Federer simply cannot win like this. He's reverting back to the usual pattern. The trips to the net have disappeared. We are gonna have to hope for a blister at this rate...
Oh well, I'm off to work...keep me posted everyone.
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Well it went okay for the first three or so games...quickly reverting back to the normal pattern now. Federer has played well thus far...Nadal not yet near his best. Federer really has to get this first set...I find it rather disturbing that the tactics are virtually the same as usual. Same old...same old. Missing so many drive return of serves on the backhand when he should simply get the ball in play ala his compatriot Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
His tactics are attack...attack...attack. It should be...attack...parry...thrust. Very little parrying. There isn't anything thoughtful about it. What a shame...to not take advantage of the conditions. Much as tennis_chiro suggests...it is too much to ask for these players to change. Two players throwing rocks at each other. Stupid.
Last edited by stotty; 01-24-2014, 01:44 AM.Leave a comment:
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Federer is playing Nadal's game...same old, same old.
I find it rather disturbing that the tactics are virtually the same as usual. Same old...same old. Missing so many drive return of serves on the backhand when he should simply get the ball in play ala his compatriot Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer just driving his backhand repeatedly into the strength of Nadal...right into the wheelhouse of the forehand. Sickeningly stupid.
His tactics are attack...attack...attack. It should be...attack...parry...thrust. Very little parrying. There isn't anything thoughtful about it. What a shame...to not take advantage of the conditions. Much as tennis_chiro suggests...it is too much to ask for these players to change. Two players throwing rocks at each other. Stupid.
Last edited by don_budge; 01-24-2014, 01:40 AM.Leave a comment:
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Here's the deal...
Ok...first impressions. Federer clearly has his royal prima donna rattled. But in Rafael's first service game Federer made four rather unforced errors trying to drive his backhand.
He has a pretty good serving tactic going.
But he should endeavor with the following in mind...
the quicker court makes it a bit more difficult to run around the backhand
when he has nadal over to that side and nadal returns to federer's backhand he doesn't have to win with a drive...he should slice low and angled back to the forehand to get work out of his opponent. then he has opened up the backhand side. this should be his tactical paradigm along with mixing up the drive for length.
i am surprised that edberg has not worked this out with him. i hope that he has. it's simple. he must slice down the line at least as many times as he drives crosscourt. at least. he should hit low and angled at the forehand as many times as he drives. at least.
nadal cannot beat federer with his backhand.
the conditions favor federer accessing the nadal backhand.
quicker courts make it more difficult to run around the backhand and to recover for the next shot.
exploit the opponents weaker side by any means necessary as the ends will justify the means...tilden and machiavelli.
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It isn't hard to compare...it is impossible
A couple of mouthfuls from Pete Sampras. But he neatly tap dances around the issue that it impossible to compare the players of the past with those of the present.
I always loved the picture and videos of Pete playing with the Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff...the same racquet that John McEnroe used to defeat the great Swede Björn Borg. Pete came along after the game had transitioned into "Modern Mode" but he had one step in the Classic game as a child.
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2014 Australian Open Championships...For Whom the Bell Tolls
Well...in fact it tolls for all of us. The bell tolls for thee. Each and every one. The difference with these three guys is that every single move they make will be scrutinized and analyzed. They in turn are doing their own bit of introspection. I just really admire the guys here on the forum that are contributing and responding to the discussion here. I saw the moose and her two calves again yesterday morning which to tell you the truth gives me a sense of real joy and happiness. This is just sport...it’s only a game. In fact...it isn't even that any longer. It's entertainment. Big Time Wrestling. But that being said...I must admit. I am truly a devoted and committed student of the game. I have had a lot of homework this past two weeks.
The change in the surface of the court...however subtle has had a very significant impact on the play and the results this year. Thirty years after the Orwellien year of 1984 where the game of tennis took the final turn into the modern age we are once again left to the limits of our ability to discern. Because the rate of change is becoming quicker and quicker and the emphasis becomes more and more on the moment and the speculative future discernment is being engineered out of the human equation. He who controls the past controls the present. What is power? Answer...control.
