October 2025
Quotes per day and their meanings
October 1- “Tennis is a game of inches, the inches between the ears.” -Rick Macci
Mental clarity is essential for optimal performance in tennis.
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October 2- "Comparison is the death of joy."- Mark Twain
When comparing yourself to other players and wishing to be more like them, you will no longer be happy with your game.
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October 3- "Second thoughts are seconds lost.” - Curly Davis
When you second guess yourself, you will lose precious seconds when preparing for your stroke.
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October 6- "Sports can bring out the best or worst in you…you choose."
When competing, we can get very emotional; on occasion, it brings out a not-so-lovely side of us or a classy side. You choose which one you want, but know there is a consequence to our emotions.
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October 7- "Paralyzation through Analyzation."
Sometimes, we overthink and analyze our strokes, and we become paralyzed by our strokes. I recommend "see the ball, hit the ball," keeping it that simple.
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October 8- "Clarity of thought." - Curly Davis
When starting each point, you should know how you wish to win the point. Don't serve until you have a clear idea.
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October 9- "Visualize but don't see." - Curly Davis
In your mind, you need to know where you're hitting the ball but resist seeing where you are hitting it. If you see your target, that implies you are not focused on the ball.
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October 10- "Negative energy is wasted energy."- Roger Federer
When on the court, you have to play each point as it comes, and once it's over, the point is over. If you spend too much time thinking about the point, particularly negative thoughts, you're wasting your energy. Think about what you can do better, then move.
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October 13- "Tennis can show you the world….but it is not the whole world."- Roger Federer
We can be so fascinated with the sport that we can be consumed by tennis, watching, thinking, playing, and neglecting other matters. Remember that you will be a person long after you are done with tennis.
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October 14- "If I lose, it's me that loses; it's not the racket's fault."- Rafael Nadel
Breaking your racket out of anger is not good on many levels. First, never let your opponent have too much information. Breaking your racket out of anger gives your opponent an insight into your mental state. Second, what did the racket do to you? It's not the racket's fault, "it’s not the song, it’s the singer.”
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Finally, after breaking the racket, you can become embarrassed, and your attention will be diverted to that embarrassing moment and not the match you're playing.
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October 15- “Next shot is more important than the last mistake.” Roger Federer
Do not let the mistake from the previous point affect the upcoming one. Move on from the last point.
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October 16- “Fear motivates and paralyzes.”
In tennis, you can feel fear, and it could paralyze you from not moving well or hitting the shot you want to hit. Alternatively, it could motivate you to go out and do your best. The key to being motivated is to think about what you want to accomplish with shots and results and not think about what you don’t want to happen.
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October 17 – “Big points don’t mean you hit big shots.”
Every match will reach a critical point, and we must resist the urge to win the point with a flashy shot.
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October 20- “Big points mean you hit your favorite stroke to a big target.”
When playing a crucial point, use your most reliable stroke to aim for the largest target on the court. This increases your chances of winning the critical point.
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October 21 – “Every point should have a purpose, no purpose, what’s the point?” - Curly Davis
Every point you play should embody your strategy; playing without direction is aimless.
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October 22 – “Sometimes it’s what your opponent did right, not what you did wrong.”
Instead of dwelling on a lost point, take a moment to determine if it resulted from your error or your opponent's skill. If it was due to their skill, acknowledge it.
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October 23- “The great thing about tennis is you can’t run out the clock…As long as I’m still playing, I had a chance!” - Andre Agassi.
Tennis is one of the sports that is not governed by time. You can always come back, no matter how lopsided the score is.
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October 24- “It’s one on one out there. There ain’t no hiding. I can’t pass the ball.” – Pete Sampras
Tennis is an individual sport, it’s just you out there. When you make a mistake or a winner, it’s there for all to see.
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October 27 – “If you debate, it’s too late.” - Curly Davis
When seeing a ball coming to you from the opponent, you must decide quickly on how and where you will be hitting it. You've lost the point if you think (debate) too much about it.
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October 28 – “Everything is correct…. some of the time.” - Curly Davis
There is an exception to all we do on the tennis court. A drop shot can be the correct thing to do but at the right time in a point. An attempted down-the-line shot but at the correct tactical time. This can be stated about all shot selections and strokes.
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October 29 - "Losers let it happen...winners make it happen."
When we compete, we might get nervous and not act. This is when we wait for our opponent to make a mistake and let the game come to us. Nevertheless, we make winning moves happen when we play tennis according to our terms and how we want to play. It is about "playing to win" rather than "playing not to lose.”
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October 30 - "If you haven't lost, you haven't played enough tennis."
Losing in tennis can be challenging, but it is an essential part of the game. Every tennis great has experienced defeat at some point in their career, and they used it as a stepping stone to success. Remember the 2 "L’s" when you lose a match - learn from them and leave them behind; don’t carry a loss with you.
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October 31—"Don’t be historical nor hysterical.” - Cheryl Nevenhoven
I encourage you to stay in the present, learning from the past, not living in the past. Plus, stay calm in the face of missed opportunities.
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