'THE LIGHTS OUT EFFECT'

Great article on the ATP site in regards to age and how to handle certain situations as you become more experienced, if you get a chance take a read, it's brilliant.
I wrote a post on this site quite some time ago about the effect of getting belted in the first set and how to deal with that mentally, I will do my best to find it and repost a section of it as I believe it mirrors what a Pro has recently said.
'The lights out effect' has happened to all of us who have ever set foot on a tennis court, some know how to deal with it better than others. The junior who I mentioned in my post could not believe that they lost a match after winning the first set 6-0 though my philosophical chat with her at the end of the match made her realise that there is a lot more tennis left to play despite an easy opener, whether you are on the receiving end of it or dishing it out.
If you get your lights belted out or belt someone's lights out to start a tennis match you have to put it into perspective and you have to do it rather quickly or the match may be gone or you may find yourself at a set all while you are still writing your victory speech in your mind.
What happened in that first set blinder ? Was your opponent sluggish ? Did you not miss every line you tried to hit ? Did your opponent try to do too much and miss ? Were you simply just getting the ball into play and not actually having to win the match as opposed to your opponent losing it instead ?
There are many factors in a 'lights out' set of tennis that you have to weigh up before you start either patting yourself on the back in relation to your 'brilliance' or berating yourself as a 'useless' tennis player and that's where the recent ATP article is so enlightening.
It focuses on age and experience and how as you get smarter in tennis you learn to deal with certain situations a little better than perhaps the younger players who lack the brains to do the same.
Tennis is a sport that you will only get smarter at so it's a case of whether or not you have the mental toughness and the physical capabilities to stay in the game long enough to enjoy the fruits of your longevity in a sport that requires the body and mind to stay fresh.
I will repost part of that article I wrote some time ago when I find it as I believe that it is relevant when looking at certain match situations and how to cope with them. Heading off for a hit, have a ripper day.......