Yeah...I was listening to the same EuroSport tennis_chiro and this comment jumped out at me too. In fact...I tried to write it down because I wanted to use it in a post to support my findings on this tournament. What I was able to scribble down is much as you wrote...”if Federer is playing this style of play it is going to CHALLENGE others to get to the net. How healthy is that?” I agree in a sense that it will be healthy...but the issue is really how did it get to be the way that it is in the first place. Now we must examine the game and ourselves and ask the tough questions. Sadly...this will not happen. There will be some random experimenting and some tribunal will map the ways forwards and the rest of the herd will follow. What the game needs are some specifications with regards to the environment and conditions under which the “World of Tennis” has some real stringent guidelines regarding equipment and conditions. Those conditions should of course include net play and it is ironic that everyone acts like this is the second coming because Roger Federer has a new racquet and because of the balls and the court he is able to navigate his way to the net.
Of course others will challenge him. They won’t sit idly still and let Federer whack them into next week without a fight. But without the skills that needed to be developed in their formative years they are going to be hard pressed as we have watched the greatest tennis players in this day struggle to come to grips with this conundrum. I have watched player after player demonstrating how badly the game of tennis is being played these days when they all look like rank amateurs making simple volleys and struggle with the concept of the basic approach shot.
I cannot agree more with what you have outlined in detail about the problems with the way forwards and please consider just one more point...who is going to teach these nonexistent skills now? Well...I guess that it will just mean more money and exploitation as every tennis coach and teacher rushes to youtube to emphasize the fact that they are reinventing the volley, the approach, the net rushing serve. The wheel is being reinvented this month somewhere deep in the jungles of Africa or South America where it has never been heard of and modern day tennis people will be rushing to find a way to capitalize on the game of tennis by “reinventing” it as well. Already there are those here who are claiming some kind of responsibility or contribution to the change in process. Enough moralizing. It makes me sick. Where is worldsbestcoach when you need him?
Sadly...the most amazing thing that he did is hand the match to Wawrinka. The double faults at such key points of the match were his virtual undoing. The statistics of the match are truly unbelievable...much as the link that you posted in “Interesting Links”. The strange and mystical game of tennis often hangs in the balance by a thread that is unraveling precariously. That match could not have been any closer statistically but somebody had to win.
I think that perhaps the single most important trait that you can have as a human being is loyalty. I admire that way that you stick with Tomas Berdych. The reason that I admire this trait in you is because I know that you have this with your friends and students. Give my best to the other “Three Amigos” Kyle. They are truly unbelievable fellows and the state of Michigan is well represented by you men.
This is part of it. Dealing with misery and pain. In the end they won’t remember the blister...it won’t show up on the draw sheet. But it does give his royal highness an excuse. One that he will try and spin to make himself look good. Plus he can exploit it just in case he loses. He is a simple guy...a real simpleton who just happens to play tennis really well. Listening to him sickens me. The eyebrow is particularly unnerving. All of those ticks and involuntary quirks...he seems to have some version of Tourette's syndrome. In the end...he is only a man. A man that gets blisters. I don’t care about his fucking blister and I don’t like him one little bit. I hope that Federer pins his ears back and sends him back to wherever he came from.
He personifies everything that is wrong with modern day sports. Plus he has way too much money. Wait a minute...that is what is wrong with modern day sports. Take that blister and stick it where the sun don't shine.
I couldn’t resist...now that Roger’s sword is equal to the competitions and the playing surface even favors him he has only to come up with the correct tactical game plan that gives his relative strengths and weaknesses in his game the advantage over his opponents relative strengths and weaknesses. I am convinced that he has this within him now that the petrie dish has been somewhat altered. He only needs to take a page out of the John McEnroe book of “Tennis Tactics” and voila...it’s an all Swiss Australian Open Final. This includes slicing the backhand "Rosewalian Style".But he should have hired John McEnroe for this confrontation only. More than anyone in the world McEnroe could have managed a tactical game plan against Rafael Nadal on an apparently slightly faster than “normal” tennis court surface. John McEnroe solved the riddle of Björn Borg in the waning days of Classic Tennis and this matchup is only the same thing...but it is being played in the mirror. Instead of a left-handed artist of a player with all of the shots from A to Z against the classic mechanical right-handed player with the strong gripped forehand and two-handed backhand...we have the reverse.
