Tennis Quote of the Day: Accepting Tennis Mistakes

Making mistakes in tennis is normal. Everyone misses; even the pros do. To me, a  mistake is like a red traffic light when I am driving a car toward where I want to go. Red lights only stop my journey temporarily. They are a reality in driving a car; in tennis, mistakes and accepting them are also a reality.
--Coach Tomaz Mencinger, July 2012, Web: www.feeltennis.net

Why then do we react so negatively to our simple unforced errors? Why do most of us assume that the better players we become, the less mistakes we make? 

Coach Mencinger suggests that the average rally at all tennis levels is only about 20 seconds. The better ball we learn to hit, the riskier shots we attempt.

He suggests that basketball superstar Kobe Bryant misses one of every six free throws. And that even top tennis stars such as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic serve at less than 100% even on "super safe" second serves at top tournaments.

Mencinger suggests that the main cause of tennis errors is simply mental - and that just accepting that you will sometimes miss and focusing a clear image on the ball's trajectory is the single best solution. 

For more information, see: 
How To Be At Peace With Mistakes In Tennis