How to overcome nervousness while playing in a tournament

Yesterday I had a state tournament which I lost because I got nervous and kept pushing. Even though I could easily defeat the player when we met at a club for practice one day before the tournament And just because of the fear of losing points or messing services up I kept playing counter and pushing even though I am an attacking player,and my topspin is the best my club.

Hi Abhishek,

This is a normal feeling in a match.

The main thing is firstly to recognise those feelings and then find ways to deal with them. I find a simple deep breath can help to calm yourself in those situations.

The main thing though is to allow yourself to enjoy the match and the playing and the challenge of it all.  It is when you start to worry about the results of the match that you get tied up and nervous.

We have a section on our site on Sports Psychology which you should explore to get some ideas as well.