← Writings Competing · Mindset — January 25, 2025

Stick to my aggressive style

“I would rather lose by playing my style of intense tennis than win by pushing the ball.”

Scan of the handwritten notebook page, January 25, 2025
Notebook page — January 25, 2025

Transcript

Today, I am playing a tournament. I anticipate that there will be some pressure that I will have to deal with. My hitter will continue taking the ball aggressively by moving to take the ball on the rise and hitting it harder into the corners. I will not start pushing as that is not my gamestyle, and my thinker will remind me I play worse when I play that way. My thinker will remind me to play high and heavy to his backhand, but make sure to hit the ball deep and with rackethead speed, otherwise he will take control of the point. But the most important thing under pressure will be my fan's advice. I know that I can win difficult matches. I know that I can bring my level up during the course of the match with the right mindset. Most importantly, my fan will tell me that I have the control to stick to my aggressive gamestyle. I would rather lose by playing my style of intense tennis than win by pushing the ball.