Let us suppose you made the shot down the sideline. It was a
seemingly impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points in that
it took one away from your opponent that should have been his and
gave you one you ought never to have had. It also worries your
opponent, as he feels he has thrown away a big chance.

The psychology of a tennis match is very interesting, but easily
understandable. Both men start with equal chances. Once one man
establishes a real lead, his confidence goes up, while his
opponent worries, and his mental viewpoint becomes poor. The sole
object of the first man is to hold his lead, thus holding his
confidence. If the second player pulls even or draws ahead, the
inevitable reaction occurs with even a greater contrast in
psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader now
with the second man as well as that great stimulus of having
turned seeming defeat into probable victory. The reverse in the
case of the first player is apt to hopelessly destroy his game,
and collapse follows.

It is this twist in tennis psychology that makes it possible to
win so many matches after they are seemingly lost. This is also
the reason that a man who has lost a substantial lead seldom
turns in the ultimate victory. He cannot rise above the
depression caused by his temporary slump. The value of an early
lead cannot be overestimated. It is the ability to control your
mental processes, and not worry unduly over early reverses, that
makes a great match player.

Playing to the score is the first requisite of a thinking match
player. The two crucial points in any game are the third and