"The inner game of tennis is the game played within the player's mind, who tries to overcome obstacles such as lapses in attention, nervousness, uncertainty, and self-condemnation. In short, the inner game is played to overcome the habits of the mind that hinder optimal performance.

The inner game player values the art of relaxed concentration above all else, discovers the true basis of self-confidence, and learns that the secret to winning does not lie in excessive effort. This player aims for performance that comes automatically once the mind calms down and becomes one with the body, which in turn finds its own, amazing ways to surpass its own limits.

This method uses the intuitive abilities of the mind [...] and therefore does not even need to be learned - we already know it. What we need is to unlearn the habits that interfere and affect us, and then, simply, let happen what we aim for."