You've battled through six games, and the set is level. You’ve reached a tiebreak. But, suddenly, because the scoring system has changed, everything feels different.

Tiebreaks are the moment when many recreational players start trying to do something different, something special, something that will carry them through the pressure. That instinct, it turns out, is exactly wrong.

Here's what the research shows, and coaches recommend…

1. Stick with what got you there. Jack Edward, LTA-qualified coach, is direct about this: a tiebreak is a microcosm of the match. The percentage plays that got you to 6-6 are the same ones that will win the tiebreak. The temptation to suddenly go for bigger shots, more ambitious tactics, or something you haven't tried yet is real — and almost always a mistake.

Former world number 4, Brad Gilbert, is an evangelist for high-percentage tennis: sticking with tried-and-tested strategies under pressure. In Winning Ugly, he recounts his experience facing Jimmy Connors in a tiebreak: with a hostile crowd and third set looming, Gilbert's entire game plan was: "Keep some balls in play. No pace. Make him try to hit winners. Nothing fancy." He won 7-5 — and Connors, trying to force the issue as the pressure mounted, made the errors that decided it. Gilbert’s rule for these moments: if you're winning, don't change anything, and he means this literally, down to not changing your sweaty shirt mid-match!

2. Make your first shot — every time. Whether you're serving or returning, your first ball must go in. Edward is emphatic: do not give your opponent a free point. If there's any doubt about your second serve, take some pace off your first rather than risk a double fault. On return, play with margin and height. A ball that clears the net comfortably and lands deep is worth far more than an attempted winner that clips the tape.

3. The opening points matter more than you think. Winning the first two or three points creates immediate pressure on your opponent while building your own confidence.

A 2024 study in the Journal of Sports Sciences, analyzing 535 tiebreaks from the US Open, found that being ahead in a tiebreak measurably shifts the odds of winning the next point — which is exactly why the opening exchanges carry so much weight.

And if you find yourself up 5-2? Don't relax. Two service points from your opponent and one break of your own serve, and it's suddenly 5-4. Exert your full focus on every point, from start to finish.

4. Attack weaknesses. Your opponent is nervous, too. When nerves are high, the first thing to go is a player's weakest shot. This is the time to double down on targeting your opponent’s weakness.

5. Hit your strongest shots. Parallel advice: when nerves arrive, play to your own strengths, not just your opponent's weaknesses. If you have a reliable slice serve, use it. If your forehand is your weapon, construct points to play more forehands. The goal is to give yourself the highest-percentage chance of executing well — not to look impressive.

6. Rely on your routines. Dr. Patrick Cohn, a sports psychologist with 35+ years of experience working with tennis players, emphasizes relying on your pre-established mental routines, including between-point rituals, more deliberately than at any other point in the match: bounce the ball one extra time, take two full breaths, walk slowly to your position. Having consistent mental reset rituals, well established during low-pressure practices, helps you automatically apply them during tiebreaks and other high-stakes moments.  

7. Take it one point at a time. Cohn's core advice: the best tiebreak focus is not thinking about the score, the set, or the match. It's the next point only. Hubert Hurkacz, down 5-6 in a deciding tiebreak at the 2023 Shanghai Masters, described it afterward as "just trying to tell myself what to do during the points, where to play, to stay committed and trust my shots, and just fight." He won the match. One point at a time is a cliché for a reason: it is a winning strategy.

Doubles Tiebreak Strategy

Many USTA recreational matches use a 10-point match tiebreak in place of a third set. Here’s advice from Will Boucek, doubles strategy analyst for the ATP & WTA: