Last set(5th,7th sets) game plan

I think one of the keys is awareness of what has actually been happening in the match.  How have you been winning points?  How have you been losing points?  Has your opponent adapted to tactics that won you points earlier in the match? 

On a more detailed note, things like which serves are giving your opponent trouble and which ones he is handling well.  Is your opponent possibly over-anticipating your placement on certain tactics so that he might be vulnerable to a slight change in placement tactics?  Is your opponent predictable in any of his placements on certain shots that you might be able to anticipate to your advantage?  Is your opponent more vulnerable to a slow spiny opening than a fast one? 

In summary

1. Try to do more of the things that won you points earlier in the match

2. Try to not do things that lost you points earlier in the match

3. Be aware if opponent seems to have adapted to a tactic that worked early on but now is losing you points and adjust it accordingly

4. If you opponent has been using a particular tactic very effectively try to come up with counter tactic or just be more ready to respond to that tactic.

You can use the time in the towel breaks to try to make quick mental notes of what has just happened in the previous points for future reference.  At the end of each game try to make some mental notes on the items mentioned in the summary that you can use later in the match.

Mark - Who wishes he would take his own above advice more often in matches

@bbkon, there is definitely a lot of truth in that, i agree that the player to first reach 5 usually wins the game, and in matches that i lost in the last set, i ended up on the other side of that, i try to be aggressive in getting to 5 and then i end up missing a lot of shots and the result is my opponent reaches 5 before me.

You need to reflect on the game. What made you win points? What made you lose points? It's all about analyzing the game and adjusting your tactic. By this time, you should have found bad habits or parts of his game to expose. 

Another thing is risk taking. Basically, if you're down, playing normally/safe (statistically speaking) will basically give away the game because playing at the normal standard, you're losing in terms of points and more likely to lose points. Taking risks increases your chance of winning and losing to the point where your opponent has no real control over the ball and you're the only one really dictating if the ball is going to go out or not, depending on if your shot goes in. Playing safe against good players just won't work; they are too consistent. Playing risky also puts your opponent in somewhat of a bad mental state. At least getting a few points back and losing rather than just pushing will surely make the opponent think ''thank god''. This can be incredibly important for upcoming games.

The whole risk concept was an idea from Liu Guoliang in an interview. I basically summed up what he said; when you're down, taking risks is essential and the best thing to do.