Sunday, 21 June 2015
'PHILOSOPHY'
The to Europe in 1991 taught me to be philosophical not only about tennis but also life in general. I believed that back then and even now life could quite possibly be like a tennis match that was not necessarily following the script I had written in my head. I wanted to get somewhere but there were many factors in the way of the desired result.
I once asked my Dad a rather silly question when I was a kid regarding tennis professionals and why they were so good. I wanted to know why a pro could simply walk onto court and play so much better than the rest of us. He may have looked the same as an every day person, two arms, two legs, a vocabulary and a smile. How did that player deliver an ability to hit a tennis ball to perfection ?
I believe the answer from Dad was simple, "It's programmed into the brain after hitting so many balls in practice. It's like turning on the light switch in the middle of the night with your eyes barely open, it's built into the memory bank". Good answer Dad.
Some have an ability to do it almost to perfection whereas others find it a constant mental and technical battle.
The one thing that frustrated me more than anything else however was the form that I could deliver in practice but not in a match. In Europe I probably won more points than I lost against my touring buddies Brett and Pete on the practice court and in drills I was almost unbeatable, I hit with freedom.
When I practiced I had a sense of invincibility, a sense of no fear that gave me confidence about my game and about life, it was a positive feeling. If I could have taken that no fear attitude into my matches, well maybe I would have won more than I had lost.
In Europe I learned that tennis was all about thinking and it required a smart mind to beat guys who would refuse to be beaten by shots alone. They asked you many questions but the most common of all was "Hey Aussie your shots are ok but how is your mind, can you out think me"? ( Not out loud of course but that's the feeling you got at times ).That was the biggest issue in Europe, how to out think players who won matches more with their minds than anything else.
I always believe that you cannot go into a tennis match and expect your opponent to lose, you have to find a way to win. If you gain the occasional win by your opponents handing you a match then take it as a bonus, it won't happen very often. Most times you will be asked many questions and you will need to find many answers.
Playing against red hot Europeans on clay is an education I would recommend to any budding young tennis player who has aspirations to take their game to the next level.
It will help put the game into perspective and it will toughen the mind, something most tennis players need to improve. Tennis is all about educating the mind and the body to react without thinking too much about it.
Some have an ability to do it almost to perfection whereas others find it a constant mental and technical battle.
The one thing that frustrated me more than anything else however was the form that I could deliver in practice but not in a match. In Europe I probably won more points than I lost against my touring buddies Brett and Pete on the practice court and in drills I was almost unbeatable, I hit with freedom.
When I practiced I had a sense of invincibility, a sense of no fear that gave me confidence about my game and about life, it was a positive feeling. If I could have taken that no fear attitude into my matches, well maybe I would have won more than I had lost.
In Europe I learned that tennis was all about thinking and it required a smart mind to beat guys who would refuse to be beaten by shots alone. They asked you many questions but the most common of all was "Hey Aussie your shots are ok but how is your mind, can you out think me"? ( Not out loud of course but that's the feeling you got at times ).That was the biggest issue in Europe, how to out think players who won matches more with their minds than anything else.
I always believe that you cannot go into a tennis match and expect your opponent to lose, you have to find a way to win. If you gain the occasional win by your opponents handing you a match then take it as a bonus, it won't happen very often. Most times you will be asked many questions and you will need to find many answers.
Playing against red hot Europeans on clay is an education I would recommend to any budding young tennis player who has aspirations to take their game to the next level.
It will help put the game into perspective and it will toughen the mind, something most tennis players need to improve. Tennis is all about educating the mind and the body to react without thinking too much about it.
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