It was a case of external conditions influencing the
psychology of one man so greatly that it cost him a victory that
was his in justice.
The primary object in match tennis is to break up the other man's
game. The first lesson to learn is to hold your nerve under all
circumstances. If you can break a player's nerve by pounding at a
weakness, do it. I remember winning a 5-set doubles match many
years ago, against a team far over the class of my partner and
myself, by lobbing continually to one man until he cracked under
the strain and threw the match away. He became so afraid of a lob
that he would not approach the net, and his whole game broke up
on account of his lack of confidence. Our psychology was good,
for we had the confidence to continue our plan of attack even
while losing two of the first three sets. His was bad, for he
lost his nerve, and let us know it.
Sensational and unexpected shots at crucial moments have won many
a match. If your opponent makes a marvellous recovery and wins by
it, give him full credit for it, and then forget it, for by
worrying over it you not only lose that point but several others
as, well, while your mind is still wandering. Never lose your
temper over your opponent's good shots. It is bad enough to lose
it at your own bad ones. Remember that usually the loser of a
match plays just as well as the winner allows him. Never lose
your temper at a bad decision.
Pages:
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70