From Tennis to Life

From tennis to life..
Reflections on the game and what it teaches me…

• I enjoy watching tennis more than I enjoy watching cricket or football… why? Because I don’t play cricket or football…
o Being a spectator is no fun! Even watching is more fun if you also do…
• These days, my first serve is booming but my second serve has become shaky – which has affected my entire game..how true it is that ‘you are only as good as your second serve’
o A good plan B gives you more confidence to execute plan A
• The tennis court is no place to think ..
o The mind gets in its own way a lot of the time.. we are much more than conscious thinking machines..
• When I come up with a complex plan to beat my opponent, it never works – I get confused and beat myself.
o Only simple plans are executable – if people have to work out too many variables on the ground, they will only get confused. Keep strategies and plans simple.
• When there is noise all around, the timing of your shots goes off: you need to hear the sound of the strings to know where the ball is
o The subtlest of ingredients, if it is missing, the entire experience can go wrong
• When you are playing well, go for you shots, they will go in..the more risky they are, the more likely they will go in..
o ride your luck when you have it
• Coming forward to the ball generates amazing power
o If you come forward to meet the opportunity, you have momentum on your side..
• tennis is about movement.. if you can get to the ball, you can do anything you like with it.. if you can’t get to the ball, it doesn’t matter what shots you have in your armory
o being there is everything.. no matter how talented or capable you are..
• shots go best when you keep your head still
o at the core of every activity, however vigorous, there has to be a still centre
• the great tragedy of tennis is this: you have to be fit to play tennis but playing tennis doesn’t keep you fit
o exercise is exercise and fun is fun: don’t confuse the two with each other
• even after 40 years of playing tennis, my second serve still deserts me sometimes..
o never take any of your skills for granted.. bad habits can creep in when you take something for granted
• nowadays I am trying to hit a topspun backhand – it gives me a thrill when I get it right
o learning something new all the time keeps you alive