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09:53 GMT, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 10:53 UK

Henman's coach says forget results

Paul Annacone is one of the world's leading tennis coaches and now works for the LTA.

Not only is he credited with boosting Tim Henman's game to new heights but he also worked with Pete Sampras.

Here he explains how you can use the same tactics as Tim to improve your game.

Paul Annacone
Tim Henman's coach

Once you've developed a good technique it's important to learn how to play.

That's about understanding what type of player you are and then figuring out how you can set up your practice and your matches so you can reach your full potential.

But unfortunately too often tennis players get caught up in what the result is.

With Tim I tell him to believe in what the plan is and then he has to be disciplined to stick with his approach whether he's winning or losing.

Annacone's students


Paul Annacone watches Tim Henman

If, like Tim, your strength is at the net then why would you want to stay on the baseline?

The answer is that you get into a state of mind where you don't want to make mistakes.

If you're back at the baseline you can move the ball around so you don't make as many unforced errors.

But you're not maximising what your potential is. Ultimately it comes down to backing yourself.

I tell Tim he should lose or win where his strengths are. So he needs to be brave enough to lose and do what he does best.

Essentially you should try to take the emotion out of your results.

Instead of saying: "Oh I played terribly today", try and understand if you played the way you wanted to play.

Ask yourself: "Was I aggressive, did I try and control the point or was I very passive, did I wait for the other person to dictate the play?"

If you look at the way you're playing versus the level you're playing at then I think it will help deal with the pressure a little bit.

Try to be disciplined about playing each point the right way and not worrying so much about whether you win it.





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