The Three Biggest Mistakes Tennis Parents Make (and How to Avoid Them)

If you’re reading this, it’s because you care about your child’s tennis journey — and that’s a wonderful thing. Parents are often the hidden force behind a player’s progress. You drive them to training, cheer from the sidelines, buy the gear, and keep them motivated when things get tough.

But even with the best intentions, I’ve seen certain patterns over the years that can accidentally hold a young player back. The good news? Once you’re aware of these common mistakes, they’re easy to avoid — and replacing them with the right behaviours can supercharge your child’s growth and enjoyment of the game.

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1. Focusing Too Much on Winning Instead of Learning

It’s exciting when your child wins — we all love the fist pumps, the smiles, the scoreboard reading in their favour. But if winning becomes the main goal every time they step on court, pressure can creep in quickly. This pressure can cause fear of failure, hesitation to try new things, and even burnout.

Tennis is a long journey. A junior player’s job isn’t to win every single match; it’s to learn the skills, mindset, and habits that will help them play their best in the years ahead.

The Fix:

• Praise effort, persistence, and good decision-making — not just results.

• After matches, ask questions like:

• “What did you learn today?”

• “What was your best point, and why?”

• Make “getting better” the main focus, not “beating” someone.

Example: If your child loses a match but improved their second serve consistency, that’s a win in development terms — and should be celebrated.

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2. Giving Too Many Instructions at Once

It’s natural to want to help your child fix every mistake you see — especially if you’ve played tennis yourself or have been watching for years. But here’s the challenge: tennis is already mentally demanding. When a player is trying to remember how to hit, where to aim, how to move, when to adjust, and what the score is, throwing five more instructions on top can be overwhelming.

Instead of helping, too much advice can lead to “paralysis by analysis” — where the player overthinks instead of trusting their game.

The Fix:

• Limit feedback to 2–3 key points over a period of time.

• Coordinate with the coach to ensure you’re both reinforcing the same priorities.

• Remember: sometimes your child doesn’t need technical advice after a match — they just need support, a snack, and a smile.

Example: If their coach is focusing on improving the forehand grip this month, don’t add extra tips about volleys, serves, and footwork at the same time. Master one thing before moving to the next.

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3. Comparing Your Child to Other Players

This one’s tricky because competition is part of tennis. Parents naturally look at how their child stacks up against others — whether it’s friends, training partners, or rivals in tournaments.

But constant comparisons can chip away at confidence and self-worth. Every player grows at a different pace. Some kids hit their growth spurt earlier, some pick up skills faster, and some simply bloom later.

The Fix:

• Focus on their journey, not someone else’s.

• Use progress over time as the measuring stick — for example, how they’ve improved in the last 3, 6, or 12 months.

• Teach them to compete with themselves, setting personal goals they can control.

Example: Instead of saying, “You need to be more like Alex, he hits harder,” say, “Let’s work on your racquet speed so you can hit even cleaner than last month.”

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Final Thoughts

Tennis is a sport of patience — both for the player and the parent. Your role is crucial, and the way you support your child can make the difference between them loving the game or feeling burnt out.

Avoiding these three common mistakes will help your child stay motivated, confident, and excited to improve. When in doubt, remember: you’re not just raising a tennis player, you’re shaping a resilient, positive, and hard-working young person who can handle challenges in sport and in life.

The best players in the world didn’t get there overnight — they had families who encouraged the process, not just the outcome.