Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

When Two Players on Different Continents Share the Same Sunday Nightmare By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method Last Sunday started like most Sundays. Coffee. Emails. A quick scan of world news. Then, early morning Bangkok time, a message popped up from a player in Eastern Europe. He'd just walked off court after another three-set loss—this time in a tiebreak. His message had that familiar tone of frustration I've heard so many times: "Paul, I played well. The whole match was good. Then the third-set tiebreak... I just didn't play the way I needed to. Another match I should have won. This keeps happening." I could feel the frustration through the phone. Another wasted opportunity. Another match that could have been a win if he'd just been mentally better in that crucial moment. I started typing a response when a call came through from Nepal, where an ITF Junior event is currently taking place. Different player. Different continent—this time Asia. But the timing ...