Christian Alshon has claimed back-to-back singles titles this month on the PPA Tour, first at the Veolia Cape Coral Open and again at the CIBC Texas Open.

His victory in Cape Coral also marked his first gold-medal triumph in the discipline, which is all the more exciting.

After battling a knee injury that forced him off the singles court for the majority of 2024, these impressive finishes were even sweeter.

So, what did Alshon do after recovering to reach the top of the podium?

“I’m always working on a ton of different stuff. Lately, I’ve been working on my two-handed backhand,” he shared. “But, there’s also the mental side of it that I’m always trying to improve and do everything I can to not be negative and not get mad.”

The 24-year-old Boca Raton, FL resident is one of the most emotive players on the professional circuit, which also makes him entertaining to watch. But, controlling his emotions in the heat of battle can sometimes be a struggle.

“I like to tell myself ‘Stay neutral’ because you can’t always be happy, especially when you’re losing, but you can prevent yourself from being mad,” he explained. “Another great practice for my mental game is that I have to put myself in situations where I’m going to get upset. When you put yourself in situations that you’re going to be uncomfortable in, and you get used to being uncomfortable, it’s a great place to grow.”

Though Alshon doesn’t have a mental coach, he believes meditation has genuinely helped his overall performance.

“I try to meditate every morning and it helps a lot,” he confirmed. “I started meditating when I was 16 years old, and I made it more of a habit when I was a freshman in college. I’ve stayed pretty consistent with it, but it doesn’t always look the same. Meditating can be a lot of things. For example, it could be sitting in your car and shutting your eyes for two minutes. I personally just like to sit down and play some soothing background music. The music gives me the cue to calm down and think.”

While studying at the University of Chicago, he took a class where meditation was a topic of conversation. And he continues to employ the tips he learned there.

“One of the exercises I learned that you can do while meditating is to name the five sounds you can hear right now because learning to just sit in silence and clear your head is one of the toughest parts about it. That trick was a great way for me to get started,” revealed Alshon. “And it’s cool too because eventually you’ll realize that one of those five sounds you hear is your heartbeat.”

It’s clear that Alshon’s athleticism and skills are contributing to his success in singles, but the mental game is proving to be equally important.

We have a lot to look forward to at the upcoming Black Desert Resort Red Rock Open to see if he can keep this winning streak alive. 

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