Hold On With Both Hands

Relax - everyone south of the border. This is not a dig at English goalkeepers. I was genuinely sorry to see them go out of Europe. But..............

Would you ride a bike with only one hand?
Would you push a shopping trolley with one hand?
(for the guys out there a shopping trolley is the metal thing with wheels you find outside Tescos)

In tennis, your spare hand (or non-dominant if you want me to get technical) should always be doing something - but not answering your mobile phone or scratching your bum (unless your name is Rafael Nadal!)

It's all about balance - and I'm told having the right balance also works in life in general.

So remember that next Saturday night!

Tip For Any Day

Unless you have a drain-pipe fetish (or play tennis), this piece of advice will be of no interest to you whatsoever.

Does your ball toss go all over the shop when you're serving?

Imagine a drain-pipe descending down towards your head - then throw the ball up the pipe.

Scary - but it works.

Footnote: Do not confuse a 'ball toss' with a 'throw up'. The latter relates to Saturday night / lager / chicken curry etc

Gives a smile

Have you ever noticed how infectious a smile can be?

You can be walking down the street when an amusing thought comes into your head - then you find the person coming towards you is smiling too!!

I read somewhere that, to brighten your day, you should try smiling at a stranger.

I would go easy on this one. Pick and choose your 'victims' or you could end up with a sore nose or a friend you don't really want!

Ok, this is really just for tennis nuts - but do you remember Yvonne Goolagong. She smiled all the time - and won titles. Jelena Jankovic and Jamie Murray laughed and smiled their way to a Wimbledon title this summer.

One of the benefits of smiling when playing tennis (or any other sport) is that it helps you to relax. It also lets opponents know they're not getting under your shirt.

So give it a blast - it's worth a shot.