As Vlah's career progressed, he became more comfortable with the weight of responsibility and embraced the pressure. He switched from fearing mistakes to recognising them as an opportunity for growth.
“Now that I’m older and more experienced, I don’t think about the mistakes as much, but earlier on, for sure, as a younger player, you think a lot about not making mistakes. But the truth is, everyone makes mistakes. That’s where you learn the most. These days, it happens more naturally during games. As your team feels you are in the game, sometimes the decision falls on you. I have no problem with that pressure,” he says.
“If you make a mistake, you feel it a bit more in the next match, but you must stay mentally strong. Believing in yourself is crucial. I work on visualising situations sometimes - thinking about how I could change things after a missed shot or a situation in the last match. But it’s hard to predict because each opponent reacts differently. It’s more about working on yourself,” adds Vlah.
When it comes to inspiration during matches, Vlah prefers not to overthink his moves. Instead, he lets the game flow and makes spontaneous decisions. That approach is one of the reasons he can keep opponents guessing about his next move.
“It all happens in the moment. I don’t like to think about it beforehand because if you overthink it, maybe your opponent can predict you. But if you do something unexpected, even you can’t plan it until the last second. If I don’t know what I’ll do, then the defence surely won’t. The decision happens in the moment, and I don’t know whether it’s the mind or the body making the choice. I can’t answer that,” Vlah explains.