Letter to Brad
- February 27, 2010
Received this nice note from a reader of Brad’s book “Winning Ugly”…
“Hi Brad,
I’m just a lowly 3.5 player – I started playing tennis a few years ago – and several people have mentioned your book to me, but I could never get past the title. I thought it was all about gamesmanship and that just didn’t appeal to me. Anyway, out of curiosity, I finally read it last week and really appreciated your insight.
I had a match this week and thought a lot about your advice. I went with a plan. I focused on getting an early lead and then stretching my lead. After winning the first set, I made sure not to come into the second set as Happy Camper and focused on fighting off my Wounded Bear.
Long story short – it was a tough match, nearly every game went to deuce, but in the end, I won 6-1, 6-1. The score was not at all reflective of the play, but I really bared down when I needed to.
So, if this message actually reaches you, I just wanted to say thanks.”
MB
For me, the transformation was even more emphatic! Joining two elements of some regular training and having the book read and ideas simmering for a couple of weeks, I finally managed to win my club’s year-long ladder tounament!
I had a very clear strategy for each opponent and was on top of whatever was happening in the match in terms of fluctuations and getting back in control !
The book taught me how to think during a match !
I don’t even like to mention the book to my fellow players
I wanna keep it my secret weapon…
A big thanks to Brad.
Dear Brad.
I recently read “Winning Ugly” which I first learned of from Andre’s
autobiography.
I am a private music teacher in Portland Oregon and often when I’ve
had an positive impact on my student’s journey as musicians, they let
me know and I wanted to do the same for you.
I’m a 33 year old 3.5 player who played a lot as a kid but just got
back into tennis this year after devoting most of my life to music.
There is an undefeated player in town who everyone in my league
considers “unbeatable” and I decided to focus on beating him after
feeling a renewed sense of confidence from reading your book.
I applied everything I learned from your book this morning and for the
first time ever, I arrived at the match with a clear strategy which I
stuck to and a much more competitive mindset and awareness of the
implications of each point. I took notes on my phone while reading
Winning Ugly which I reviewed before warming up.
I beat him 6-4, 6-2 and he is no longer undefeated!
I learned a lot from you not only from “Winning Ugly” but also from
the stories Agassi shares in “Open”
I’m sure you hear this everyday, but here’s one more player telling
you that you’ve done a great thing and a huge educational service to
anyone who takes the time to read your book.
Thanks!
YN