Tanking Matches Is Worse Than Losing

Playing a tennis match is a roller coaster of emotions. One minute you hit an outstanding winner and the next minute you miss the easiest volley in the entire world. In some cases, you are a set down and decide that there is no better thing to do than to give up. In today's world of professional tennis, this is known as tanking, which has become increasingly popular. It refers to a player who, during a match, intentionally loses by not trying their best.

Although this is not a new concept and many players in the past have been known for tanking matches, it's only recently that it has come to the forefront of the tennis world's attention. Therefore, in this article we will explore why players tank matches and the consequences it has on your game.

Hatred Towards Tennis

Many people believe that players that don’t try in matches hate tennis and wish to be relaxing at home. Simply by thinking about players that tank matches, Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios come to mind. These players end up getting double bageled in less than an hour and everyone can see that they lost on purpose.

Now, some people believe that players that tank matches hate tennis, but this is not necessarily true. Nick Kyrgios had a phenomenal 2022, losing in the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. If these players truly hated tennis so much, they would just go on and quit. However, this is not the case, for Tomic is actually still working hard to get back on tour.

Protecting Your Ego

The biggest reason why tennis players actually tank matches is to protect their ego. Let me explain. From a mental standpoint, tennis is one of the most difficult sports because it is played individually. Players are dealing with external and internal pressures.

External pressures include our family watching, while the internal ones can be simply the presence of our opponent on the other side of the net. Of course, at the elite level, these pressures are much greater due to the spectators, all of the cameras, their reputation, and the toll of social media.

External Tanking

The external pressures I just mentioned are a factor when it comes to tanking matches. In fact, even recreational players and weekend warriors are known to tank matches. However, although you are not so aware of this happening, a player will throw a match saying that if I truly tried, I would have won.

By saying this inside their minds, players protect their ego with what they said. The reason they lost is thanks to the poor amount of effort they put into the match. To add, some may ask whether or not these players are conscious of doing so, but that is a whole other topic for another time.

Ruining Reputations

Players also don't realize the catastrophic effect that tanking has on people that are watching them play. People are investing either their money and time into watching tennis. Seeing your favorite star tank it is absolutely the worst thing a tennis fan can witness.

Say you are a beginner to tennis and you ask your local pro what players look out for on the professional tour. He will give you a few names and you turn on a match the next day. After that, you are amazed by how good this player is and you decide to watch him at his next tournament.

You end up paying for an expensive seat courtside, for you want to see this player up close. Unfortunately, in this particular match, your player tanks the match and you're out of there in approximately an hour. From then on you absolutely hate this specific player. I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen to you.

Internal Tanking

Sometimes, players also deal with internal pressures. This is when tanking doesn’t become so obvious, and in fact, it is quite subtle. The only thing players have to do is reduce their level by only five percent when playing against someone of a similar level.

Doing this will most likely guarantee you the loss. These players usually decide to lose on purpose as a way to handle a loss easier. It is simply much easier to lose voluntarily than to give it your absolute all for three hours and lose in the end. For some reason, they would rather tap out and give their opponent a nice score like three and three.

It is a great way for them to avoid all of the pressure and pain, while also protecting their ego on the inside. The only difference here is that the pressure came from an internal place.

Giving It Your All

If you can admit that you have tanked matches before in the past, just knowing all of this information will help you not do so again. Now, if you are tanking matches because you don’t like playing tennis and detest being out there on the courts, there is nothing much I can do for you.

In order to win matches, there has to be that determination, passion, and excitement inside of you. Once again, if this is not the case, I recommend you to find something else to do and hopefully its is an activity that you enjoy.

Therefore, before your next match you need to tell yourself to not protect your ego. Make sure to fight until the very end and not be afraid of the outcome of the match. Many players are so scared of losing in the end, and by just removing those thoughts from your mind, you will play better.

In other words, while driving a car, you’re not squeezing the wheel and hoping you don’t crash. Instead, you are relaxed and quite frankly know that you will reach your destination safely. Apply the same calmness to your tennis to stop tanking matches.

Final Thoughts

In today’s era of tennis, tanking has become a more and more popularized term. This refers to a player deciding to lose on purpose due to external and internal pressures. Although it has always been seen on the professional tour’s, players at the recreational level have started to do so as well. Not only does tanking affect your game, but can also reduce your selection of hitting partners. Remind yourself to not protect your ego and fight until the very end of the match.

It doesn’t matter if you are down 1-5 like I was in my team’s placement matches. I promise you that positive things will come your way. For me, I had a phenomenal season alongside the player that almost beat me.