Indiana University Athletics
Relaxed Gutierrez Tapping Into Her Potential
4/8/2016 1:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Paula Gutierrez is noticeably more relaxed when she's on the court this year.
The junior who describes herself as "negative in everything" said she isn't questioning her own mistakes while she plays. Her head is dropping less and she's working to have short-term memory.
As a result, she's making less of them and is ranked No. 90 in the country because of it.
"My mental game is totally different now," Gutierrez said. "I'm not giving up. I'm trying not to get mad and lose my focus. I'm just more confident in myself and am playing better."
Gutierrez is off to a 3-2 start in the Big Ten and is 17-13 overall mostly out of the No. 2 singles spot in Indiana's lineup. Her most noteworthy wins came two weekends ago when she picked up a pair of road wins against opponetns from No. 9 Michigan and then Michigan State to earn the Big Ten's Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week nod.
In picking up a win against the Wolverines, Gutierrez knocked off No. 15 Brienna Minor 3-6, 7-5 (5), 1-0 (7) to notch her highest ranked singles victory of her career. She said that win in particular gave her a shot of confidence and confirmed to herself that she's playing the best tennis of her career.
"After beating (Minor), I was like, 'Well, what do I have to do now?'" Gutierrez said, laughing. "'Do I have to beat another ranked girl? Do I have to beat every ranked player I play against?' I'd never really been there before."
Indiana head coach Lin Loring wouldn't go that far, but he wouldn't mind seeing Gutierrez continue to knock off ranked opponents throughout the rest of the season.
He said he's more pleased with Gutierrez's overall play than the results on their own having watched her game evolve over the last three seasons since arriving in Bloomington by way of Alhaurin de la Torre, Spain, three years ago.
"Tennis is a game of mistakes, and whoever manages their mistakes better wins the match," Loring said. "That's sometimes a hard concept for players to wrap their heads around. I think she's doing a better job of not being such a perfectionist."
Gutierrez said associate head coach Ramiro Azcui deserves credit for the latter.
Azcui has been instrumental in helping Gutierrez tap into her potential by sharpening up the mental aspect of her game that she said needed the most work.
The two of them would have long conversations about what she needed to do during matches to stay focused and keep herself from making unforced errors that would have normally cost her critical points throughout her matches.
"Really, he's just been telling me to keep working and worry less," Gutierrez said. "If I play the way I can play, good things will happen. It's just so tiring sometimes because being focused 100 percent every point, every match, every day, it can be tough. But that's what you've got to do."
Loring said Gutierrez's teammates are starting to take notice, too. As one of just three upperclassmen on the roster, he said the younger players are starting to follow in Gutierrez's footsteps and are better because of it.
But no one is reaping the benefits more than Gutierrez. Heading down the closing stretch of the season, she said she's had to adjust her own expectations. As confident as she's playing, the player who was once her toughest critic said she doesn't want to put a limit on what she could end up doing come the Big Ten Tournament.
"I'm really positive right now," she said. "And the thing is, I really want to play right now. I'm so motivated. Every time I go into a match, I just want to play.
"And I want to win."
The junior who describes herself as "negative in everything" said she isn't questioning her own mistakes while she plays. Her head is dropping less and she's working to have short-term memory.
As a result, she's making less of them and is ranked No. 90 in the country because of it.
"My mental game is totally different now," Gutierrez said. "I'm not giving up. I'm trying not to get mad and lose my focus. I'm just more confident in myself and am playing better."
Gutierrez is off to a 3-2 start in the Big Ten and is 17-13 overall mostly out of the No. 2 singles spot in Indiana's lineup. Her most noteworthy wins came two weekends ago when she picked up a pair of road wins against opponetns from No. 9 Michigan and then Michigan State to earn the Big Ten's Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week nod.
In picking up a win against the Wolverines, Gutierrez knocked off No. 15 Brienna Minor 3-6, 7-5 (5), 1-0 (7) to notch her highest ranked singles victory of her career. She said that win in particular gave her a shot of confidence and confirmed to herself that she's playing the best tennis of her career.
"After beating (Minor), I was like, 'Well, what do I have to do now?'" Gutierrez said, laughing. "'Do I have to beat another ranked girl? Do I have to beat every ranked player I play against?' I'd never really been there before."
Indiana head coach Lin Loring wouldn't go that far, but he wouldn't mind seeing Gutierrez continue to knock off ranked opponents throughout the rest of the season.
He said he's more pleased with Gutierrez's overall play than the results on their own having watched her game evolve over the last three seasons since arriving in Bloomington by way of Alhaurin de la Torre, Spain, three years ago.
"Tennis is a game of mistakes, and whoever manages their mistakes better wins the match," Loring said. "That's sometimes a hard concept for players to wrap their heads around. I think she's doing a better job of not being such a perfectionist."
Gutierrez said associate head coach Ramiro Azcui deserves credit for the latter.
Azcui has been instrumental in helping Gutierrez tap into her potential by sharpening up the mental aspect of her game that she said needed the most work.
The two of them would have long conversations about what she needed to do during matches to stay focused and keep herself from making unforced errors that would have normally cost her critical points throughout her matches.
"Really, he's just been telling me to keep working and worry less," Gutierrez said. "If I play the way I can play, good things will happen. It's just so tiring sometimes because being focused 100 percent every point, every match, every day, it can be tough. But that's what you've got to do."
Loring said Gutierrez's teammates are starting to take notice, too. As one of just three upperclassmen on the roster, he said the younger players are starting to follow in Gutierrez's footsteps and are better because of it.
But no one is reaping the benefits more than Gutierrez. Heading down the closing stretch of the season, she said she's had to adjust her own expectations. As confident as she's playing, the player who was once her toughest critic said she doesn't want to put a limit on what she could end up doing come the Big Ten Tournament.
"I'm really positive right now," she said. "And the thing is, I really want to play right now. I'm so motivated. Every time I go into a match, I just want to play.
"And I want to win."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
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