The first round of a tournament or the first match of a league/conference championship weekend can lead to more anxious feelings for tennis players. In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss research on first match anxiety to help you understand it better, and take practical steps to handle it better.

Psychophysiological stress in tennis players during the first single match of a tournament: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030645300800228X

To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how tennis players can benefit by taking a constraints led approach. They talk about constraints that tennis players can establish in practices and matches, and differentiate between preclude and promote constraints. Although it may seem that constraints take away the freedom to choose, they actually give tennis players far more structure to make high-percentage and helpful decisions.

To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the origins of greatness in performance, and whether early specialization increases one's chances of becoming truly elite. They review research that showed 90% of top performers were not the top juniors and, conversely that 90% of the top junior players did not become top pros. The implications of this research is discussed, and Brian and Josh offer practical suggestions for how tennis players can benefit by participating in multiple sports and activities outside of tennis.

Article - “Rethinking the Origins of Greatness” by Scott Barry Kaufman
https://www.beautifulminds-newsletter.com/p/rethinking-the-origins-of-greatness?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=25822&post_id=187293118&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=tfvr4&triedRedirect=true

Research Study - "Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance" by Arne Güllich, Michael Barth, David Z. Hambrick, and Brooke N. Macnamara
https://hhs.purdue.edu/skill-learning-and-performance-lab/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2026/01/Gullich-Barth-Hambrick-Macnamara-2025.pdf

To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.