If you play a match, then you got to give it all to beat the opponent; there is nothing like playing against a great or a non-great player. I treat them all as opponents and aim to beat them.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
When you play against top players, sometimes you can play - you can play your utmost and you still get beat.
When you have beaten guys a few times, you don't want them to think they know how you are going to play them. You have to try and find different ways of beating them. You have to do things they don't expect sometimes, put something unpredictable into your game.
A lot of amateurs are terrified of going up against a player who is clearly better than they are. They never play their best, because they aren't comfortable. There's one surefire way to get over that, and it's to ask yourself, 'What if I beat him?' Imagine the possibility.
You have to respect your opponent.
The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less.
Even the greatest player of all times loses sets or is down in a match. It just shows that, you know, a win is never guaranteed. It shows all of us that we have to work for every point, fight for every point no matter what.
If I play a more aggressive, stronger guy, I often go through my day feeling a bit better than when I play somebody who's not.
Irrespective of who's up against me at tournaments, I have always relied completely on my own strengths to get as far as I can, and tried to adapt my game according to the match-situation.
I always say that when I'm playing well, no one can beat me. I'm not just saying that to sound full of myself or anything, but it's true.
If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic.
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