How mucn does "confidence" play a role in tennis do you think?

Sharapova still has no enough confidence?:confused::confused:

:confused:
:confused:
:confused:

It plays huge role :shrug:

Very HUGE role.

It can only do so much. Did Sharapova have confidence when she reached the final and was up 2-0, 3-1 today?
At some point, you have to outplay your opponent

Major role, the way Safina is playing right now, she has ZERO confidence

It can only do so much. Did Sharapova have confidence when she reached the final and was up 2-0, 3-1 today?
At some point, you have to outplay your opponent

Agree.

Confidence is great but it can only take you so far, after that your game does the talking.

I immediately think of Maria/Venus Wimbledon 2005, Maria was full of confidence and she didnt give up, but she just couldnt beat Venus playing her best game.

It can only do so much. Did Sharapova have confidence when she reached the final and was up 2-0, 3-1 today?
At some point, you have to outplay your opponent
soemtimes confidence could be determined by the quality of the oppostion.

It can only do so much. Did Sharapova have confidence when she reached the final and was up 2-0, 3-1 today?
At some point, you have to outplay your opponent

I completely disagree with this...... You can very easily get out there and play out of your mind and start thinking shit Im up 4-0 how did this happen.... oh bollocks that first serve was horrible...alright dont let them back in the match here...shit double fault... Its ok I was up 40-0 anyways...error error...how did I lose that game. It was just one Im still way up" And next thing you know you're at 4-4 fighting for your life.... confidence plays a HUGE ROLE. If you dont have it your opponent can just use wozniaki style tennis and just get it back in play eventually you'll fuck it up.. speaking from experience here...:sobbing:

Ask Ana or Dinara.

BIG! If you personally walk out on the court and believe you are not going to win, then you won't.

It's substantial, but it's not the overriding element.

You still have to have the technique, stamina etc to find the right blend. I mean i could be confident going on court against a top player, but being confident won't compensate for my complete lack of ability:lol:

85 %, with no confidenc you can see things like Schiavone or King defeating Stosur

Especially if you are technically not so sound.. Have huge backswings and high balls toss :tape: once arm gets tight its all downhill :lol:

85 %, with no confidenc you can see things like Schiavone or King defeating Stosur

You know, Schiavone had 100% confidence. Sam was simply nervous. Get over it.

You know, Schiavone had 100% confidence. Sam was simply nervous. Get over it.

Bernard Tomic has 100% in every match!!



Confidence can only get you as much as your level can get you...
there are many factors in a match...
and not only a single player!!
not only a single point!!

Hmm. I don't think it plays as big a role as some people make out. You can have all the confidence in the world, but still be a truly shit player. It's more or less 50/50 between your game and your confidence/mentality.

Hmm. I don't think it plays as big a role as some people make out. You can have all the confidence in the world, but still be a truly shit player. It's more or less 50/50 between your game and your confidence/mentality.

Yeah but you can be extrememly talented and be mental midget and it doesn't win you slams or titles :lol:

Yeah but you can be extrememly talented and be mental midget and it doesn't win you slams or titles :lol:

Which is why it's more 50/50, as I said...

It can only do so much. Did Sharapova have confidence when she reached the final and was up 2-0, 3-1 today?
At some point, you have to outplay your opponent


i agree with you that confidence can only get you so far but, if you lose it, you can say goodbye to the match. to your point, i think maria had confidence when she had those leads, but then lost it. you know what happened next.

As a fan of the the talented, headcase that is Hantuchova--i would say it's a major component...and very, very important.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! it's all ABOUT CONFIDENCE!!!

A whole lot less than physical ability, mental strength, and knowledge of how to actually play tennis.

Sharapova's problem isn't lack of confidence. It's that the shoulder that's the main joint and foundation of her game has been damaged, and will never be the same. This is essentially the injury that ended Jennifer Capriati's career. She's trying to learn the new shoulder. But it works differently, fatigues differently, has a different rate-of-recovery.

On top of that, Sharapova's not fast. Take her serve out of the mix, and she's more Daniela Hantochova. But the problem isn't time, it's knowledge. When Venus went out after Wimbledon 2003, she didn't win a slam for two years. Took Serena a year and a half. Tennis players are finely tuned. It takes time for them to adjust to big physical changes.

Ask Justine Henin.

I tried! She told me to talk to the hand. :sad:

I tried! She told me to talk to the hand. :sad:

:happy: :yeah:

Sharapova lacks confidence? :rolls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lMug_bH7t4

The poor shrinking wallflower musta been pushed in front of that camera.

:cool: Confidence can bring a player further than not having any. However, the skilled and conditioned player will most often win in the end. Maria, and the rest of the WTA, have some very good competition to deal with. Maria will have to dig down deep to win another major ! :help:

At the professional level, it is about 90% of success. All of the girls in the top 100 have talent. And a hell of a lot of it. What separates them (mostly) is confidence and mental strength. Obviously even if Serena didn't have her mental fortitude, she would likely still be top 10, but it is truly her distinguishing characteristic.

Another good example of this is Caroline and Victoria. Both are young girls who I admire a lot and always am cheering for. Many people believe that Victoria's game is much more one that a 'champion' would possess. Deep, hard groundstrokes, good volleys, good footwork and speed. However, her career high ranking is #6 I believe, whereas Caroline's is #2 despite most people believing she is exclusively a 'pusher.' That is in large part because Caroline believes in herself and believes in her game. She rarely gets down on herself in a match, which cannot be said about Victoria. And I think that is where the huge difference between the two will lie.

Another good example is Nadia. She has the game of a top 3 player and grand slam champion, but has the confidence of a fat kid trying out for cheerleading.

everything, it is ok having all the shots but if you have no belief in them they just wont work.

At the end of the day, your game has to match your confidence.

At the end of the day, your game has to match your confidence.

Sum it up quite well actually :yeah:

Ana 2007-2008 vs Ana 2009-2010.

very very much

It is extremely important...
.. but confidence w/o adequate preparation can morph into just bluff if the opponent can see through it.

It's ALL about confidence. When you're confident, you KNOW when and ARE able to step it up. Serena is the prime example of this...witness ' 07 oz open. EVERYBODY said she was done, but then she goes out and destroys no.1 6-1 and 6-2 in the finals.

It can only do so much. Did Sharapova have confidence when she reached the final and was up 2-0, 3-1 today?
At some point, you have to outplay your opponent
True enough, but if you don't think you can outplay your opponent, guess what? You won't.

Sharapova lacks confidence? :rolls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lMug_bH7t4

The poor shrinking wallflower musta been pushed in front of that camera.

what relevance does this have to the thread

Confidence is the base for mental strength. Look at Safina and you know what I mean.

A huge amount - lose the wrong match and it can wreck the career - e.g. Barker losing to Stove in Wimbly semis of '77 totally destroyed her confidence and she was never the same player after that.