Tennis Psychology: Building Mental Toughness in a Demanding Sport
Tennis, unlike many other sports, tests athletes mentally in unique ways. For instance unlike football, where players have teammates, substitutions, referees, and set time limits, tennis players face the game alone. There are no substitutions, no timeouts, and often, especially in youth matches no referee. Therefore, this intense, solitary environment demands exceptional mental resilience, quick decisions, and the ability to stay focused under pressure.
Roberto’s Work at Bromley Tennis Academy
Since 2003, Roberto has played a key role at the Bromley Tennis Academy. Notably, this LTA High-Performance Centre, founded by Clint Harris, focuses on training elite youth players aged 8 to 18. As a performance consultant and sports psychologist, Roberto has consistently helped young athletes develop the necessary mental skills to thrive. Consequently, his expertise has been crucial in preparing players for the sport’s intense challenges.
Leading Performance Psychology for the LTA (2007-2009)
From 2007 to 2009, Roberto served as the National Performance Psychology Manager for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). In this position he worked with the UK's brightest talents including Andy Murray, Laura Robson (who won Junior Wimbledon during this time), James Ward, and Johanna Konta. Moreover, he collaborated closely with the LTA’s elite coaches to integrate psychological strategies into their training programs. As a result, this approach not only enhanced player performance but also strengthened coaching techniques.
Roberto's focus on mental toughness, confidence, and performance under pressure has significantly boosted British tennis at the highest levels.
What makes a winner?
The voices at the LTA give their views
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BBC Radio5 Live speaking with Naga Munchetty on what it takes to be a winnerBBC Radio5 Live speaking with Naga Munchetty on what it takes to be a winner🏆 Unpacking the Champion’s Blueprint: Insights from BBC Radio Five Live Interview 🏆 Today, I had the privilege of joining Naga Munchetty on BBC Radio Five Live to dissect the essence of what makes a true champion, particularly in light of Novak Djokovic’s remarkable 24th Grand Slam victory at the US Open at the age of 36. 🎾 We embarked on a journey to uncover the secret...
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BBC Radio Scotland talking about Andy Murray's Wimbledon hopesBBC Radio Scotland talking about Andy Murray's Wimbledon hopesAs Andy Murray approaches the twilight of his playing career, this extraordinary performer can look forward to Wimbledon eagerly. Two factors will determine how well he does – one in his control and the other not so much. Within his control is his mindset, an area that has brought its challenges to Andy in his younger days, and as Paul Annecone so eloquently put it, “self-imposed...
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BBC Breakfast TV: Andy MurrayBBC Breakfast TV: Andy MurrayAlways a pleasure to work with the BBC. Three times this week with two radio interviews (BBC 5 Live and BBC Scotland) and today talking on BBC Breakfast TV. Andy Murray had just too much of a challenge after competing for 10 hrs and 10 sets in his first two rounds of the Australian Open Tennis Championship. What an incredible competitor. A pleasure to have...
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ANDY MURRAYANDY MURRAY“Working with Roberto, I have learnt to appreciate tennis again. I was getting angry on court about things that weren’t really necessary”.
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LAURA ROBSONLAURA ROBSONIn 2002 the young Laura Robson entered the most prestigious Wimbledon Junior Championships. She won the tournament.
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BBC Radio Kent: Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon 2022BBC Radio Kent: Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon 2022A pleasure to once again talk with @bbcradiokent and @annacookson regarding the pressures of playing in the goldfish bowl that is Wimbledon 2022. Media sport psychology consultant and peak performance consultant Roberto Forzoni. Roberto gives an insight into elite performance, the psychology of behaviour and performance, well-being, and positive mental health. Regarding performance psychology, sports psychology, radio psychology content, and media psychology, for expert advice, contact roberto@robertoforzoni.com. Roberto is...
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BBC TV News: Emma RaducanuBBC TV News: Emma RaducanuA pleasure to be invited to speak with BBC TV on the incredible success of Emma Raducanu! At just 18 years old, she made history, winning the US Open in spectacular fashion. Her journey to the top was a masterclass in mental strength, focus, and determination. From the qualifying rounds to lifting the trophy, she didn’t drop a single set — a phenomenal achievement. It...
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BBC Radio 4: Emma Raducanu's wonderful Wimbledon Experience comes to an endBBC Radio 4: Emma Raducanu's wonderful Wimbledon Experience comes to an endEmma Raducanu has become quite a name these past couple of weeks Being the last GB female left standing at Wimbledon during week 2, and progressing to the fourth round, has shot this future star to everyone’s attention. What can she take from her Wimbledon experience? Despite going out in such a disappointing way, Emma can take many positives from the experience. Simply playing her first...
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CH5 TV News Talking kits and logosCH5 TV News Talking kits and logosGreat to be invited back again to CH5 News to speak about the psychology behind kits and logos
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BBC TV News: Andy MurrayBBC TV News: Andy MurrayA pleasure to be invited to speak with BBC TV News on the wonderful success of Andy Murray
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BBC Radio 5 Live: An insight into the mind of Andy MurrayBBC Radio 5 Live: An insight into the mind of Andy MurrayMedia sport psychology consultant and peak performance consultant, Roberto Forzoni, invited to speak with @BBCRadio5 for an insight into the world of elite performance, psychology of behaviour and performance, well-being and positive mental health. When it comes to performance psychologist. sports psychologist. and radio psychologist content, media psychologist, expert advice on psychology and performance, contact roberto@robertoforzoni.com
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ACE MagazineACE MagazineRoberto Forzoni replies: players should focus on their own game play and other controllable factors (such as effort, attitude and responses), rather than uncontrollable factors such as their opponent’s behaviour. I suspect that players who are easily distracted by the grunter may well find something else to be distracted by in the absence of noise. So beware. if you start focusing on things beyond your direct control,...
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BBC Radio Kent: Serena Williams outburst at US OpenBBC Radio Kent: Serena Williams outburst at US OpenSports psychologist Roberto Forzoni speaks with BBC Radio Kent regarding Serena William’s outburst at the US Open when she lost the final to 20-year-old Naomi Osaka. Media sport psychology consultant and peak performance consultant Roberto Forzoni was invited to speak with @BBCRadiokent for an insight into the world of elite performance, psychology of behaviour and performance, well-being and positive mental health.
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BBC Radio Kent: Johanna Konta & tennis psychologyBBC Radio Kent: Johanna Konta & tennis psychologyGreat to join John and Anna on BBC Radio Kent Breakfast talking tennis and Johanna Konta
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Depression in SportDepression in SportDepression in sport The following is an article from various web based accounts of depression in sport. Not fully edited but a fascinated read – particularly where individuals offer their own personal sories. Depression is not selective it does not discriminate who it lands on. Irrespective of your walk of life, your personal situation and the size of your pay packet, depression can take hold of you. And...
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Murray rediscovers joy of winning thanks to fresh mental approachMurray rediscovers joy of winning thanks to fresh mental approach29th August 2007 judging by Murray’s verdict Forzoni has really made an immediate impact.AFTER months of frustration as he attempted to shake off the effects of a wrist injury, Andy Murray is back enjoying his tennis once more. The 20-year-old Scot, who had a straight-sets win in his first-round match at the US Open, believes much of the credit for that should go to Roberto Forzoni, the sports...
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Jamie Murray is overdue a session with Forzoni who taught brother AndyJamie Murray is overdue a session with Forzoni who taught brother Andy28th May 2009 As with anything in life, there are distinct dangers of being too self analytical but Murray has been discussing his situation with those closest. “Sometimes I speak to my mum and she’s like ‘Look, if this is what you want to do then you’ve got to work harder. You’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. You’re good enough. You’ve got...
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Lloyd looks for the Davis Cup X FactorLloyd looks for the Davis Cup X Factor23rd February 2009 Sessions with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni appear to be paying off Lloyd wants to see who can go the distance, who can recover from two sets down, who can hold serve when pain arrives deep into a fifth set. So this week, it’s three best-of-five matches – a survival of the fittest if you like. Most impressive on the first day was Josh Goodall, the...
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Goodall to get Great Britain's match under way against UkraineGoodall to get Great Britain's match under way against Ukraine5th March 2209 I’m working with Roberto and he’s brilliant.”Josh Goodall will lead off Great Britain’s bid for a Davis Cup victory against Ukraine after being drawn to play Ilya Marchenko in tomorrow’s opening singles rubber at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow. It will be the first time Goodall, the world No192 and the highest-ranked player on the GB team, has played Marchenko but he will be...
