That sounds harsh, but it might interest you to know that the same thing happened with pros on the tour. The ones in trouble were simply those who couldn't hit particular shots that needed to be hit in certain circumstances. A sophisticated strategic plan is of no value without matching strokes.

The name of the game is to have a video made of one of your big matches. Make a list of every shot used in that match and rate your ability to hit the right targets under stress. It's normally a real eye-opener for players who could have sworn they played differently than what was seen on television. Armed with a complete list of shots that demonstrate your strengths and weaknesses, you now have a lesson plan for the next few practice sessions.

Once you think you have made the necessary changes, have your local pro videotape you again to measure your improvement. To move up the ladder in tennis, you will have to improve your strengths and erase as many weaknesses as possible. After all, unforced errors still outnumber forced errors nearly 10 to 1 in intermediate tennis. When we did a big study in the seventies to determine how many more balls does one have to get back per point to beat most of the people who beat them, strangely, the answer turned out to be one. Get your average up one more ball per point, and you will start beating 50 percent of the people who normally beat you.

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