Confident: Players must have an unshakable self-belief in their abilities and skills. That is, they expect to be successful.

“I am TEAM USA, I believe deeply”

“I am TEAM USA, I got this”

“I am TEAM USA, I trust my game and myself”

“Don’t just play to let the game pass by. Play to make a difference. Be great…” – Peter Laviolette

“Confidence doesn’t come when you have all the answers. But it comes when you are ready to face all the questions.”

TO PLAY WITH CONFIDENCE IS TO:

• Believe in yourself regardless of what obstacles exist.
• Be not afraid to play your game and hit out.
• Be optimistic – have an expectation of success even if others doubt you.
• Be positive – find the reasons to believe.
• Acknowledge doubts and fears but do not focus on them and give them energy. Accept that the doubt or fear exists and is normal, but it is not what you believe.
• Use hard work to develop your skills and preparation for matches.
• Get in the habit of thinking positively and productively. 
• Be not afraid to admit that you can lose but that you will always work to improve next time.
• Believe you can perform well and win, even if you haven’t been performing well or have lost to your upcoming opponent in the past.
• Step up when you need to step up, both on and off the court.

DON'T WAIT FOR CONFIDENCE TO HAPPEN, BUILD IT BY:

• Developing competence in your game through hard work.
• Enhancing your physical and mental capacities.
• Setting short, intermediate and long-term goals that direct your focus and enhance your motivation.
• Recognizing the successes you are having, as small as they may be at times, more than focusing on failure.
• Talking to yourself like a doubles partner would talk to you, always encouraging yourself and finding the positives.
• Spending the majority of your time focusing on and using your strengths while understanding and improving weaknesses.
• Visualizing your success, like Novak Djokovic, every day and work toward it.

EXAMPLE

Novak Djokovic grew up in Serbia during wartime. Conditions were difficult for everyday life and particularly so for developing a top-level tennis player. Novak didn’t let that stop him. He practiced in a drained pool and followed his passion for the game. When he was starting out on the tour, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were clearly entrenched as the top two players in the world. But Novak believed. He envisioned himself being No. 1 in the world and worked toward that goal with steadfast determination.

Novak’s deep-founded self-belief allowed him to push past the doubts, the losses and the near misses at Slams to become the best player in the world. It started with a vision in his mind, a confidence, that he could be No. 1. And once that seed was planted, he watered it every day keeping it strong in his mind and his heart.