I have watched numerous approaches to the net with underspin by players who are at this point experimenting within the “new paradigm” and guess what? It works...what a surprise. After rallying and jockeying for position using strictly topspin for a player to all of a sudden get the idea to come in on a short ball behind a low and skidding approach puts the baseline player at a real disadvantage very quickly. The element of change of spin and speed and placement. It’s elementary my dear Watson. It's strictly Tilden. So said sherlock_holmes...aka don_budge.
My Man...Last edited by don_budge; 01-24-2014, 12:59 AM.Leave a comment:
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Pete Sampras in Melbourne
Pete Sampras arrived at the Aussie Open today. Did some press in the media room and here are a few interesting quotes from Pistol Pete.
-"When you look at each decade of the game there is 'The Guy'. Is there greatest of all time? I don't know."
-"Let's just appreciate what we're watching. We all had our eras. It's hard to compare."
-"I miss the moment. I miss excitement of the last weekend. I don't miss the stress. I don't think I walked away at the wrong time."
-"it's nice to see Roger playing well. He's got his confidence back. It's nice."
-"I've been asked (to coach) by a couple of guys but to go on the road, start travelling again, that's not for me."
-"Everyone plays the same way, there's just 4 or 5 players that do it best... Stand back & throw rocks."
*** -"Serve and volley tennis would be just fine today, you just need to know how to do it."
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca RatonLeave a comment:
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Playing Nadal will be the test of all tests! Does Roger have plenty of magic left? If he has only a little magic, it won't be enough. Roger's new racquet will face the ultimate test against the heavy and high Rafa forehands to Fed's backhand.
How often will Federer come in? How often will Nadal pass him? How quickly will Federer become disheartened by being passed and decide to stay back thus opening the door for Nadal to run him around?
I'm rooting for Federer big time. If in fact there is a God, he will allow Federer to win. Although if there was a God, he probably would have let Berdych win as well.
How amazing would it be for Switzerland if two players made the finals of the Aussie Open? Incredible stuff if you think about it. Before Wawrinka and Federer there was...Marc Rosset...
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca RatonLeave a comment:
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Federer's not shanking as much...
I think the new racket is helping Federer a lot. In answer to tennis_chiro's point, "is Federer hitting higher backhands better than with his old racket". Yes, I think he is. His backhand has been excellent thus far. He has shanked very few high backhands like he used to and he's coming over high backhands much better. This could be critical if he is to have any chance against Nadal.
I think his forehand is also working better, though not as good as it was when he was young. His forehand started faltering quite a long time ago and has never been quite the same since. His backhand has steadily improved throughout his career.
But the greater plus for me has been his shot making on wider balls. He's been making better shots off wide balls on both wings both when defending and attacking. His defensive work has been exemplary with the new racket...just managing to pick back wide slice backhands against Murray won him many points.
The true test comes tomorrow against Nadal. Murray is not back to his "A" game so that test turned out to be less than we hoped. Murray played poorly yet still dug out a set, and Federer really tightened up for a spell. His first two sets against Murray were excellent but Nadal can easily keep up with that provided he's not impaired with his blistered hand. My hope is that Federer will use his wide serve effectively to the deuce court, and serve and volley if he does...or get a mid-court reply to pick off with his forehand. If he can play cat and mouse with Nadal when serving to the deuce court, he could score many points. He needs to get Nadal reaching on that backhand wing...and steal in.
The good news about this year's Australian Open is that it has shown many players there are so many easy points to be won by getting to the net. This healthy disease may well turn out to be catching...
The other good thing this tournament has shown is that you can still improve at the age of 28...or even 32...just keep trying whatever age you are. You aren't the finished article at 25...work hard...there may be more in the tank.
