Ep 20 (part 2): Is it the end of the "Rafa era" on clay? Tsitsipas' loss: 3 Things to Do After Losing a Match You Were Close to Win

The Players' Lounge (Tennis Podcast)

In this second part of this episode dedicated to the lessons we can learn from the 2021 French Open (if you did not have a chance to listen to the first part that focused on the mental strategies Krejcikova and Djokovic used to have the edge over their opponents, here is the link), we will dig into the losses of Rafael Nadal, “King of Clay” for the past 15 years and Stefanos Tsitsipas who was one set away to win his first Grand Slam. The main focus of this episode will be: how to recover from a tough loss when we were very close to winning?

Rafa Nadal:

-Why did he come to the French Open with less confidence compared to the previous years? From 3’57 to 9’17

-How did he lose the psychological and physical advantages he had over Djokovic on clay? From 9’18 to 13’18

-Is the end of the “Nadal era” on clay? From 13’19 to 16’57

Stefanos Tsitsipas:

-Why does his French Open run confirm that he will be number one in the future? From 16’58 to 21’06

-What was the missing element(s) for him to win against Djokovic in the final? From 21’07 to 25’35

-What are the 3 things to do when you lose a match that you were very close to win? From 25’36 to 37’06

1. Let out all your emotions
2. Give credit to your opponent and analyze what he/she did better than you
3. Keep in mind your main goal but learn how to change your approach