WHY do I keep losing to worse tennis players? 

It's important though. Unless we accept our current positon, we can't work to improve. I played for a soccer team here in Canada and when ever we lost people would blame the ref. I used ask them every time if it could be our fault for once, because then we could improve :-)

Glad you enjoyed the video. I always see it as a good thing because then you can build from it and work on improving the areas of your game that are holding you back.

It's hard to answer without seeing you play. What I can say is that if you lose every match, then it's worth finding lower level players to play against, so that you can enjoy playing more. We all play tennis for the enjoyment, so that should be the most important thing. If you find that you aren't making steady improvements, it points to limitations in eye to hand and eye to foot coordination. So training and working on that, will almost certainly be beneficial. Will it mean that you will win matches? That's impossible to say because there are so many variables involved. But it will help you improve, which will then increase the likelyhood of winning.

@@TennisHacker thank you for answering and reading. I’m very confused why I can’t see any improvement in my game after dedicating everything for 10 years.. even if my coordination was below average surely there should be something to show for 10 years of training? The online tests I have done for hand eye coordination tell me I’m average so I know I’m not Alcaraz but I really don’t understand why I’m still at the same level I was 10 years ago after giving everything to improving and training hard everyday. That’s a lot of hours in the gym, a lot of money spent on coaching and a lot of hours on court. I would really like your help because I’m not here just for fun- it’s my life. Tennis is for fun and enjoyment but it becomes much more than that when decide to make sacrifices and make commitments. I know players who made the same decision at the same time and we have shared the same path together ever since. Today some are chasing ATP level tournaments and I’m losing to non league players at the club where we first began ten years ago. I would expect our levels to be different but don’t understand why it is so completely different after sharing a similar path.

Relax! You're not the only one! Your story is my story! I started tennis 13 years ago and I'm still hanging in there and haven't quit the sport! It keeps me fit and happy and fully sociable! Even in its worst moments ( when losing to a beginner, or when club employees try to fix you up with obviously weaker players etc...) tennis can offer you so much both physically and mentally. Hold on!

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed.

Apprehension when the ball is coming towards me causing me to prepare and hit late.

What you have described illustrates the point i’m making. The defensive players you are talking about are using good tactics. They have identified that it’s the best way to beat a player like you. If they consistently beat you, they are a better tennis player (level). Your friend who beats them comfortably is a better player than them, which is why he beats them comfortably. It means you are evaluating tennis levels in the wrong way. Results are what dictates a tennis level. Any other metric doesn’t make sense. If your goal is ti increase your level and win more matches. You have to understand it for what it is.

@@TennisHacker I still disagree. Maybe you have little experience with amateur leagues, at every level of such a league there are players who only play defensively, they usually do not develop quickly and play practically the same without much technique. It's also difficult to talk about their tactics because they use the same tactics for all players, break ball through to the other side and wait for a mistake. Currently, I'm approaching NTRP 5.0 and my friends said that there are no such people in the highest leagues because their strategy does not bring any profit. I didn't mean a specific player, but the whole group, it's really hard to say that they have a higher level, seeing their worse technique and smaller range of shots, sometimes it was enough for him to slightly improve one element in one season, within two months, to change whole sytuation, for example: I lost first match 5:7 4:6 into the rematch two months later, the score was 6:1 6:0, n the return match, where I made progress with one element and in the case of other players the results were similar. I admit that in tennis results determine everything, but this applies to more professional tennis. For me, in amateur games, losing in a good style (where I know I played very good tennis) is more important than winning in a bad style. I often have the impression that after such matches I have regressed, and in subsequent matches I often have no certain hits. That's why I'm looking for answers on how to deal with someone who's worse, who forces you to make mistakes and play worse, so that you can recover during the match and win, instead of constantly lowering your level and lacking confidence in your game.

Well said. It's so hard to get players to understand that.

At the time you lost, that was a huge gap and he was better than you. It sounds like you have worked on your movement and learned how to deal with slower balls. Which means you are a better player!

More skilled is the better term. Often, more skilled players lose to less skilled players.

@@jvo3777 Not usually, not often. People who take lessons think they have "more skills" because they hit the ball the alleged "right way". But the opponent that beats them has all kinds of skills they DON'T have....consistency, defense, a better lob, a better drop shot, a more consistent overhead and serve, better stamina, better anticipation and first-step quickness, better mind-set on the big points....the list goes on. there all kinds of skills in tennis that are difficult to teach or even explain. The intuitive player picks them up on his own and fashions a game out of them. The lesson player often never figures them out.