Why it pays to go all out, all the time

We are all familiar with the pressures of big points—game point, break point, set point, match point—and we take steps to calm our nerves in hopes of becoming more effective on them. We slow down, take deep breaths, focus on our rituals, and keep our minds off the score. Sometimes these methods work; sometimes they don’t.

But regardless of your ability to solve the mysteries of big points, there is another way to win matches that may be more helpful. And that is to put extra effort into winning small points. Since there is less pressure on these points, your nerves will be calmer, and you will be more likely to play your normal game. All that it takes to function well on these points is high motivation and high intensity.

The net result of this approach is earning more opportunities to win big points. And the more opportunities you have, the greater the chance you’ll win.

Given the pressures of big points, you’re going to lose some of them. When that happens, you must avoid getting rattled. Train yourself to brush off big-point errors, knowing that they’re simply part of the game. You’ll be mentally ready to go after the subsequent little points. Win enough of them and you’ll earn more break points. You will eventually prevail, because your nerves will become  accustomed to the pressure and  calm down, or by simple probabilities and good fortune.

Another good reason for going hard after little points is that you never know when one of them will turn out to be a crucial turning point. Consider a case where your opponent is serving and is up 30–0. This would not seem to be an important point, and many players would figure the game to be largely out of reach. Often these players will try lower-percentage shots; do so and miss, and the score becomes 40–0. Now the game is truly likely to be lost.