Mental power aids jolly Goodall

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:21

Goodall, 23, is expected to be asked to spearhead his country’s bid for Davis Cup victory over Ukraine when captain John Lloyd names his four-man team for the Euro/Africa Zone Group One clash in Glasgow.

“Tennis hasn’t really been my problem. It’s been the mental side of my game,” Goodall explained. “It’s only just recently that I’ve started to work on that and I feel that’s the key to my game now and that’s probably why I’m playing a lot better.”

He added: “I think I was putting too much pressure on myself.

“At the moment, it’s going well and I’m happy and positive about where I’m going. I’m working with a guy at the LTA – a guy called Roberto – and he’s brilliant.”

Asked how he feels he will respond being the number one player in the team in Murray’s absence, Goodall said he was ready to be “thrown in at the deep end”.

He certainly thrived in the high-pressure environment Lloyd manufactured last week when the play-offs for a place on the team were held.

Goodall and Chris Eaton were the outstanding performers at Roehampton and both were among the five-man party that travelled to Scotland for the tie at the Braehead Arena.

Goodall – who qualified for both Wimbledon and the US Open back in 2006 – has also enjoyed a productive year, climbing from the high 300s in the rankings to a career-best 192.

One of Goodall, Eaton, Ross Hutchins, Colin Fleming and Jamie Ward will miss out when Lloyd finalises his team on Thursday morning.

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