Closing time

Closing out matches and games is suppose to easy right??? That's not always the case unless the game is out of reach when your team is up by double digits in the fourth quarter with seconds left on the clock. In tennis, there is no clock. So no matter how big the lead is, there is always a chance for that player who is behind in the match to come back and pull out the victory. No matter the sport, you see anything and everything that can go wrong in the closing seconds of a game when the score is close. The pressure builds up, players or teams get tentative and/or tight and begin making unforced errors that cause them to commit turnovers and lose games. You also see teams become too relaxed and take their foot off of the pedal which in return allows the other team to gain confidence, swinging the momentum in their favor. Teams end up pulling off great comeback victories that leave opposing teams and coaches scratching their heads trying to figure out what the hell just happened. In team sports the finger pointing and blame game can go towards the coach or towards the players. Sometimes both because no matter the play call, it comes down to execution. This is not always true though because a coach should know his/her players and he/she should know who they can trust when the game is on the line. No matter how great some athletes are, at one point in our lives we have all choked when trying to close out a game or a match. I believe that you have to fail over and over in order to succeed in the biggest moments when it matters most. Failing in those moments makes you stronger, just ask Jordan, Kobe, Federer, Messi, LeBron, Serena and countless others. Choking on the biggest stages can also scar certain athletes to the point where they are never the same again or don't get another chance to redeem themselves like Dinara Safina, Nick Anderson, Pat Ewing, Romo, Marino, Asafa Powell and LoLo Jones to name a few. The one team that I can think of off of the top of my head that "choked" and then redeemed themselves the following season by winning it all is the 2013-2014 San Antonio Spurs. They were literally a rebound away from defeating the Miami Heat until the ball was tipped to Ray Allen in the corner and we know what happened after that. What Greg Popovich was able to do with that team, bringing all the key players back for another season and another run at the title was remarkable to say the least. The Spurs were able to get a rematch against the Miami Heat in the finals the following season and write their wrongs playing beautiful basketball defeating the Heat in five games.

The great thing about tennis is we get to relive these situations all of the time. Whether it's a practice match or in a tournament. We always have past experiences that we can learn from and use as motivation to help us break through the very next time we find ourselves trying to close out a set or a match. I've lost matches being up 5-2. Not many times, but it has happened to me. We see it happen to professionals all of the time as well. I can remember being in those situations trying to close out a match and I let my ego get the best of me. I was telling myself, " I've got this match. This match is over. He is going to give up. There is no way he's coming back from this lead." So I relax and let one game slip. "No worries, it's just one game, I'll close it out right here." In that moment when we start talking to ourselves trying to get that momentum back, we begin to press too much or we play not to lose the match. Our opponent has all of the confidence in the world. They are loose and relax and hitting out on their shots. We become more and more aggravated with how we are playing and how we have let the lead slip. And before we know it, we have lost control of the match. In those matches that I have let leads slip, I was thinking about the outcome of the match before finishing the match. My mind had already moved on to the next opponent rather than finishing the match I was playing. So upset with myself after losing one of those matches I can remember one of my teammates coming up to me after the match. Greg could see that I was upset and in disbelief replaying every point of the match in my head, trying to figure out exactly where things went wrong for me. Greg simply said to me, "with a serve like yours, all you should say to yourself is the match is over once you break your opponents serve." I looked at Greg and knew exactly what he meant once he said that to me. I shook my head in agreement with what he told me and I said to Greg, "you're right." Taking the mindset into every practice and every match I played for the remainder of that season, I began playing some of my best tennis. I was able to string together a 7-8 match win streak closing out the regular season before playing in the conference championships and the division 1 team NCAA tournament.

My advice to you is to play the way you were playing when you built that lead. Try not to think about the score. Focus on staying in that zone you are in and keep your foot on your opponents throat. That moment you let up, you give your opponent life and that's when the momentum can switch if you're not careful. Don't listen to those "demons" in your head if you're not able to close out the match on the first try. Try laughing it off or saying positive things to yourself to keep your mind off of the nerves that may creep in while you're trying to close out a match. Trust your shots that you have been making throughout the match that got you in the situation that you want to be in. Most importantly, take your time! Don't rush and play too fast because you want to get the game or match over and done with. Breathe, be confident and take it one point at a time or one play at a time.

Always believe,

Shaun.