Novak Djokovic has been disqualified from the 2020 US Open. The Serbinator was caught hitting a ball at a line judges throat expressing his anger of losing his serve against fourth round opponent Pablo Carreno Busta.
Djokovic quickly showed he concern for the female line judge as he walked straight up to her. Thankfully, the line judge seemed to be fit and fine even after being struck in the throat. Seeing incidents like this raises the question about tennis players attitude on court. David Nalbandian was also disqualified from Queens after kicking the the line judge in frustration leaving a big cut on his leg.
According to the New York Times, ' The figures from the Grand Slam tournaments are from all matches in qualifying, main-draw singles and doubles for a 20-year period — tens of thousands of matches.'
Statistics show that racquet abuse is the most common form of indisciplined behaviour on court. This comes to no surprise as this is the the only equipment they use to hit the ball in court.
'Men have been fined 646 times for racket abuse and 287 times for unsportsmanlike conduct. Women have been fined 99 times for racket abuse and 67 times for unsportsmanlike conduct during that span.' This proves that men are more susceptible to inappropriate behaviour on court.
However, physical abuse is not the only thing we get from players on court, there have also been snips of verbal abuse, particularly at the officials. This is generally to vent their anger out at decision which have gone against them. Italian Fabio Forgnini was fined $300 during a match at Wimbledon in 2019 for making an extraordinary comment, stating that he wished 'a bomb would explode' at the All England Lawn Tennis Club he also made offensive comments towards English people.
Watch here
Nevertheless, there are some people who say that Tennis does have an impact on people with mental health issues. Take the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) as an example, Briton Harriet Dart says that she has gained more self-confidence out of it 'Tennis has given me a huge amount of self-confidence' It’s great for a range of ages and abilities, and the social aspect of it plays a big part in its mental health benefits.'
But does this have an influence on the way they behave on court? The answer is yes both positively and negatively. The positive side is when the adrenaline takes over, this is a source of mental energy which enables the mind to rejuvenate the body, to that it can immediately react to the situation. However, there is a down side to mental health, which is stress. Stress can be an ingredient for an athlete succumbing to pressure, which can then cause them to make bad decisions, particularly if they are not able to deal with it. Take Rory Mcllroy at the 2011 Masters, who had a four-shot lead going into the last day but was not able to close it out and win the Green Jacket and succumbed to pressure of anxiety by having a poor final round.
This is why some athletes, particularly those who play individual sports have coaches and mentors, to help them prepare mentally for events. The coach hires a psychologist who then works with the athlete and occasionally the coach behind the scenes to get the athlete mentally prepared for the event. But are coaches and mentors always responsible for the way athletes behave on court? Well, they can be, particularly if they know the athlete inside out.
It is then up to the psychologist to help the athlete overcome the barrier of coping with stress and anxiety, which can prevent players behaving inappropriately on court. For example, shouting out abuse at the umpire if a decision does not go in their favour.
Psychology means a lot in sport and is how athletes perform at the highest level. It also has an impact on the state of mind that they are in during game time. Athletes who have more practice in psychology tend to succeed more than athletes who don't. According to verywellmind.com, 'Contemporary sports psychology is a diverse field. While finding ways to help athletes is certainly an important part of sports psychology, the application of exercise and physical activity for improving the lives of non-athletes is also a major focus.' This is crucial as it shows that psychology matters to everyone and not just athletes.
Feature Image: Djokovic by Bosco Cardenas via flickr
No comments:
Post a Comment