Off-Cut Fourteen

Serving the performance - On the 15th July 2000 Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde won the doubles competition for Australia in the Davis Cup thereby defeating Brazil and giving Australia a place in the finals against Spain.

John Alexander who has previously played Davis Cup Tennis for Australia was providing the courtside commentary. At one point in the match when Mark Woodforde was having difficulty getting his first serves into court other commentators were speculating whether it was tiredness (it was a three and a half hour match) or pressure that was causing this decline. John Alexander responded from courtside that it was quite plainly a little bit of tension creeping into his serving action.

Coaches in most sports now recognize what actors and singers have known for a long time - that any tenseness in the performer inhibits them from attaining the desired performance peaks.

July 2000