“Have no fear of perfection. You’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali
OK, so Salvador Dali probably wasn't thinking about tennis when he said this. Most likely, he was speaking about artists and their struggle to attain perfection in their work. But his words are true for us working on our tennis too. I would say they apply even more to the tennis player than to the artist. I mean, really – art is so subjective. Who knows what is really good and perfect and true in art? But a down-the-line shot? Either its perfectly in or . . . its out.
So I say – adopt the Salvador Dali philosophy in your tennis. Forget about attaining tennis perfection because you're never going to get there. Instead, play as well as YOU can. Yes, you want to improve and attain your (reasonable) tennis goals. But forget about hitting the “perfect” shot and enjoy your own well-hit shot.
© Kim Selzman 2009
All Rights Reserved