits instead of guessing

Nothing flashy.
Just repeatable habits that calm the nervous system and sharpen focus.

Djokovic talked about negative thoughts this week. The goal is not to eliminate them. It is to respond better.

These habits can help you think more clearly between points and reset faster after mistakes.

If you want to go deeper on that side of the game, you can watch it here:

See ya next Friday,
Cade & Chris

Premier racquet stringers, official stringers at the National Bank Open. Your go-to online tennis store for top gear in tennis, badminton, table tennis, squash, and pickleball. Use "MPTENNIS10" for 10% off.