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Josh Goodall given the nod to lead Britain into a stress-free zoneJosh Goodall given the nod to lead Britain into a stress-free zone6th March 2009 Roberto Forzoni’s phone rang last night, for certain. One of the Great Britain Davis Cup squad, either those selected or left out of the team to face Ukraine this weekend, will have poured out his emotions to the psychologist whom Andy Murray summoned to the 2007 US Open when bothered by a weakened wrist and having sensed that his partnership with Brad Gilbert,...
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Murray cruises past CuevasMurray cruises past CuevasThe benefits of his recent visit to Roberto Forzoni were quickly evident on Grandstand Court. Under the eye of the watching Forzoni, who flew here yesterday, the Scot pounded down a 129mph first serve on the very first point. In the second game his aggressive ground strokes produced an immediate break, which he celebrated with a roar of approval, and in the fifth he fired a...
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Murray shapes up wellMurray shapes up well4th September 2007 It is seven months since he played in a Grand Slam tournament, nearly six since he was completely injury-free and five since he last won two matches in a row. No wonder Andy Murray is looking forward to the US Open, which begins here today. Not only is it the 20-year-old Briton’s favourite event but it also comes at a time when he...
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Goodall: Sessions with Roberto have toughened him upGoodall: Sessions with Roberto have toughened him up5th March 2009 Josh Goodall insists he can replace Andy Murray as Great Britain’s talisman this weekend after finally exorcising his mental demons. Goodall, 23, is expected to be asked to spearhead his country’s bid for Davis Cup victory over Ukraine when captain John Lloyd names his four-man team for the Euro/Africa Zone Group One clash in Glasgow. Despite being a novice in the competition, Goodall is now...
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Murray's Positive Attitude Pays OffMurray's Positive Attitude Pays Off29th August 2007 ..the scowling Scot who spent much of his matches admonishing himself and others – the comments were usually made in the general direction of his coach, Brad Gilbert – had gone. In his place was a young man focused on the task in hand and determined to enjoy his tennis.The influence of Roberto Forzoni, who began working with Murray earlier this month and...
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Mind doctor getting Murray in mood for US VictoryMind doctor getting Murray in mood for US Victory29th August 2007 Given that his clients include Andy Murray and the footballers of West Ham, it appears that sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni is not afraid of a challenge. Not content with getting a handle on the likes of Anton Ferdinand, the Italian mind doctorhas been helping the talented and complex British No 1 prepare for the U.S Open, which begins today at Flushing Meadows. With Murray, his task...
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Ukraine promise hairy weekend for GB in Davis CupUkraine promise hairy weekend for GB in Davis Cup5th March 2009 Goodall has been working closely with Roberto Forzoni, who helped Murray If the International Tennis Federation awarded style points for designer stubble, Britain’s Davis Cup team would have already won this tie against Ukraine after all four players turned up for Thursday’s draw ceremony in Glasgow with facial hair. Still, with Britain fielding their most inexperienced team in history, most had already imagined that this...
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Sessions with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni appear to be paying off for the notoriously spiky 23-year-old from Basingstoke.Sessions with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni appear to be paying off for the notoriously spiky 23-year-old from Basingstoke.23rd February 2009 Sessions with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni appear to be paying off for the notoriously spiky 23-year-old from Basingstoke. It must have been the curiosity factor which lured the likes of Tim Henman and The Duchess of Gloucester to the National Tennis Centre for day one of the Davis Cup selection play-off. At times the calibre of the star-studded viewing balcony outweighed the courts, where six...
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Murray out to show British are not all retiring typesMurray out to show British are not all retiring types27th August 2007 Andy Murray has visited Roberto Forzoni, an Italian sports psychologist The search for positives in British tennis has been repeatedly frustrated in the past few days here. There have been three retirements — Tim Henman’s career-ending announcement and two more in the qualifying competition, with Alex Bogdanovic and Anne Keothavong unable to stay the course. Naomi Cavaday, meanwhile, played the final match of her...
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Andy's on-court mood has considerably improvedAndy's on-court mood has considerably improved31st August 2007 At this tournament, far away from Henman Hill, the People’s Saturday, and Pimm’s cups with side orders of strawberries and cream, Murray is strictly a tennis story. His gritty 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 second-round win over Jonas Bjorkman on Thursday afternoon was just his fifth match since damaging the tendons in his racket wrist at Hamburg in May. Along with his health, his...
