How do I stay calm during a tennis match?

Put your attention on things you control — your breath, your grip, and the ball — instead of the score. Take a slow exhale before points, loosen your hands, and play one point at a time. Calm is a by-product of those habits, not something you can force by wanting it.

Why do I get so nervous playing tennis?

Usually because you're attached to an outcome you can't fully control, like winning or not looking bad. Shifting your focus to your effort — which you do control — takes the pressure off, since it's impossible to feel anxious about something you fully control.

How do I calm down between points?

Use a short routine: react to the point, take one slow breath to release it, loosen your grip, then refocus on the next serve. Doing it the same way every time — regardless of the score — keeps the moment from feeling bigger than it is.

Does breathing really help in tennis?

Yes. A slow exhale before a point slows your heart rate and your tempo, which nerves tend to speed up, and it gives your mind a simple thing to focus on instead of the score.

Blog · Mental game · 7 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

How to Stay Calm on the Tennis Court: 5 Ways to Beat Tennis Nerves

Everyone tells you to "just relax" on the tennis court, which is about as useful as telling someone to fall asleep faster. **Staying calm on the tennis court** isn't a mood you can switch on by wanting it. It's a set of small things you do — with your breath, your hands, your attention — that produce it. Here's how to stay loose under pressure, even when the nerves don't fully go away.

Staying Calm in Tennis Is a Skill, Not a Mood

You won't feel calm before a big point by trying to feel calm — that just adds one more thing to think about. Calm is a by-product. It shows up when your attention is on something simple and steady, and when you stop caring so much about an outcome you can't fully control. In The Inner Game of Tennis, Timothy Gallwey put it plainly: you can't be anxious about something you completely control. You can't control whether you win the match, but you can control your breath, your grip, and where you put your eyes. Work on those, and the calm follows.

Tennis Breathing: Slow Your Breath, Slow the Match

Tennis nerves speed everything up — your heart, your feet, your swing. A slow breath is the fastest way to put the tempo back in your hands. Before you serve, take one long exhale. Between points, do the same, and consciously loosen your grip on the racket; tight hands are usually the first place tension shows up. You're not trying to feel nothing. You're just refusing to let the nerves set the pace.

Extreme close-up of a hand loosening its grip on a racket handle

Calm Down Between Points: One Point at a Time

The scoreboard is where calm goes to die. Thinking about the game you need to close out, or the point you just lost, pulls you out of the only point you can actually play. So shrink the match down. Give the point in front of you your full effort, then let it go before the next one — win or lose. A simple between-point routine helps: react to the point, take a breath to release it, then refocus on the next serve. Repeat it the same way whether you're up a break or down one.

A tennis player walking back to the baseline with a towel, resetting between points

Beat Tennis Nerves by Watching the Ball

When your mind has nothing simple to hold onto, it fills the space with worry. So give it the ball. Watch it all the way to the strings, notice the seams turning, hear the sound of the strike. This isn't a trick to hit cleaner shots — it's a place to rest your attention so the anxious commentary has no room to run. A busy mind and a quiet one are often just the difference between watching the ball and watching the scoreboard.

Reframe Match Nerves — and Read a Line Before You Play

Finally, stop treating nerves as the enemy. Feeling nervous before a match that matters isn't a sign you're weak; it's a sign you care, and even the best players feel it. The goal was never to be fearless — it's to not let the nerves run the match. A small ritual makes that easier: reading one short line before you walk on, and using it to set your attention, is a quiet way to arrive calm. The daily lines on The Tennis Calendar are written for exactly that — one for every day of the season.

FAQs

How do I stay calm during a tennis match?: Put your attention on things you control — your breath, your grip, and the ball — instead of the score. Take a slow exhale before points, loosen your hands, and play one point at a time. Calm is a by-product of those habits, not something you can force by wanting it.
Why do I get so nervous playing tennis?: Usually because you're attached to an outcome you can't fully control, like winning or not looking bad. Shifting your focus to your effort — which you do control — takes the pressure off, since it's impossible to feel anxious about something you fully control.
How do I calm down between points?: Use a short routine: react to the point, take one slow breath to release it, loosen your grip, then refocus on the next serve. Doing it the same way every time — regardless of the score — keeps the moment from feeling bigger than it is.
Does breathing really help in tennis?: Yes. A slow exhale before a point slows your heart rate and your tempo, which nerves tend to speed up, and it gives your mind a simple thing to focus on instead of the score.

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