I wrote a story for All Court Tennis Club about a mental coach and he theorised that players from Balkan countries like Djokovic or other war-torn nations had nerves of steel because they survived (and practiced during) all bombing and war and such. Debate…
I played tennis tournaments as a teen and quit because I couldn't handle the pressure. I remember crying before matches. I played in HS and grew to despise it, and I wish I didn't. Tennis is genuinely the toughest sport. I love baseball and the pressure got to me there, but at least I was a part of a team and at least it was the ultimate non-knockout sport - always more at bats, always more games, a true marathon. I'm glad to know there's no weird trick for beating pressure. You just have to keep doing it. I commend you for forging a pro career, winning tournaments, ascending in the rankings. It's all incredibly hard. You are one of the world's elites.
thank you - it is hard but while we do it we don’t notice it. i was on tour for sixteen years, off it for merely one and i marvel at the pros mental strength as if i’ve never picked up a racket in my life. i hope you’re able to re-kindle a dalliance with tennis, it’s fun over here :)
It was a terrible thing you did to Daniil but a beautiful spring day is not something to waste either. I think you probably chose well and he has years to play. I used to be terrified of public speaking and then I taught for years, under plenty of pressure and poof, gone the fear.
Pressure, that double edged sword, difficult to put in words but easy to feel.
For the inexperienced ones, it easily mutates into fear and totally destroys performances (some never get past this phase).
For champions, it may be the drawing force that keeps them in the game. So they continue to get that "special high" that comes when top performances occur in high-pressure moments (something reserved to a handful of mortals).
Dealing with pressure is an acquired skill, as you write in your piece. While individual traits influence its development, I would argue a couple of general principles shoule be applied: it should be done in a soft manner; it should be a step-by-step process, with regular evaluations. Something that most pushy/abusive parents disregard.
Great pre-review of Challengers! Looking forward to next week.
Better than "Moneyball?" Have to go check it out this weekend.
Also, Finite Jest? I wonder how many readers get that one. I always thought "Federer as a religious experience" is one of the best articles ever written.
Anyway, I always thought the most undermentioned thing about tennis pressure is not that its a knockout sport, but that if you make a mistake in the tennis scoring system you give your opponent a point. It tends to attract and breed people who really, really don't like mistakes.
LOVED so much of Challengers. The only two difficulties I had were: 1. I had a hard time buying either of the male actors as competitive athletes (let alone tennis players). They didn't move like athletes... they didn't hold themselves like athletes... ; 2. The last moment in the film (SPOILER AHEAD) where the film forgets what sport its filming and has both actors go up in the air as if they are playing volleyball, then go over the net, then end up in each other's arm? That being said, the way they framed the playing of tennis was creative and often amazing, the soundtrack was incredible, and the ending (except the last moment mentioned above) was a clever call back to an earlier moment.
it’s just so hard to pull of when you haven’t played as a kid. people who have played as kid can tell right away. the ending left me puzzled, a lot of room for interpretation. i will dive into it next week. can’t wait!
Sounds like your therapist is 'challenging' you rather than 'hearing' you and that is a good thing and why you continue to see him......and thus vet your musings in these wonderful tomes. It is working but it doesn't make the struggle any easier or simpler only prevents the mind from going too far down those dangerous detours of distraction the convenience of the modern world presents each second of each and every day.
I think that's the secret to a lot of things. You just have to keep doing it. Whether it's drawing, writing or tennis, you don't get better unless you're working at the thing you want to be better at. Loved this piece!
It is a pleasure to read your writing. I was also sorry to see Sinner plagued by his hip (?) problems. You have a special gift Andrea. I feel that it is the ability see through the strictures of space and time. Perhaps an intimation of the eternal within the temporal.
Didn’t tennis players build the Bridge of Sighs? :p
Random fuzzy note. Last year around this time, I decided to try planting brown flax seed in a pot outdoors. This plant is directly related to the things I love to do, so I was curious about it. I wasn’t sure if it’d grow well, or at all – but it did! It was the highlight of my spring and summer, with the randomness of its growth, and then the flowering stage happened. The blue to periwinkle flowers bloomed for weeks, the bees came around and did their busy as a bee thing, and honestly it was just refreshing. I’m about to plant another pot today, and thought I’d share this note with you all here, in case it might be something that can bring you joy too.
As an aside to this, the other day I was researching something relating to this stuff, I’m being a bit ambiguous I know, but yeah... as with most things on the Internet these days they’re not worth looking at in my opinion. As someone who doesn’t want any artificially curated content I rarely use the net anymore, and always clear my history. Why do I mention this you ask? Well, I had to scan down through about one hundred articles to get to one that caught my attention as being what I was looking for. The title seemed to be the right fit so I checked it out. The topic I was searching for is a rare one, to be sure, and has nothing to do with tennis or the author of Finite Jest. After opening the content, and deciding it was of some value, I checked the username to make note of it. The name... started with “petko” and those were the only letters in the name.
So damn it, I’m gonna save one of those blue flax flowers, just for you.
