Helping junior tennis players cope with their emotions

Abstract

Competition is an integral component of junior tennis. Through competition children can test their physical prowess, develop their psychological skills and, ultimately, progress through the rankings. While some enjoy tournaments and excel when competing, others find it more challenging and experience emotions such as anxiety and pressure when they perform. For children to succeed in matches and reach their potential as tennis players, they must be able to cope with the range of emotions that arise before, during, and after matches. It is therefore important to understand the emotions that children experience when they compete and help them develop appropriate coping strategies to manage these emotions. This article provides recommendations for coaches regarding how they can help children to cope with the emotions they experience when competing.