When you’re playing your best tennis, you’re not thinking about every step, swing, or breath — you’re flowing. You’re in the Zone.

That feeling isn’t an accident. It’s built through rhythm and ritual.

About 100 years ago, philosopher Henri Bergson described real time not as a ticking clock, but as a continuous, flowing experience.

True performance lives in that flow — where movement feels natural and connected, not forced.

(By the way, Bergson won a Nobel Prize in Literature for his ideas, especially his work Creative Evolution.)

This is why good players rely on routines: a consistent breathing pattern before a serve, steady footwork like crossover steps and prep steps, or small rituals like bouncing the ball before serving.

These aren’t just habits — they are anchors. They keep you connected to the rhythm of the match instead of letting your mind spin out under pressure.

Bergson also pointed out that while the mind likes to chop things into pieces, intuition helps us see and feel the whole.

When you trust your routines and rhythms, you move naturally, react instinctively, and play your best without getting stuck in your head.

Training habits the right way — by making them obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying — builds a rhythm you can rely on, especially when it matters most.

If you want to play better under pressure, start by locking in small, repeatable routines — and trust the rhythm you’ve built.