Well, from a certain point of view, yes. I discovered last year that these plants are incredibly resilient, and the flowers are experts at a disappearing act. I was shocked at first, because I didn’t know they are so fleeting – only lasting about a half a day. The petals usually blow away. BUT, they quickly form a bud where the flower was, filled with many seeds so they can eventually bring more joy. The good news is new flowers come out pretty much every day during the blooming stage (for weeks), so it’s that randomness mixed with certainty that I found fascinating, along with it just looking beautiful and being a plant that provides so much for so little. They sort of wiggle in the wind and that creates a variety in the fibres they weave.
In order for me to save a flower I’ll probably have to cut it off, or run around collecting the petals after they fall. I’m not really sure how to preserve it, maybe in a book. I did save the flax fibres and the seed pods from last year. You just pull ‘em up when they’re done showing off, let them dry out and wait til the time is right to put them in the soil again. They live on!
Another superb read. Off to complete my to do list for the week. 1) Search TikTok and learn the proper way to load my dishwasher 2) Go see Challengers 3) Stop seeking life hacks and focus on life tasks
Dorky I know, but Patti and I are doing date “morning” tomorrow and going to see Challengers at 10:10am. (But you hooked us). Read the review on The Guardian today too. Amazing!
My husband wanted us to see it because I’m an avid senior tennis player and fan. We both thought it was pretty vapid. I wouldn’t recommend it to any serious tennis player.
Pressure. Even for us rec players. Tournaments are horrible experiences. The pressure is high and the stakes are 0. If I lose, I go home. That's it! I am never going to get rich. Never be famous for tennis. No one is even watching. And yet, the pressure is there.
The only answer I have been ever to come up with is to learn to breathe rhythmically. That solves it for me. I use it all the time to calm myself without losing my focus. I also add rituals during times of high stress. The rituals put me in a certain emotional state.
Then, the pressure seems manageable. But it is always there. If I am not nervous, then it's not that important. So pressure is completely normal for things that mean a lot to me.
So a combination of physical techniques and thinking about stress as a positive thing helps.
Is that the way you handle it? Am I missing something?
This was a really good one! I can relate. I used to scare myself. I would lose the first two or three games during USTA league matches and assume I was going to get a smoked. I stopped playing USTA and started playing matches for fun. I realized my pattern is to always lose those first few games and then I figure something out and start winning games. Whaaat?
I believe you, but I'm still going to try the midnight-crystal-dressed-in-blacl thing just in case.
i mean… it can’t hurt!
*black
I wrote a story for All Court Tennis Club about a mental coach and he theorised that players from Balkan countries like Djokovic or other war-torn nations had nerves of steel because they survived (and practiced during) all bombing and war and such. Debate…
I played tennis tournaments as a teen and quit because I couldn't handle the pressure. I remember crying before matches. I played in HS and grew to despise it, and I wish I didn't. Tennis is genuinely the toughest sport. I love baseball and the pressure got to me there, but at least I was a part of a team and at least it was the ultimate non-knockout sport - always more at bats, always more games, a true marathon. I'm glad to know there's no weird trick for beating pressure. You just have to keep doing it. I commend you for forging a pro career, winning tournaments, ascending in the rankings. It's all incredibly hard. You are one of the world's elites.
thank you - it is hard but while we do it we don’t notice it. i was on tour for sixteen years, off it for merely one and i marvel at the pros mental strength as if i’ve never picked up a racket in my life. i hope you’re able to re-kindle a dalliance with tennis, it’s fun over here :)
Love your style of writing Andrea.
It was a terrible thing you did to Daniil but a beautiful spring day is not something to waste either. I think you probably chose well and he has years to play. I used to be terrified of public speaking and then I taught for years, under plenty of pressure and poof, gone the fear.
Pressure, that double edged sword, difficult to put in words but easy to feel.
For the inexperienced ones, it easily mutates into fear and totally destroys performances (some never get past this phase).
For champions, it may be the drawing force that keeps them in the game. So they continue to get that "special high" that comes when top performances occur in high-pressure moments (something reserved to a handful of mortals).
Dealing with pressure is an acquired skill, as you write in your piece. While individual traits influence its development, I would argue a couple of general principles shoule be applied: it should be done in a soft manner; it should be a step-by-step process, with regular evaluations. Something that most pushy/abusive parents disregard.
Great pre-review of Challengers! Looking forward to next week.
Better than "Moneyball?" Have to go check it out this weekend.
Also, Finite Jest? I wonder how many readers get that one. I always thought "Federer as a religious experience" is one of the best articles ever written.
Anyway, I always thought the most undermentioned thing about tennis pressure is not that its a knockout sport, but that if you make a mistake in the tennis scoring system you give your opponent a point. It tends to attract and breed people who really, really don't like mistakes.
