Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master

This is a tennis strategy book. And a good one at that. But I believe the people who will benefit from it the
most are 4.0 players or above. The reason why I state this
is that this book does not go into stroke technique or fundamentals.
This book is for players who already have proven and dependable
strokes and are now in a position to start thinking about how to
use these strokes to win matches against good, competitive players.
But if you are 3.5 or below don't bother with this book. Get
books on improving your stroke technique and worry more about mastering the fundamentals of the game as opposed to formulating tennis strategies for different opponents. I mean in the book Brad states that he is amzazed at how club players who are 3.0-3.5 do not have the ability to "adapt" their game plan during matches. Well I think this is only part of the problem that 3.0-3.5 players have. The bulk of their problem is that their strokes are just NOT THAT GOOD!!!
I wish Brad would come out with a book which illustrates his ideas about mastering stroke techniques and fundamentals. Oh well I guess to get that you have to pay him $$$/hour for private lessons !!

This book is essential to understanding the mental and strategic game of tennis. I've recommended this book to both male and female friends,we've all used the strategies Brad easily explains, and have gone on to be "Winning Ugly" champions!

Great book! I was and am 3.5 ... technically. However, once playing competitive games (leagues and tournaments) I was 3.0. I was loosing to all 3.5 player and half of 3.0. I looked as a lion on warm up and played as a chicken during matches. The book give me back my 0.5. It took me about 3 month to embed the wisdom of the book into my play but improvement (in score) was amazing. Its price is about 15 minutes with a pro. Is there a pro who could give you a push of 0.5 in you rating just for about $10?

Do I regret not watching Brad Gilbert's ugly & boring matches ? You bet!!! Now, 'Winning Ugly' has become a reference for all my tennis partners here in Paris. A mere look at the book cover is enough to understand the contents. Brad's wit and pure common sense match Harvard Business books on decision analysis and game theory such as 'Thinking Strategically' by Dixit and Nalebuff, or 'the US marine book of strategy' applied to tennis. A page turner.

Within a couple weeks of reading this book, I have completely transformed my game. Formerly I was a player who lived and died slugging out forehands and two handed backhands from the baseline. Somedays I had it, some days I got killed, particularly by serve and volley players. Utilizing the principles and suggestions in this book, my singles and doubles game has improved drastically... virtually overnight. Brad does an outstanding job and it is an easy read. There is a certain satisfaction beating someone who has better strokes, is faster and serves better than you. If you want that kind of reward. buy this book.