DIET | DETECTIVE^®

Tennis players with a great mental attitude and lousy strokes will (no offense, anyone) simply become happy losers. I have been involved with the management of both men's and women's professional tennis for nearly 20 years and the players who win matches normally have winning strokes. Obviously, those who talk about the game being 90 percent mental must have something else in mind. Defining the "mental game" thus becomes an important issue.

As a licensed psychologist in California, I have spent a great deal of time looking into the mental requirements in determining the nature of the game. As Jack Kramer use to tell me, "When your strength is greater than your opponent's strength, stick with your strength. When your opponent's strength is greater than your strength, you must make your opponent hit shots that he doesn't like to hit." The major problem is that most people who are losing don't have the ability to hit shots their opponent doesn't like to hit. Because the tennis court, end to end, is only 19.1 degrees wide, one is actually playing on a long sidewalk. That's why it takes years of practice to hit tiny areas on a court while under stress.

In tennis, it's usually best to hit deep shots or short angle shots. Deep shots keep your opponent in safe territory. Short angle shots can run your opponent off the court and can also serve as passing shots when your opponent is at the net. It would also be good to have a nice down-the-line passing shot. Nearly everyone has experienced the joy of hitting deep shots once in a while, but to hit aggressive short angled shots is a talent few possess.

Since it's my theory that most people can't hit the ball where they want it to go when under severe stress, the role of mental acuity is diminished. Someone who possesses a 150 IQ along with a lousy backhand is really a brilliant person in deep trouble when he or she steps on to a tennis court.

There's plenty of evidence to show that the best players try to focus on the shot rather than on a plan when playing a tiebreaker. Thus, the best mental game is to shut down the mental exercises and hit the stupid shot. I recall a senior match in which Jimmy Connors was asked what he was thinking when he was down match point to John Lloyd and came back to win. Jim's answer was "nothing." Jimmy's right, the ball doesn't know when you're in deep trouble, it only knows that you had better hit it just right. Maybe that's what the proponents of the mental game are saying. It takes 90 percent of your mental powers to know how to shut down nearly 100 percent of mental abilities.

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