In the Monte Carlo semifinals on Saturday we got to witness another step in the evolution of Novak Djokovic, the competitor.
A few years ago, Novak used to retire in matches if he did not feel well. Hey, no judgment. That is what normal people do.
I am on my way to Ft Lauderdale where I am presenting to the International Board of Directors of the Israel Tennis Centers. My task is to get these already successful people to refire their rockets to the place where they were when they first started and felt the passion every day.
Larry Turville got the best of me today 6-3, 6-0. It was one of the finest matches I have ever played on a clay court. Did I mention that Larry had a 105 match winning streak on clay
One thing that is unique to playing tournaments is that you are playing each day and that helps you make adjustments day by day.
Delayed start today because of overnight rain so Jo Ann and I took a nice walk this morning by the pier. As we were walking along we spotted a dolphin. I have heard it is a sign of luck.
My match was scheduled for today at 9AM. I love playing early. Years of giving early morning tennis lessons trained me in being alert on the court right after getting up so, for me, the earlier the better
While sitting at breakfast this morning I checked the tournament website to make sure that my 1:00PM match time hadn’t been changed. Good thing I checked. My opponent, who had won his first round match yesterday defaulted. So, disappointingly, no match today.
It has been a bumpy road getting to this point in my preparation for this tournament. Lots of old demons that I thought had been jettisoned popped up.
For two weeks, as a spectator and player, I was wowed by the special moments of play that were demonstrated by Dimitrov, Wawrinka, Ivanovic, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Cibulkova, Li Na and so many others. The shots they can hit, the level of consistency of their play, and the coverage around the court so complete that it is hard to relate for the rest of us who play.
Recently I had the honor of meeting Phil Wharton, one of the geniuses in the field of stretching and mobility.
I have been fortunate to study or meet many teachers who are absolute masters in their fields including Steven Covey, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Tony Robbins, Tony Schwartz, Jim Loehr, Eckhart Tolle, Jerry Lynch, Nick Saviano, Ron Rebhuhn, Sean Achor, John Sarno, John Wooden and many others…
Add Phil Wharton to that list.
