As we look ahead to another exciting year on court, it’s the perfect time for tennis players to start thinking about their 2026 tennis goals!
At Oriam, we believe developing a performance mindset isn’t just for elite athletes — it’s about learning to set clear, achievable objectives and taking pride in every step of progress, no matter your age or stage.
Train 'Smart'
We encourage all our players to use the SMART approach to setting their goals for the year:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Specific| Be detailed about your goal, not just 'I want to play better tennis'. Focus in on one or two key areas you want to work on. Try to make sure your goal answers the what? when? and why? questions.
Measurable| Make sure you have a way of being able to track your progress so you know when you have achieved your goal. It's great to start with a baseline, so you know where you started from and can see how far you have come. Have a friend or family member take a few short videos or photos of how you're playing and take notes of how you feel about performance so you can look back and see your own progress.
Achievable| We love to dream big and back your ambition but the most successful athletes often progress through a series of smaller more achievable goals which build up to a much bigger long-term ambition.
Relevant| Does your goal really matter to you and other goals that you have? For example setting a goal to be able to play a full tennis match can also align with other goals like improving your cardio endurance or overall fitness.
Time-bound| Setting a clear but achievable deadline keeps you focussed, can help you prioritise your time, and creates a sense of urgency. Share your goal and your deadline with friends or family can also help you stay on track.
Beginner Goal Ideas
Suitable for Mini Blue Kids or Beginner Adults
Focus on Fun and Fundamentals
A few good ideas to start with:
"Keep my rally going for 5 shots"
or
"Remember my ready position every time in one session or match."
Improver Goal Ideas
Suitable for Mini Red or Orange Kids or Improving Adults
Learning to compete with confidence.
Goal Ideas:
"Win 3 points in a Match with a serve and return."
or
"Stay positive even if I lose a point in a match."
Building consistency and tactics.
Goal ideas:
"Try using a drop shot once per match."
or
"Get 8 shots into a rally."
Intermediate Goal Ideas
Suitable for Mini Green Kids or Intermediate Adults
Preparing for full-court tennis matches.
Goal ideas:
"Improve my first-serve percentage to 60%."
or
"Play in two match-play events before summer."
If you would like some support with your tennis performance or setting goals for this year we have a fantastic team of experienced tennis coaches based at Oriam Indoor Tennis Centre. Talk to the coaches during a class or you can contact [email protected] if you have any other enquiries, including private lesson options.