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Murray takes first hesitant steps and is quickly back into his strideMurray takes first hesitant steps and is quickly back into his stride28th August 2007 Roberto Forzoni, the Italian psychologist with whom he has been working – in deep contemplation On the court on which he has left the contents of his stomach and played some of the most inspired tennis of his life, Andy Murray was content just to strike the ball with a real purpose yesterday. Feeling his way back into the sporting mainstream, Murray won his...
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Distinct lessons were learnt and Murray looks set to reap the benefitsDistinct lessons were learnt and Murray looks set to reap the benefits4th November 2007 Yet rather than lament his misfortune and spend even a few weeks feeling sorry for himself, the 20-year-old Scot left Paris and headed for home yesterday looking forward to the possibilities of what he might achieve in 2008. The spell working with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni may have been a brief one around the time of the US Open in late August and...
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Andy underwent anger-management sessions with sports psychologist Roberto ForzoniAndy underwent anger-management sessions with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni27th August 2007 Seeded 10th in an event where he has never previously won a match, Murray has been told repeatedly by his clay-court coach Alex Corretja that the prime requisite in his bid to improve on January’s hugely disappointing Australian Open, when he lost in the first round, is to remain calm. Last August, before the US Open, he even underwent a few anger-management sessions with...
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Murray sees his psychologistMurray sees his psychologist26th July 2007 Andy Murray has admitted that he has consulted a sports psychologist in a bid to overcome fears of risking his injured wrist in the heat of competition. The British No 1 made his admission as he prepared for the US Open amid growing suspicion within some quarters of the game that his relationship with coach Brad Gilbert may be approaching a rift over the...
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Fairy Tale In New YorkFairy Tale In New York9th September 2007 Roberto Forzoni, an Italian sports psychologist, has helped the player but Murray says that the biggest factor in his improved mental approach has been his physical fitness. He now goes on court knowing that he has the strength to outlast his opponents. Tracy Austin, the former player and now a leading commentator, believes that the Scot can join Nadal, Federer and Djokovic at...
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Andy Murray: Have I ever smashed my racket?Andy Murray: Have I ever smashed my racket?25th May 2008 Last August, before the US Open, he even underwent a few anger-management sessions with sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni, an experience he has not seen the need to repeat, but he is aware that his feistiness is definitely an issue and admitted: “I was ranked No 8 in the world when I was 19 years old and there’s only been about 20 teenagers who...
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Murray aims to Float Like a ButterflyMurray aims to Float Like a Butterfly1st September 2007 Murray and his coach Brad Gilbert decided the Scot should start using the services of a sports psychologist during his time on the sidelines and he began working with Italian Robert Forzoni, who last month joined the Lawn Tennis Association as its sports psychology manager. Forzoni was with Murray for his first two matches, wins over Pablo Cuevas and Jonas Bjorkman, and showed him...
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Andy's Cure for Summertime BluesAndy's Cure for Summertime Blues16th September 2007 Gilbert has played down any tensions but it would be understandable if the presence here of sports psychologist Roberto Forzoni, who has been helping Murray overcome the negative thoughts about his wrist, was a problem for the coach. Forzoni has a contract with the Lawn Tennis Association to work three days a week with British players at the National Training Centre in Roehampton but...
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Fairy Tale of New York supplies latest chapter in Murray's RiseFairy Tale of New York supplies latest chapter in Murray's Rise9th September 2008 Being happy off the court is crucial to Murray. Not always confident in the company of strangers, he surrounds himself both on tour and while at home practising with friends and those he knows and trusts. If Murray has yet to achieve the popularity Tim Henman enjoyed, much of it is down to his demeanour on court. While Henman retained a stiff upper lip...
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Ace MagazineAce MagazineRoberto Forzoni replies: players should focus on their own game play and other controllable factors (such as effort, attitude and responses), rather than uncontrollable factors such as their opponent’s behaviour. I suspect that players who are easily distracted by the grunter may well find something else to be distracted by in the absence of noise. So beware. if you start focusing on things beyond your direct control,...
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Ace MagazineAce MagazineJuly 2009 ..Sometimes the difference between winning and losing can be all in the mind…