An uncomfortable truth for coaches & educators …..psychological skills do not exist separately from the situations in which players must use them. Yet tennis coaching regularly decouples confidence, focus, emotional regulation and decision-making from the game itself. Players practise breathing techniques away from competition. They discuss confidence in a classroom. They complete concentration exercises without an opponent, score, uncertainty or meaningful consequences. Then we expect those “mental skills” to transfer seamlessly into competition. But a player’s thoughts, emotions and actions emerge through their ongoing relationship with the environment. Confidence is not simply something stored inside the player’s head. It is shaped by what they perceive, what they believe they can do and the opportunities for action available in that moment. The same player can appear confident in a predictable drill and uncertain during a match because the demands, and therefore the player–...