Since my meltdown on Saturday, I’ve decided that I need to address two issues: nervousness and ignoring the score. It’s obvious that undue nervousness doesn’t help your game and, except to state the score at the beginning of the point, it’s best to concentrate on your stroke and stategy, not worry about the score. So I’ve combined both in a directive affirmation that I will use for the next 21 days in the hope that next time I play, I will not be so nervous or worry about losing. Here it is:

8/29/04 Apart from noting the score, the only thing I think about is execution. As a result, there is no time to get nervous or worry about losing. If I start to worry, I need only to run a mental program for each point, think about where I want the ball to go when I hit it and reinforce each winning point by saying “That’s like me!” Apart from noting the score, the only thing I think about is execution.

I’ll tell you how this one goes also.

Practice Report: went to the gym for an hour and a quarter
Solutions Analysis: when doing lunges, go down, not forward. This puts less pressure on my knees and works the back leg much harder.
Success Analysis: turning my hips is allowing me to twist and lunge without knee tendonitis.
Injury Report: sore left thumbpad from trying to return the serve of an Andy Roddick lookalike. Is there such a thing or do only animals have thumbpads?