Nina’s tournament day plan

A junior tournament — sometimes more than one match in a day, and each one is on her, alone on the court. The goal is to let the clean strokes show up under pressure, and to keep one bad game or a bad call from unraveling the match.

Bag checked — rackets (more than one, strung), extra grips, water, real snacks, a hat and sunscreen for a long day outside. A real breakfast, hydration starting there. Get to the site early enough that nothing is rushed — rushed is where the tight, tentative start comes from.

Groundstrokes to feel a full, free swing — hitting through the ball, since that's the first thing that tightens up. Then serves, and especially second serves with spin, so the serve she'll need under pressure is already grooved. End on a few she's confident with. One focus going in: play offense, especially on the big points.

Two things decide her matches: the second serve and the big points. On the second serve, spin it in with margin — never a tentative float. On the pressure points, keep playing offense, keep hitting through the ball. Between every point, run the routine. That's the whole day.

This is the real skill in a tournament match, where she's alone out there. After every point, win or lose, the routine: turn, walk to the back fence, look at the strings, take a breath, then play the next one. A bad call, a double fault, a lost game — none of it carries if the routine holds. She's playing the next point, always.

You're not her coach today — and in most junior tournaments you can't coach anyway, which is the point. You're her calm. From the sideline, a steady, positive presence; no analysis, no reaction to a missed shot or a bad call. She competes freer when she knows you're there to watch her battle, not grading every point. Save everything for the car.

Let her lead. If she wants to go point by point, go with it. If she's quiet, let it be quiet. Whatever the result, the one line that always works: "I loved watching you compete today." Leave it there.