Mental strength is so crucial in tennis. In this book, Mr. Gilbert explained many stories and situations encountered when he was a pro tennis player. By changing the mindset and adding more thinking on each step before starting to the game, it will boost your overall performance.

Even beyond the tennis tips, I really enjoyed reading about how Gilbert approached players I grew up watching. It's fun to have a better understanding of what they were doing on the court. If Gilbert could Win Ugly on the Tour...maybe I can win a public courts match some day.

Für Tennisspieler ein absolutes Muss. Ich konnte viel für mein eigenes Training mitnehmen.

As a tennis player, especially a D3 college tennis player, I always want to find ways to get better on and off the court mentally and physically. Brad Gilbert gave great advice on how to do all that and after reading this book, I respect him more as a tennis player and coach.

How did I not read this book when I was playing high school tennis??

I've already assigned this book as a must-read to my freshman son who is a varsity tennis player on his high school team. The mental side of tennis is likely more important than any other sport as you are on an island playing by and for yourself. Brad's coaching in this book is so practical, and impossible to argue against.

Because the book was originally written in the 90s much of the references are to the players of that era - Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Chang, Courier, Sampras, Agassi, Becker - but for me it was a fantastic trip down memory lane. Loved every single chapter of this book.

Are you kidding me?!
If you think you have been playing tennis at all, read this book, because it focuses exclusively on the game, not the sport!
Winning isn't everything to Brad Gilbert, dominating is his goal- he wants complete information on opponents to the point that he understands their thoughts and ultimately controls every outcome of a competitive match.
If you want to win more matches, read this book, and start a journal on the players you meet in competition- it will improve your game, and more importantly will improve your attitude. But don't expect to become any more popular.

It has been a brilliant reading I have really enjoy it. It has been the best tennis book I have read.
It was written during the 90’s but it isn’t old fashion it really fits the tennis essence.
It talks about tennis strategy the mental and psychological part of this sport and how to win in all types of situations even though the match isn’t going the way you will like.
Some of the advices you can apply them in other life situations.

An absolutely fantastic book. My major takeaways are the following, and I find them applicable to life in general, not just in tennis:

One - when playing with others, the utter most important thing is to focus on yourself, and ignore what others are doing. This applies to life too: the best one could do, is the best one could do. However, one could often get distracted by other people, and derail from one’s full potential. The most important thing for anyone going through life is to only focus on oneself’s full potential and ignore anything else. The author wrote in the book, illustrating the point that the ball is the most important thing in the game and nothing else. He wrote:

… watching the ball as early as possible. Start watching it while it’s still in its can!

A lot of times when I do things, I get influenced by other people: the trend of the day, the opinion of the majority. It’s vital to focus on the most important things that I ought to focus on and ignore any other noises. The author also wrote:

Watch the ball, not the person who hit it.

Two - also when playing with others, while it’s important to focus on yourself, if you have to play with other people, make sure the other person has to adapt to you. Have them play your game where it’s advantageous to you. The following came from Andrew Agassi, he wrote in the book (of what the author told him):

… If you play Sampras the same way you play Chang, you’ll lose. If you play Becker like you play Courier, you’ll lose. Each player is different. Your strategy should be different for each of them.”

Study your opponents very carefully. They will all have things that they’ve perfected. The key point here is not to let them play the things they’ve perfected. Instead, find ways to derail them (as opposed to point number 1, of not letting others derail you). Force them into playing a game you’re good at, but they are not.

In essence - like the main point of The Art of War by Sun Tzu: know your own strengths and weaknesses, and know your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Then, use your own strengths and force your opponents to tap into their weaknesses.

Gilbert says Winning Ugly is the “left brain” tennis book to Tim Gallway’s “right brain” Inner Game of Tennis. He shares very practical strategies to win more points in a variety of situations. Yes you should be having fun, but he argues that if you’re playing for points, you should be playing to win. He also stresses the importance of pre-match mental preparation—have a plan—as well as ensuring you have the right equipment. “I can usually tell by what a player brings in their equipment bag how serious they are about winning.”

Maximizar las oportunidades para ganar

Una obra interesante para personas que gustan del mundo del tenis sea como jugadores profesionales o recreativos así como para personas aficionadas. No se presenta como un Manual infalible sino como una fuente de reflexiones, pista y consejos para encarar el juego desde la preparación hasta el cierre de los partidos. Se ha ganado la reputación de clásica ente la literatura del deporte.

Brad, actualmente entrenador de Coco Gauff y analista de ESPN, forjó una carrera exitosa encontrando la manera de ganar maximizando sus oportunidades que han de ser reconocidas, analizadas y capitalizadas

Lots of technical advice for the tennis player, whether aspiring to professional greatness or simply wanting to crush the local club competition. A bit dated now in terms of the player references, but the basic tactics and psychological insights remain largely the same as today.

Full disclosure: I do NOT play tennis, nor pickleball. So why listen to this one? Because I actually enjoy watching tennis competition on TV, especially the major tournaments such as the US Open currently underway. What fascinates me is the ongoing psychological battle going on inside each player's head, one that plays out in a constant up and down manner throughout each swing of the racket and each point won or lost.

When it comes to the majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) most pros are playing not just for a paycheck but also for the personal, lasting glory that comes from achieving success on the largest sporting stage in front of a global audience. You know they are going to give their all.

Further, they are alone on the court (except when playing doubles) with no teammate to pick up the slack as needed. There's no huddle after each play to discuss strategy. At best, there's a quick comment or sign from a coach, but other than that the player is stuck inside their own head and grappling silently with each micro-issue as it evolves.

Watching that process unfold is absolutely fascinating to me. Why does a player up 6-0 in a first set go on to lose the match? Why does a player spiral out of control after a double fault? Why are some players rarely bothered by a mistake? It's all about the head game.

For that aspect of tennis, the author offers an abundance of fascinating insights that will take the spectator's appreciation of the game to a much higher level. Many of his tips are applicable to other sports and even non-sporting activity.

Molto tecnico, non si perde in lungaggini ma va dritto al punto.
Se giocate a tennis, cambierà il vostro gioco.
L'ho preso in biblioteca, ma a questo punto mi sa che lo compro!

Note dopo la seconda lettura:
ho dovuto dare una ripassata a solo sei mesi di distanza! E sapendo cosa mi aspettavo, me lo sono goduto di più. Bravo Brad, repetita juvant