Tennis
8 reasons not to miss Andrea Petković’s unfiltered Mind Set Win interview
In this extended podcast ahead of the first tennis Grand Slam of the year, Andrea Petković reveals the mental tactics that made her a success on the court and much, much more.
Former tennis player Andrea Petković is host Cédric Dumont’s latest guest on the Mind Set Win podcast and their fascinating discussion, released full length and uncut, will leave you glued to your headphones for over an hour.
Petković reached the world's top 10 and lifted seven WTA Tour singles titles during her 16-year professional career, which came to an end after the US Open in 2022.
The German player’s focus, competitiveness and enthusiasm for the game made her one of the most popular and respected players of her era and she relived every aspect of life as a tennis player during her chat with Dumont.
Listen to the full podcast below and read on below for some of the highlights.
01
Retirement was like a grieving process
Petković hung up her racket after the US Open in 2022, the same tournament her idol Serena Williams waved goodbye to the sport. The difficult decision to retire aged 34 came after many years of having a daily "battle of attrition" with her body and "ignoring" some of the signs.
"It was very hard to let go," she says. "I still loved tennis, I still loved playing and competing, but my body wasn't functioning in the same way as it used to."
Petković explains her retirement as like a grieving process, but once it was over, she quickly found the freedom to explore new opportunities within the sport, like being a pundit and commentator.
Retirement for Petković was "like a grieving process"
© Robert Prange/Getty Images
02
Intense focus was her biggest strength
Openly admitting that she wasn't the most talented player on the circuit, Petković believes it was her ability to maintain intense focus throughout a match that helped her reach the top.
"My biggest strength on the court was my focus and the ability to stay the same consistently from first point to the last," she says. "Tennis is such a psychological sport that you can win matches by being a good competitor."
This mental strength and the ability to zone in on a specific task, something she honed on the court, has also helped her find success in daily life in whatever she sets her mind to.
In your mind you can still feel calm and composed if you practise
03
Tennis is a game of strategy and tactics
"I love that tennis is a strategic sport. You have to go into a match with a game plan and sometimes change that plan on the fly,” Petković says.
Having the ability to problem solve, adapt and reset during the middle of a match if it's not going your way is a key ingredient to consistent success. Petković reveals that she embraced this from an early age and, while still a junior, would sit by the side of the court taking notes and analysing the weaknesses of her opponents.
04
Mental strength can be cultivated
Petković remembers crying in the locker room before matches as a junior player, as she was nervous about how she would perform. Always open to help and new ideas from specialists however, she learned how to control her emotions and cope with the stresses and demands of playing in packed stadiums all around the world.
"Despite your body freaking out about something, in your mind you can still feel calm and composed if you practise it," she explains. "Anything relating to mental strength can be practiced."
Petković kept intense focus from the first point to the last
© Phil Pham / Red Bull Content Pool
05
She tried to imitate her idol Serena Williams
"Serena had so much passion and played such powerful and smart tennis. She was my idol."
I realised that through watching Serena, I tried to imitate her
The American superstar transcended the sport of tennis and won 23 Grand Slam titles during her glittering career. Petković watched Williams closely and was inspired by her competitiveness, her willingness to chase every single ball and refusal to give up in any point. It was these traits that she tried to incorporate into her own style on the court.
"I didn’t have her talent, but I tried to be passionate on the court like her," she explains. "I realised that through watching her, I tried to imitate her and become a similar competitor on the court."
06
Tennis can be lonely and invites delusion
Petković says tennis can be a lonely sport at times, with long periods travelling away from home and being out on the court by yourself with no one else to hide behind. She jokes that even while they might be friends, close members of your team are ultimately being paid to spend time with you.
She also believes that players can almost become delusional at times during the relentless tournament schedule, as even if you’re playing poorly and consistently losing, you must forget about it and believe in your mind that everything will be different next week.
"Tennis invites you to lie to yourself and almost be delusional," she says. "You can lose every week but at the same time, you have another chance every Monday."
07
Finding complete flow state
Petković was in total flow during her win over Sharapova
© Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
One of the standout results of Petković’s career came in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2011. Drawn against multiple Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, everything clicked from the moment she stepped onto court and she recorded a stunning 6-2, 6-3 victory.
By using the raucous atmosphere from the crowd as white noise to block everything out of her mind, she found her flow almost instantly. So much so, that on match point she was so immersed she didn't even realise she'd won.
"My whole body was on full alert when I walked out," Petković remembers. "I was in the zone from the fourth point onwards and I never wavered.
"All the years of practice and training came to this pinnacle of this one match where everything just flowed out of me. I was just doing, being, existing in the moment."
08
Analysing the ‘Big Three’ in the men's game
Thiem and Tsitsipas are two of the players competing against the 'Big 3'
© Charly López/ Red Bull Content Pool
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are undoubtedly three of the greatest tennis players of all time. Playing during the same era has contributed to comparisons of their playing styles, trophy collections and personalities on the court.
From watching them up close, Petković has her own ideas on what drives all three of them to be all-time greats. "I think there are three different types of athletes and, with them, we have all three," she says.
"Federer plays for the love of the game, Nadal's motivation is his fear of losing and Djokovic gains energy from people doubting him and wants to prove them wrong."
Listen to the episode for further insight and analysis from Petković about the 'Big Three' of the men’s game!
Find out more – including simple exercises to do at home – in Mind Set Win.