Tavernola… oh, Tavernola.
There’s something about that place that doesn’t sit well with my tennis.
Maybe it's the highway, maybe the shadows on the court, or maybe it’s just la maldición de Tavernola 😅.
Whatever it is, my performances there haven’t exactly been memorable… unless you count defeats as memories, in which case, unforgettable!
But hey, losing is learning, right? So I guess I’ve been getting quite the education there.
This time, though, the lesson wasn’t a new one. It was more like a loud reminder, the kind that knocks on your door and says, “Still ignoring me, eh?”
Not being prepared is just another way of preparing to fail.
And that’s exactly what happened.
I stepped onto the court not truly ready. I remembered a version of my game: Big shots, quick points, take control.
The problem? I hadn’t trained enough to execute that game.
So, as you’d expect: more mistakes, bad timing, rushed shots.
First set? Lost.
Then I adapted. I slowed down.
Started playing the game I could play that day, not the one I wished I could.
Boom. Easy win in the second.
And then came the tie-break.
Guess who came back?
The ghost of the aggressive version of me.
The one I thought I could be. I tried to go full throttle again.
Outcome? Lost.
And it stung not because I lost, but because I forgot the most basic rule of this journey:
You need to know yourself if you want to play your best tennis.
This wasn’t about strategy or technique. It was about honesty.
The guy in front of me was playing slow, so I assumed I could be aggressive.
But assumptions aren’t awareness.
And if I haven’t been training hard, I can’t expect to perform hard.
It’s that simple.
So, let’s call it what it is:
- Training is non-negotiable.
- Self-awareness is everything when you're not at your best.
-
3.2 is consolidated but 3.1? That’s a whole new mountain.
No more easy wins from here.
This road is starting to steepen.
But that’s why we’re on it.
Not for shortcuts, but for the climb.
So… Let’s prepare.
Let’s show up with the truth of where we are, not the illusion of where we wish we were.
Vamos, siempre.
— Il Tennista
