“The best advice I can give them is to treat loss as feedback, not criticism.”
Omar Fayez is a Certified Life & Sports Mental Coach from Egypt, focused on helping athletes develop the mental skills required for high performance. His journey into mental coaching began through his own experience as a tennis player. In this exclusive Tennis Papers interview, he shares his perspective on confidence, pressure, defeats, goal setting, parents’ involvement and the mental challenges faced by junior tennis players.
Omar Fayez | Sports Mental Coach Interview
Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your journey as a Sports Mental Coach?
My journey as a sports mental coach started when I was a tennis player. I used to have really good technique and good physical abilities; however, I was never able to perform in matches. This is what got me started on my mental journey. After I understood the mental side of the game, I realized how important it is for athletes to understand it.
In your experience, what are the biggest mental challenges faced by junior tennis players today?
I think one of the biggest challenges facing junior tennis players is the lack of knowledge about the mental game. The reason this is critical is that when athletes do not understand the mental side, they find themselves without explanations for what happened to them on the court, leaving them with no better option than self-doubt.
At what age do you think young players should start working on their mental game, and why?
I think the ideal age to start working on the mental side is 14, but 13 is also okay. There are two main components that determine how much an athlete can benefit from mental coaching. The first is the ability to be aware of their own thoughts and emotions, and the second is how capable they are of understanding complex concepts. These two components start to develop at the beginning of adolescence.
What are the most common mental mistakes that prevent talented juniors from reaching their full potential?
I think the absence of clear, measurable goals that are set in consultation with the whole team is a big success killer. If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know whether you have arrived or not. The second most crucial mistake is comparing their journey and pace to others. This almost always leads to desperation.
Many young players struggle after difficult defeats. What advice would you give them to bounce back stronger?
The best advice I can give them is to treat loss as feedback, not criticism. Of course, they must take their time to let the emotions out, but once that’s over, they have to understand that losing is the best teacher.
Confidence is a key factor in tennis. What practical techniques can junior players use to build and maintain self-confidence throughout a season?
The biggest misconception about confidence is that it is often seen as a trait and not as a skill. Athletes and coaches need to understand that confidence is a skill that is built just like the forehand and the backhand. It is built through tests and challenges. Your mind constantly needs evidence that you’re as competent and skilled as you say you are. Another factor is how you talk to yourself and how you treat yourself.
Parents play a major role in junior tennis. What are the biggest mistakes parents make regarding the mental development of their children, and what should they do instead?
I think parents shouldn’t do more; they should do less. This is by far the best advice I can give to parents. Micromanagement is the biggest killer for tennis juniors.
Rankings, expectations and social media can create a lot of pressure. How can young athletes stay focused on their own development instead of comparing themselves with others?
I think having clear, specific goals and a clear roadmap with benchmarks on how to reach them serves as a great way to keep athletes focused.
From your experience, what mental qualities separate the best junior players from the rest? Are there specific habits or routines that future champions tend to share?
Highly coachable and committed athletes. I think the best experiences and results in sports happen when highly coachable and committed athletes meet highly experienced and knowledgeable coaches.
If you could give only one piece of advice to every young tennis player dreaming of becoming a professional, what would it be?
Don’t dream. Athletes spend a lot of time dreaming, and this is bad for two reasons. The first is that if you spend too much time dreaming, you become a dreamer, not a doer. The second reason is that this puts a lot of pressure on your current performance and results. Always thinking about your ideal self puts so much pressure on your current self. Instead, I like to keep athletes focused on the now. I do this personally too. What needs improvement now? What is good now?
You may work with athletes from different sports. In your opinion, what makes tennis one of the most mentally demanding sports, and what lessons can tennis players learn from athletes in other disciplines?
Tennis can get very cruel mentally. I think that in tennis, the athlete has a lot on their plate, from coaching themselves to handling pressure, setting the appropriate plan and many other things that athletes in other sports simply don’t have to worry about. The sport I chose is swimming. Athletes in the swimming course don’t have an option but to focus on their pace and their performance.
If you could sit down for an hour with any tennis player—past or present—to discuss the mental side of the game, who would you choose and why? What question would you most want to ask them?
Sabalenka. I think Sabalenka because I feel like I have a lot to offer her, haha. I think her biggest strength is also her biggest weakness. She is all about winning. She wants the win, the win and nothing but the win. This makes her fight like her life depends on it, but the flip side is the daunting pressure that drags her and her self-worth down. The question I would ask her is: How would you view yourself if you were not world No. 1?
In your opinion, what is the single most important mental skill that every young athlete—regardless of the sport—should develop?
Self-awareness. The ability to correctly attribute the cause of the mistake or issue that is happening is a golden quality. Misattribution is very common among tennis juniors. They are very quick to judge and jump to conclusions.
Omar Fayez also works with junior tennis players competing on the ITF circuit, including two Egyptian players recently interviewed by Tennis Papers: Jana Youssef and Sara Dessouky.
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