Mental Equipment Syndicated Column – May 1, 1998 – Dr. John F. Murray – If you’re a regular Mental Equipment reader, you’ll recall previous articles discussing sport psychology at the junior, pre-collegiate, and collegiate levels. This month let’s outline psychological skills training in college tennis. If you’re a college tennis player, coach or fan, you’ll want to make sure your team is properly tooled. Tennis players and performers in all other endeavors can no longer afford to neglect the mental side of training.

Best Season for Washington State Tennis

Before we get started, I’d like to introduce you to a very special team. As the sport psychology intern at Washington State University this year, I’ve had a blast. It was one thing to partake in the football team’s rise from nowhere to the Rose Bowl, but now we’re talking tennis! The Cougar women’s tennis team just completed their most successful season in history and will make their first trip ever to the NCAA tournament! Ripping a page out of the football scrapbook, Cougar tennis ended their regular season with a stunning win over the University of Washington in Seattle (sound familiar Ryan Leaf?). Head coach Cari Gross achieved her 100th dual match team victory in this win.

Here’s the terrific bunch that I’ve had the privilege of working with over the past 6 months:

(photos) Head Coach Cari Gross

1998 Washington State University Tennis Team