Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master

by Brad Gilbert

PRACTICE LIKE JACK NICKLAUS The greatest golfer in the history of the game may also have been the greatest practicer in the history of the game. He practiced with a purpose. He knew what he wanted to work on and he isolated it on the practice range. He was very methodical about fixing the problems that occurred during a match by addressing them in his practice session. You can make a great improvement in your tennis game by doing the same. Working on a specific problem even for thirty minutes once a month will give you terrific results. If you can do it twice a month you won’t believe what can happen. How to Improve? 1. Check on swing mechanics by taking a lesson. Your club pro will get you swinging correctly. 2. Practice what you learned during the lesson. Use a ball machine, the backboard, or a wall. Don’t just flail away without a plan. Start by swinging easily and go for consistency. Play little games with yourself. Try to hit the shot you’re working on two times in a row. Then three times in a row. Isolate it and concentrate on it. When I was a kid I spent hours and hours hitting against backboards and walls in Piedmont, California. I would play entire imaginary matches in the U.S. Open against an imaginary Ilie Nastase. The wall was Nastase and it was great practice because the wall would never miss. 3. Play someone you know you can beat without much trouble. Look for opportunities during the match to work on the shot that you practiced against the backboard. You may...