But I eventually started hearing the H word, the P word and the D word. HACKER, PUSHER & DINKER.
I did not know what that meant, but I could sense that it was not complimentary. Instead of my opponents congratulating me on my victories, I was getting negative vibes from many of my defeated victims.
At first, I thought they were simply frustrated sore losers, unwilling to accept the agony of defeat. But then I started sensing hostility, contempt and subtle ridicule for the way in which I had achieved my victories.
I was confused and could not understand what I had done wrong. I had worked very hard for my much-deserved victories. I had fought as if my life depended on it.
I was also an honest tennis player, as I always gave my opponent the benefit of any doubt on close line calls.
I finally came to realize my fate:
I WAS A HACKER, PUSHER & DINKER!
I pondered my fate as I considered my future in tennis. Would all of my future victories be tainted because I was considered a Hacker, Pusher & Dinker?
It did not seem fair because I played the game of tennis by the same rules as everybody else. I had not chosen to be a Hacker as a means of annoying or aggravating other tennis players. I was apparently born one. It was simply a genetic fate of nature dating back eons.
I could not understand why my fellow tennis players made me feel guilty or shameful simply because I was a Hacker, Pusher & Dinker. I felt like an outcast and a second-class citizen. It’s a fact that Hackers, Pushers & Dinkers have to put up with lots of unjust verbal abuse in the tennis community, some subtle and some explicit. If I had a dollar for every time I was called a Hacker, Pusher & Dinker, I would be a rich Hacker, Pusher & Dinker and own my own Hackers, Pushers & Dinkers only tennis club in Tahiti or Cancun.
QUOTE #1
“IF YOU’RE GIVEN A LEMON, MAKE LEMONADE.”
I finally got tired of the verbal abuse and disrespectful way in which many of my victims were treating me.
I decided that if it was my fate and destiny to have been born a Hacker that I would become
THE HACKER, PUSHER & DINKER
FROM HELL!
I decided to do a Comprehensive Scientific Psychological Analysis of the most successful and feared Hackers, Pushers & Dinkers that could find. I wanted to learn and understand what it was about them that caused others to fear and not want to play them. I started with myself and the result was:
QUIT LOSING TO
HACKERS, PUSHERS & DINKERS!
I believe that it is time for Hackers, Pushers & Dinkers to come out of the closet and admit to their orientation. They should take pride in their unique style of play that causes such agony for the “Normal Players” of the tennis world.
Nobody wants to play a Hacker, Pusher or Dinker. Why? Because we take the game of tennis seriously and are always prepared to give 100% effort every time we step only the court. We are feared because we make our opponents pay a severe price for every point that they try to take from us.
There are no easy points when you play one of us. This is why Hackers, Pushers and Dinkers usually take home the trophies.
It used to bother me to be called a Hacker, Pusher & Dinker, but now I am proud of the face that my opponents call me:
THE HACKER, PUSHER & DINKER FROM HELL!
The bottom line of this book is that you do not have to look like a Professional Tennis Player to win. You can overcome any technical flaws in your game if you will simply utilize the most powerful computer in the universe:
YOUR MIND!
I hope you enjoy my book and that it makes you a Better Tennis Player, helps you quit losing to Hackers, Pushers & Dinkers!, or at least makes you laugh or smile! As college basketball commentator Dick Vitale says:
Win Baby Win!
See You At The Baseline,
Carlos Campos
The Hacker, Pusher & Dinker From Hell
CHAPTER 1
WHAT IS A HACKER, PUSHER OR DINKER?
QUOTE #2
“STICKS AND STONES WILL BREAK MY BONES, BUT BEING CALLED A HACKER, PUSHER OR DINKER WILL NEVER HURT ME.”
Hackers are generally tennis players who did not start playing the game of tennis until they became adults, 18 years and older. I assume that they are called Hackers because they tend to “Hack” at the ball rather than stroke the ball. They generally did not play Junior or High School Tennis.
Most Hackers were inspired to play the game of tennis after watching the professionals play on TV. They marveled at the incredible grace and skill of professional players who made spectacular shots look so easy.
Brad Gilbert is the only professional tennis player who was considered to be a Hacker by his peers. He was the original Hacker, Pusher & Dinker From Hell and my role model.
I must note with amusement that in 1997 Andre Agassi had given up on his dream of becoming the #1 tennis player in the world. He had even dropped out of the top 100 ranked players in the world and was ranked #141. Many people thought his tennis career was over.
He started playing satellite tournaments trying to get his game back. It was even reported that he was close to quitting tennis altogether. He then made the smartest decision of his life by hiring Hacker Brad Gilbert to coach him. Andre Agassi could have chosen any tennis coach in the world to help him try to get his game back.
I find it interesting that Andre Agassi could have chosen any coach in the world, but he felt compelled to choose a Hacker to coach him. Hacker Brad Gilbert was able to quickly turn Andre Agassi’s game around, and the rest is history. It must be noted that Hacker Brad Gilbert did not change any of Andre Agassi’s shot techniques, as Andre Agassi already possessed the most powerful groundstrokes in the world.
Brad Gilbert only worked on Agassi’s mental game, and that was enough to take him to the top of the tennis world. Could it be that the mind is a powerful weapon? My final answer is an overwhelming YES!
I’d bet you your last nickel that Andre Agassi would admit that accepting Brad Gilbert’s Hacker philosophy and mental approach to the game was the main reason that he was able to become the #1 tennis player in the world in 1999. He had not been able to do it with only his powerful groundstrokes.
Hmmm, could it be that Hackers have a superior intellectual grasp of the game of tennis? My final answer is I KNOW SO!
Please note that Hacker Brad Gilbert has written a book on tennis called Winning Ugly. I assume that his title means “How to Win Like a Hacker, Pusher & Dinker!” I recommend his book.
It tells you how he was able to defeat players like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Boris Becker, players who obviously had a lot more talent than Brad Gilbert did.
My