Ever Lost To A Name?
You know the “names” in your tennis circle, don’t you? 
There are names like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick on the ATP tour and names like Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova on the WTA tour.
There are of course “names” in your local tennis club and maybe you are even one of them.
I used to lose some matches to “names”, then eventually won some, then realized that this “name” thing is just a trick of my mind and I don’t play well if I listen to it.
Eventually, I also became a “name” in my local area.
What happens when you play a “name”?
Here’s what happened to Marcos Baghdatis yesterday:
“Basically, I gave the first set away,” said Baghdatis, who helped Federer fight off two set points with a double-fault. Federer then won the tiebreaker, winning the first and last points with aces.
“I couldn’t imagine losing the first set, but I did,” Baghdatis said. “Basically, he won the first set because of his name — Federer. I can say that because I choked.”
Yes, that’s what happens. You lose to a name, not to a better player.
The name carries so much weight, there are so many stories related to it, that in your mind you make this unfortunate and false conclusion, that there is NO WAY you can win against this player.
Your body follows your mind’s commands and you self-destruct (if you have to) in order to confirm what the mind has concluded.
I remember playing a couple of tournaments when I was a “name”. There were some very skilled and talented players in the first 3 rounds but they all lost to my “name”.
I just rallied from the baseline.
Only in the semi-finals and finals I faced opponents who ignored my name and played the ball, not me.
And that’s what you need to do if you play against the name; play the ball.
Everything you know about them is from the past.
Even legends like Roger Federer can lose to a player like Filipo Volandri on a slightly off day, a good day from their opponent and no respect for the name.
Ignore the past, ignore the name, ignore the cocky or flashy appearance and behavior of your opponent and play tennis.
Then you will realize that the “name” was just a trick of your mind.
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