LOVED so much of Challengers. The only two difficulties I had were: 1. I had a hard time buying either of the male actors as competitive athletes (let alone tennis players). They didn't move like athletes... they didn't hold themselves like athletes... ; 2. The last moment in the film (SPOILER AHEAD) where the film forgets what sport its filming and has both actors go up in the air as if they are playing volleyball, then go over the net, then end up in each other's arm? That being said, the way they framed the playing of tennis was creative and often amazing, the soundtrack was incredible, and the ending (except the last moment mentioned above) was a clever call back to an earlier moment.
it’s just so hard to pull of when you haven’t played as a kid. people who have played as kid can tell right away. the ending left me puzzled, a lot of room for interpretation. i will dive into it next week. can’t wait!
Sounds like your therapist is 'challenging' you rather than 'hearing' you and that is a good thing and why you continue to see him......and thus vet your musings in these wonderful tomes. It is working but it doesn't make the struggle any easier or simpler only prevents the mind from going too far down those dangerous detours of distraction the convenience of the modern world presents each second of each and every day.
i do appreciate him a lot!
I think that's the secret to a lot of things. You just have to keep doing it. Whether it's drawing, writing or tennis, you don't get better unless you're working at the thing you want to be better at. Loved this piece!
It is a pleasure to read your writing. I was also sorry to see Sinner plagued by his hip (?) problems. You have a special gift Andrea. I feel that it is the ability see through the strictures of space and time. Perhaps an intimation of the eternal within the temporal.
Didn’t tennis players build the Bridge of Sighs? :p
Random fuzzy note. Last year around this time, I decided to try planting brown flax seed in a pot outdoors. This plant is directly related to the things I love to do, so I was curious about it. I wasn’t sure if it’d grow well, or at all – but it did! It was the highlight of my spring and summer, with the randomness of its growth, and then the flowering stage happened. The blue to periwinkle flowers bloomed for weeks, the bees came around and did their busy as a bee thing, and honestly it was just refreshing. I’m about to plant another pot today, and thought I’d share this note with you all here, in case it might be something that can bring you joy too.
As an aside to this, the other day I was researching something relating to this stuff, I’m being a bit ambiguous I know, but yeah... as with most things on the Internet these days they’re not worth looking at in my opinion. As someone who doesn’t want any artificially curated content I rarely use the net anymore, and always clear my history. Why do I mention this you ask? Well, I had to scan down through about one hundred articles to get to one that caught my attention as being what I was looking for. The title seemed to be the right fit so I checked it out. The topic I was searching for is a rare one, to be sure, and has nothing to do with tennis or the author of Finite Jest. After opening the content, and deciding it was of some value, I checked the username to make note of it. The name... started with “petko” and those were the only letters in the name.
So damn it, I’m gonna save one of those blue flax flowers, just for you.
IS IT STILL ALIVE
Well, from a certain point of view, yes. I discovered last year that these plants are incredibly resilient, and the flowers are experts at a disappearing act. I was shocked at first, because I didn’t know they are so fleeting – only lasting about a half a day. The petals usually blow away. BUT, they quickly form a bud where the flower was, filled with many seeds so they can eventually bring more joy. The good news is new flowers come out pretty much every day during the blooming stage (for weeks), so it’s that randomness mixed with certainty that I found fascinating, along with it just looking beautiful and being a plant that provides so much for so little. They sort of wiggle in the wind and that creates a variety in the fibres they weave.
In order for me to save a flower I’ll probably have to cut it off, or run around collecting the petals after they fall. I’m not really sure how to preserve it, maybe in a book. I did save the flax fibres and the seed pods from last year. You just pull ‘em up when they’re done showing off, let them dry out and wait til the time is right to put them in the soil again. They live on!
Another superb read. Off to complete my to do list for the week. 1) Search TikTok and learn the proper way to load my dishwasher 2) Go see Challengers 3) Stop seeking life hacks and focus on life tasks
ha! but especially watch challengers 🫡
Dorky I know, but Patti and I are doing date “morning” tomorrow and going to see Challengers at 10:10am. (But you hooked us). Read the review on The Guardian today too. Amazing!
My husband wanted us to see it because I’m an avid senior tennis player and fan. We both thought it was pretty vapid. I wouldn’t recommend it to any serious tennis player.
Was hoping you would write about Challengers, am seeing this week! Can't wait for next. And woohoo the Guardian! x
i’m worried it will become a 20.000 word document next week - i’m so interested to hear what you think about it.
Pressure. Even for us rec players. Tournaments are horrible experiences. The pressure is high and the stakes are 0. If I lose, I go home. That's it! I am never going to get rich. Never be famous for tennis. No one is even watching. And yet, the pressure is there.
The only answer I have been ever to come up with is to learn to breathe rhythmically. That solves it for me. I use it all the time to calm myself without losing my focus. I also add rituals during times of high stress. The rituals put me in a certain emotional state.
Then, the pressure seems manageable. But it is always there. If I am not nervous, then it's not that important. So pressure is completely normal for things that mean a lot to me.
So a combination of physical techniques and thinking about stress as a positive thing helps.
Is that the way you handle it? Am I missing something?
This was a really good one! I can relate. I used to scare myself. I would lose the first two or three games during USTA league matches and assume I was going to get a smoked. I stopped playing USTA and started playing matches for fun. I realized my pattern is to always lose those first few games and then I figure something out and start winning games. Whaaat?