This book is a (heavily) revised version of the Ph.D. thesis that I completed at the University of St Andrews, so it seems apt to say some things about my experience as a Ph.D. student. It is often said, after all, that the time as a Ph.D. student is a lonely, isolated, tedious and even depressing one. My experience was very different: I had a blast. In St Andrews, tennis became once again an important part of my life. I wish to thank Mr. Mike Aitken for being such a terrific coach on and off the court (and Oasis tunes in the car!), Crikey Sam for the most enjoyable doubles matches of my ‘career’ (‘champagne tennis’) and Dr. B (B stands for backhand, boss and beast) for competitive training sessions, well-deserved post-match drinks (he still owes me a couple of pints though—a bagel, after all, counts as two) and, of course, invaluable advice on both academic and non-academic issues.