Jerks in Tennis
Some players deliberately try to distract you or interrupt your thinking with an assortment of gamesmanship or unsporting behaviors. Some of the more popular methods are illegally stalling, talking to you or to spectators, arguing, being overly dramatic, and making a bad call just to upset you.
You can handle these situations two ways without totally losing concentration. The first is to decide that nothing an opponent can do will bother you. If you expect trouble from an opponent or even if you get it unexpectedly, make a conscious decision that you will retain your poise and concentration regardless of what happens. Doing so is difficult, and it becomes even more difficult if you are losing. Then, even minor irritations become magnified. It is a lot easier to concentrate when you are winning than when you are losing. Be a good actor.
If peaceful coexistence is not on the agenda, you might as well confront the person and try to solve the problem before the match continues. Don’t put up with distractions if worrying about them is going to interfere with your game. If you are thinking about the distractions, you are not thinking about your tennis. Stop the match, call your opponent to the net, and calmly explain what is bothering you. If you don’t get any cooperation, ask for an umpire or get a ruling from the tournament referee, if there is one. If the match is merely a social one, do a better job of selecting your opponent next time. Playing this kind of person is not worth the hassle.