Leading Canadian physiologist Hans William Selye defined stress as a defence mechanism that permits theorganism to adapt to a given situation. Stress is negative when it does not permit the organism to adapt correctly to the environmental challenges. It becomes positive when it permits the organism to reassemble its resources in order to adapt to the situation more effectively.

For tennis players, typical symptoms of pre-match stress before an important match include an inability to sleep, knots in the stomach, nervous tension and irritability. During a game, stress can affect the quality of the strokes, lead to nervous sweats or make the heart beat faster. Faced with the need to win an important point, a player may be ‘paralysed’, or rush moves while losing the ability to think clearly. Certain cramps and injuries are directly associated with excess stress. The player
may become far more active than is necessary for the situation in question. This is referred to as ‘overstress’ and is usually associated with an over-estimation of the task to be accomplished and/or an underestimation of the player’s own capacities. Typically, a player will be facing a higherranking opponent and start playing above their own level. Alternatively, the player may become overwhelmed by the situation
and become discouraged and demotivated. In this situation, he gives up the fight: psychologically, the game has been lost in advance. ’Understress’ may occur if a player underestimates the challenge faced – for example when facing a lower-ranking player. Assuming that a win is a foregone conclusion, the player does not experience enough stress to mobilise all his or her resources, and may consequently place him/herself at a disadvantage.
’Good’ stress is marked by the optimal activation made possible by a correct evaluation of the situation and of the player’s own abilities. Good stress allows a player to perform to the best of his or her ability and is the key to optimum play. There are various psychological techniques
that can be used to control competition stress. It is important that the player does not to allow him or herself to be overwhelmed by the pressure of play. Top French tennis player Amélie Mauresmo, for example, always did this by telling herself ‘Don’t let the stakes kill the game’; or : ‘L’enjeu ne doit pas tuer le jeu’.
The best stress-control measure, of course, lies in the amount of practice that a player as undergone in the weeks and days before the match. The confidence that technical and physical abilities have been trained as effectively as possible will make a player less vulnerable to stress on the day. The evening before an important match, a player should forget long-term goals for the time being, and focus only on the
objectives of the game ahead: the opponent’s strength’s and weaknesses, and a tactical plan for the match. It is a good idea to anticipate potential difficulties and to take time to reflect on the best ways to overcome them. Tactical preparation, a mental review of the game plan and visualisation of strategies for overcoming obstacles, will help to build up the confidence needed to perform well. Muscle relaxation techniques can help if a player has difficulty in sleeping the night before a big match. Stretched out in bed with closed eyes, the player can consciously relax each part of the body, focusing first on the facial muscles and moving slowly down to the ankles, feet and toes. When this process is completed, the player concentrates on a relaxing mental image. Various other psychological techniques can help a player control overstress just before and during a match. These will be discussed in a subsequent article.

Antoni GIROD