The competitive subcomponent is critical to a player’s success because having an innate competitive spirit is the driving force for a player to always improve his game and become better. That attitude of always wanting to be a better player is one on which successful players thrive.

The development of a competitive environment often begins in the player’s home. Some players may have grown up in a sports-driven home because their parents or other family members played competitive sports at a high level, or the player may have grown up with a number of siblings whom he often competed against. Either way, that competitive spirit is instilled in a player’s attitude and gets carried over onto the tennis court.

This subcomponent is also developed if a player is subjected to the competitive environment of a tennis academy or club, where he is surrounded by other players who are also competitive.