Many tennis players I meet do training and play matches. However, they have their barriers when it comes to playing tournaments.
In this article, I share the reasons why I think participating in tennis competitions is absolutely key for your tennis and beyond.
Becoming the best version of yourself takes time
While I was a junior (age 8-16) I spent my afternoons with training and my weekends playing tournaments. We were (and still are) 3 good friends with Soma and Tibike crossing Hungary for tournaments from week to week. Our parents made turns: one weekend it was my mom bringing the 3 of us, then the father of Tibike, and so on. Boy, we had fun.
Sometimes, especially in the beginning, we had very short trips: we all lost in the first round. But then better times came and we had to lengthen our stay with 1 or even 2 nights.
During those years I got fitter, refined my topspin, and ultimately learned how to win and how to lose.
Looking back, probably the mental part was the most significant.
5 reasons why playing tennis competitions is great
Nowadays, when I have free time, I still attend tennis competitions. I love the preparation, feeling the nerves, and fighting with my limits.
Playing tennis competitions is great for several reasons:
1) You can improve your game by being exposed to players with different styles: an offensive one, a great server, or the one who always slices their backhand. Little by little you will learn how to adapt your game and play against them.
2) Experiencing the cost of a bad second serve (like a match lost) will help you see which parts of your tennis you need to concentrate on during your training.
3) Also, knowing that you will play competition in a few days/weeks gives you extra motivation to go out, practice more, and prepare for it properly. If you are interested in how I prepare for my tournaments, check out this article.
4) Through tennis tournaments, you can get to know a lot of people from different backgrounds sharing the same passion for the sport. You might find your future best friend or a great sparring partner.
5) And lastly (this is my personal favorite) performing under pressure is not something that happens only on the tennis court. Learning how to deal with the inner dialogue in your head, not getting interrupted by external factors, or winning a match that seems already lost will serve you well outside of the tennis court. At school, at your work, and with your family.
Amateur tennis competitions in Barcelona
The great thing about tennis in Barcelona is that you can play outdoor from January to December. And in most cases, you will even have the sun smiling at you.
There is a great variety of tennis tournaments in Barcelona: leagues, cups, some played on weekdays, others during the weekends.
There are many benefits of taking your tennis to the next level by attending competitions: it will improve your game, keep you motivated, help meet like-minded people, and above all strengthen your mental state.
So see you on the court?