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JANUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER
Happy Australian Open to you!
Understanding confidence and belief, and how to build your self-belief for tennis and everything you do in life!:
You must believe in yourself. Say that last sentence again but emphasise the first word.
No-one else can do it for you. It doesn't matter how many other people believe in you. If you don't believe in yourself, you'll be much less likely to achieve your goals.
Confidence and belief are not the same thing. Belief is much more powerful, and permanent. Confidence comes and goes like the wind.
I'll tell you a true story about confidence. Many years ago in my top squad at the time, one of the players, after an amazing point, exclaimed 'I'm the best player in squad!' (sidenote: they weren't), yet within the space of 10-15 minutes, after some poor play, the same player exclaimed in genuine pained frustration 'I'm so shit at tennis!'. Confidence is fickle!
Back to belief; Lack of belief is often the sole reason someone loses a tennis match.
How do you develop self-belief?
Lets take the example of a tennis match. If I asked how would you build your belief ahead of a big match, you might suggest; I would psych myself up, and say things like ‘come on, you got this, you can do this’, or I would really lock in and focus, or I would find reasons why my opponent is beatable, or I would make a clear tactical plan, or I would visualise myself playing amazing tennis.
To varying degrees, all these things could be useful as part of your preparation, but none will create the self-belief you’re looking for, because they are all variables without any real foundation.
To build belief, you don’t have to build yourself up, or think about your opponent, or deal with variables.
Believing you can win the match is achieved very simply, by understanding and accepting two true and undeniable facts, at all times:
Fact 1: You are capable of playing a high level of tennis
Fact 2: It’s perfectly possible you’ll produce that high level of tennis in the next point
This builds belief because you are dealing in facts, things that are undeniably true. If you can maintain your understanding and acceptance of these two truths, your belief will remain intact no matter what happens in the match.
Another couple of facts might also be useful to acknowledge; underdogs beat favourites all the time, and players come back and win from behind all the time. These things happen every day at all levels, they are facts. If you're the underdog, or you're behind, you must believe you can win, otherwise your lack of belief often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The other crucial thing to understand about belief:
When you lose a match, your self-belief remains, because it's fuelled by a deeper belief that you're on the right path, that everything you're doing day-to-day in training and practice is helping you to move forwards. Every match, win or lose, is a valuable learning opportunity, and those who have self-belief grab that opportunity. When you know you're on the right track, you also know the results will come as a consequence of what you're doing. You'll expect them to come, and you'll accept setbacks as learning opportunities that are a crucial and necessary part of the journey.
A run of good results fuels confidence, but it doesn't fuel belief, it can't. Belief is the foundation that increases the chance of a run of good results. It is not dependant on variables like wins and losses.
Believe in facts, and believe in what you're doing day-to-day, and slowly but surely, you will believe in yourself. Good luck!
A record-breaking 5 Division 1 titles for Hawker Jets in the Surrey Team Trophy!: A rock solid term for our Hawker Jets teams saw us win 16 out of 20 league matches, and a record 5 division 1 titles in this Winter's Surrey Team Trophy. This means we have 5 teams qualified for the knock-out phase of the competition which will start soon!
Our U18 Boys are through again, thanks to Filip and Ronak winning both fixtures. Our U12 Boys are through with two teams and had numerous players doing a great job representing them. Our U11 Boys are through thanks to Connell and Oscar landing 3 wins from 3 in their league. Finally our U10's are also through thanks to Daniel and Jayden winning 2 matches, and Connell stepping in for the crucial win at Cheam, the boys winning 10-7 in the deciding doubles tie-break! Our U18 Girls, and U14 Boys narrowly missed out, finishing 2nd place in their leagues.
You can follow all the latest results, and read the latest reports on my Hawker Jets page!
Hawker Tennis on Instagram! - For latest news too!
Hawker's first ever Surrey No.1 player and other individual successes!: Big well done to Connell, who joined the club in September, and after some great results last term, made it to No.1 in Surrey in the U10 Boys age group! Among those results were two Linked Grade 3 tournament wins, both of which qualified him for national tournaments where he made ¼ Finals and Last 16 respectively. He's also established himself in the Top 10 UK, currently ranked No.6 and on the verge of representing Great Britain!
