The Power Within: How to Create a High Performance Mind

by John Newcombe

I said, ‘Sit back in your chair, try to relax your body and take a deep breath.’ Remember we only had 60 seconds on the changeover. ‘Your body is full of negative energy and we need to get rid of it. Take a very deep breath, close your eyes and as you breathe out imagine you are blowing all that negative rubbish out of your body, up above you is the clearest blue sky you have ever seen and you are now inhaling that clear air into your body which is full of powerful positive energy.’ This was all a supreme test of imagination for Lleyton, as it was wintertime and we were indoors! We had time to repeat this three times before having to return to the battle. I followed Lleyton out to the court and above the screaming partisan crowd kept telling him he was now the strongest bastard that ever lived and could run forever. Lleyton lost that set, but we repeated the breathing routine every change of ends until, at the end of four and a half hours, he served for the match at 5–4 in the fifth set. The drama was not over as he promptly fell behind 0–40 on serve, only to win the next five points and the match. It was one of the most heroic performances ever by an Aussie in Davis Cup play.