Tennis: Stosur told to get mental help after choking again

Sam Stosur. Photo / Greg Bowker

Get professional help now. That was the sobering message from leading sport psychologist Jeff Bond to Sam Stosur after yet another home-court meltdown, this time at the Brisbane International.

And Bond said despite her denials, Stosur not only knew her on-court capitulations in Australia came down to her fragile mindset - her rivals did too.

Bond believes Stosur must act now or never realise her potential.

Former US Open champion Stosur added another stat to her horror home record when she let a 5-1 third set lead slip to crash out in the Brisbane International first round.

It sounded alarm bells ahead of the Australian Open where a fourth round berth is the former world No4's best result.

But Stosur, it seemed, was not listening.

"For 99 per cent of that match I'm really happy with the way that I played and what I did," Stosur said after losing the last six games to succumb to American leftie Varvara Lepchenko.

After squirming on his couch watching yet another Stosur surrender Downunder on TV, Bond said it was time for the world No22 to bite the bullet and work with a sports psychologist to avoid wondering what might have been.

"How can you be happy when you are 5-1 up in the third set and lose 7-5?" Bond said.

"You can't sit back and say it is not mental - of course it is mental. And the reality is if she does nothing, the probability of that occurring again is fairly high."

Bond - a former AIS head sport psychologist during his 30-year career - said Stosur must make the call otherwise her home rut may never end.

In the meantime Bond said rivals would know what buttons to push against Stosur on home soil.

"She has sent a message to her opponents - 'push me enough on home ground and I will struggle' - that would give confidence to anyone playing Sam."