Other notable victories saw Sienna win more U18 Grade 3 tournaments, helping her to be currently inside the Top 20 in the UK for U14 Girls. Oscar won 6 tournaments last year, and has already got another in 2026, his first U11 G4 title. Franky, Eugene, Alex, and Sophie also all won tournaments last term, and in total we had a record-equalling 46 tournament victories in 2026! Same as 2024!
Big well done to our FA Cup Tennis Champions last November too! They were Filip (U18), Sophie (U16), George (U14), Connell (U12), Oscar (U10), and Maksim (U9).
So many other players have also done really well with their competitions and progress in the last 4-5 months, and we look forward to a really exciting year ahead for all our Hawker juniors!
A sobering quote from a current Top 10 player about the most precious human relationship we'll ever have: The quote is from Alexander Bublik, and is found within an article I wrote last May for the new-look tennis parents education page. Direct link to the article here.
The Top 5 regrets of the dying: Hey, it's interesting! Literally these are people who knew they only had weeks to live.
Many of them were pretty old as you would expect, and it's logical the longer someone has been on this planet, the more valuable their wisdom on life is, if you're lucky enough to have access to it. I’m not going to delve into this, as everyone's circumstances are different, so I will just present the key findings!
Taken from Bronnie Ware’s great book, after spending 8 years working with hundreds of patients in palliative care. I'll list the top 5 regrets, and include a short note on the most common reasons why people have these regrets. If you want to delve deeper, her book is a great read!
By far the No.1 top regret of the dying: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not a life others expected of me.
It’s human nature to stick with the safe option, rather than make the changes and take the risks that might lead to something better.
No.2: I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
It’s easy to over-value material things like status and money, or to assume you’ll have loads of time in the future to do other things that are important to you.
No.3: I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Once patterns in relationships are set, it’s very hard to break them. It's also human nature to bottle things up.
No.4: I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends.
Life and its busyness just gets in the way.
No.5: I wish I had let myself be happier.
Sometimes people don’t realise it’s a choice, or they don’t think they deserve to be happy, or they equate happiness with things that might happen in the future.
Good luck!
Team Hawker Squads: This is where our strongest and most committed junior players can be found. The emphasis as always, is on developing players as individuals, maximising their potential to perform in competition, and using tennis to boost all aspects of their wellbeing. The by product of that continues to be lots of on-court success! Squad sizes are maximum 8 players on 3 courts. There are very limited spaces currently, but do feel free to get in touch. Click the link for more info, and for new enquiries, please contact me directly to arrange a free assessment and chat.
Player progression pathway from beginner to national level: Check out how the junior coaching team manage the Hawker Tennis junior program, and see clearly how player's can progress through the stages of development.
Skills & Drills with Nick: Skills & Drills are established classes for players who are competent with serving and rallying with yellow balls, and aged 9+. We focus on key developmental skills, and use a vast array of fun drills to put these into practice. There are currently class options on Weds 6.30-7.30pm (younger advanced - 1 space), Thurs 7-8pm (older advanced - 1 space), and Friday 4.30-5.30pm (improver all ages - FULL). These classes are a great addition for higher standard players to add to their weekly training, and also a suitable session for competent players who can't commit to tennis, but still want to play each week.
Friday's are full with a short waiting list, Thurs and Weds have the odd space for the right level player. Please contact Nick to enquire about Skills & Drills.
Matchplay (Sponsored by Richmond/Sheen Sports): Matchplay is a great opportunity for local juniors who wish to compete regularly and without having to travel too far to gain match experience, and it gives the chance to develop their skills in the match environment. It’s open to players from other venues as well as Hawker, and caters for all levels Yellow ball from age 9 upwards, and also green ball for those able to play at this stage. Please get in touch to express your interest, or follow the link for more info.
New courts: Our new courts are still looking and playing fantastically 3 years on, and are available to hire 3 days in advance through our Clubspark page.
Play PADEL at Hawker!: Our Padel Tennis court has been upgraded and is brand new once again! Bookings include free equipment hire if needed. For booking and more information, please visit: https://padelmates.se/club/playtimepadelclubkingstonlondon
PAST FEATURES OF THE NEWSLETTER THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST:
How to be lucky, including the best definition of what luck actually is! (September 2025)
Smartphones and kids and adults - A different way to think about the endless debate! (May 2025)
The BEST tennis autobiography currently available! (May 2025)
Chasing your dreams - How to do it the healthy way (January 2025)
Features from 2022-24: Including: Who should take the credit when a junior player wins a tennis tournament?, The 5 most powerful things that will fuel rapid progress, Why teenagers don't listen to their parents EXPLAINED, The secret of Carlos Alcaraz's success, the BEST book ever, and LOTS MORE!
The 10 key ingredients to help a junior get to national level (September 2023)
The Cobham Experience (MAY 2025): A light-hearted story about how tennis brings people together, written by myself and Mike Derks. Follow the link!
INSANE win for Sophie at the Play Your Way To Wimbledon National Finals! (From September): I still don't know quite how she pulled this off, but incredible progress with the mental/emotional side with her ever-increasing ability to stay totally calm and relaxed under pressure, was probably the biggest factor.
She won all 7 matches at the national finals to become national U14 Girls champion at this years event, which started with literally thousands of players from around the UK, and ended with 48 qualifying for the finals event at Wimbledon. She won every tie-break she played, including saving multiple match points in a tense 1/4 final battle!
You can read my full write-up here, and you can also read a news piece by Yahoo Sports on Sophie's incredible achievement here. Well done Sophie!!
Holistic cat care: A good friend of mine based in Argentina is a leading specialist in holistic cat care. If you're interested in having a deeper more meaningful relationship with your cat, you might want to check out her services. Link here!
Richmond/Sheen Sports: You could go to an online retailer, or a budget superstore, and you may save a few pounds, but you won't get better overall value. Here's the best option, pay a visit to RichmondSports or SheenSports!
They are managed by enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable staff, equally passionate about sports as they are about the local community, where they support many local clubs and schools, including ours.
Your individual needs will be met in a way the bigger retailers can't match, in terms of better advice, a more personal service, and a genuine desire to fulfil your sporting needs whatever they may be.
Being part of Hawker Tennis also entitles you to 10% off, so you'll be getting excellent all-round value, whilst helping them to keep helping us and other local clubs.
YouTube channel: 60 videos, and though most date from the original Project 2015, they are still fun and relevant! The videos have received over 450,000 views between them! Videos Index
Tennisplayer.net: I'm an established contributor on this world leading coaching resource site, having written 2 lengthy series of articles, the first in 2016/17 on 1-2 Rhythm, and the latest on Marginal Gains in 2020. There is currently an offer of 30 days free trial to access the whole site!
Racism: Check the link for an ongoing blog which started after the death of George Floyd in May 2020.
Adult Tennis - Select 'Adult' filter to see all current courses
Feel free to get in touch about anything at all.
Warmest wishes
Nick
Remembering Joe Horner (it's all too easy to forget, so this memorial will remain on this page. I hope people continue to find enough time to reflect on the growing issue of mental health, especially in younger people): Joe was a regular face at Matchplay during many of his teenage years. He loved coming down to play, to mix with friends and enjoy the special atmosphere. His highlight was winning the 2009 Summer Tournament Doubles.
Sadly, Joe struggled with severe depression from his early 20's, and his mental health largely deteriorated during this time. He was very open about his problems, and had so much love from family and friends, but tragically in April 2019, he took his own life.
I have very fond memories of Joe, because he really understood what Hawker Tennis was all about, and fully appreicated being part of it even from a young age. He turned into a fine young man, so considerate of others, and always a pleasure to chat to.
After finishing education, Joe worked as a keeper at Chessington Zoo, and then moved on to ZSL at London Zoo. ZSL work worldwide on conservation to help save endangered species, something that was very close to Joe's heart.
For those who knew Joe, perhaps you would like to donate to this cause. through the link below, which is still live in 2025:
RIP John Yandell (February 2025): John was a visual tennis pioneer and a coaching genius. He created an online community that has had an enormous influence on the coach I am today. Finding Tennisplayer.net back in 2010 changed my life.
Despite working with John since 2015, I only met him for the first time in April last year at his home in San Francisco. It was so special to spend that time with him, it was literally like meeting a God for me! Now, I just feel so incredibly blessed to have had that opportunity.
I can't do justice in words to the coach and man that John Yandell was, but luckily a former Top 100 player who John worked with, has done a great job of this, so do check out what Jeff Salzenstein wrote.
When I saw John last year, his health was fine. He only started feeling unwell a few months before he died of cancer, aged 72, in February this year. We know life is precious, but we still take it for granted. Grab every day people, be nice to others, do your best, and enjoy being here!
U14 Play Your Way To Wimbledon National Champion!