I missed the Wawrinka v Berdych match...so thanks to tennis_chiro for the stats breakdown. From the stats it sounds like it must have been real close. I think Wawrinka deserves to be there. I expected him to win. I just hope he won't be a let down in the final. I actually think he would more chance against Nadal than he would against Federer. I don't think he could ever beat Federer.Last edited by stotty; 01-23-2014, 03:44 PM.Leave a comment:
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Great post Don. Very good numbers. Thanks for not being too harsh on Tberd.This will go up on 10sballs in a few hours:
Going late into the third set, I thought Wawrinka was making a mistake in not engaging in more rallies involving movement like he and Djokovic demonstrated in the quarters. I felt that while Berdych is definitely an exquisite striker of the ball, he did not move as well as Wawrinka and if Stan kept the premium on movement, he could swing the scales slightly in his favor in baseline exchanges. Perhaps part of the thinking was that he was at a slight disadvantage if endurance became a significant issue in the match because of the strenuous nature of his quarterfinal match with Djokovic. But Berdych was getting more and more comfortable and winning his service game more and more routinely.
Given all that, it really seemed in the second set tie-breaker that the real culprit for Stan would be mental fatigue. He would not be physically exhausted at this point, but he could simply be mentally exhausted and unable to get up for the big moments when they presented themselves as they invariably do in matches like this. Then, at 4-4 in the third, Wawrinka went down 0-30, but came up with a couple of big shots and great serves to hold and seemed to give his adrenal glands the necessary "squeeze" to fire him through to the end of the set and into the tie-breaker.
Commentator Wilander noted that Berdych had seemingly stayed away from Wawrinka's backhand the first set and a half and Stan was hurting Tomas with his forehand; but then it seemed as if Berdych was actually a tactical genius as he started to go after Wawrinka's backhand in the late stages of the 2nd and 3rd sets at key times. Berdych seemed to be swinging control of the match in his favor.
However, a five set match is a very different animal. The amazing experience Wawrinka has gained in the three marathon 5-set matches he has played in the last year against Djokovic may have been severely undervalued. Stan appeared to be somewhat mentally frayed in the latter stages of the third set, especially at 0-30 in that 4-4 game. But once he got that surge of adrenalin and held in that ninth game, his whole demeanor changed. When the time came to provide some of his best stuff, he appeared to be ready and able to perform as necessary. It turned out Stan's approach to surviving the long test of a three-out-of-five-set match against an elite opponent on the big stage was just right.
Wawrinka got the early mini-break in the third set tie-breaker, but Berdych played a brilliant point to get it back to 2-3. I could swear I saw the surge of adrenalin through Berdych's body at this point just before he stepped up to serve; he almost visibly shook just before double-faulting to go down 2-4. Stan was firing on all cylinders at this point and took the tie-breaker when Tomas double-faulted again at 3-6.
Wawrinka kept the pressure on in the first game of the second set as he made Berdych serve for 12 minutes, but the big Czech survived two break points, the only ones of the third set for either player. Stan proved to have the necessary reserves to come back from 0-30 in the 4-4 and 5-5 games with big serving just when he needed it. After those two close calls, he got off to a crisp start in the tie-breaker. His backhand passing shot forced an error volley from Berdych on the first point and then on the second point he continued to press the issue approaching the net after a second serve and forcing a backhand error from Tomas. Berdych missed a backhand return at 2-0 and suddenly the higher seed was in a big hole. Berdych made a fine forehand to force an error, but he gave up another key double fault at 1-3 to go down two mini-breaks. Wawrinka played just a little bit tentatively, understandably as he was just 3 points from his first Grand Slam final, and Berdych played a good point to draw a forced backhand error from the Swiss. Wawrinka answered with an ace to make it 2-5. Two points away! Berdych again failed to make his first serve, but played a good forehand to draw a forced backhand error from Wawrinka. Then at 3-5 with his back against the wall, Berdych missed another forehand. Now, serving at 6-3, Wawrinka blinked and served a double. But he immediately righted his ship and made the final with a service winner down the T to Berdych's backhand.
It should be duly noted that there is no extraneous expenditure of energy from either of these players; they simply could not afford it. They are all business; they play at a crisp pace with little ball bouncing and they certainly don't waste any energy with grunting or shrieking. The whole match was played with a great attitude - a great display of sportsmanship.
It's amazing how close the match was statistically. Points: 142 to 143. Winners: 60 for Berdych, 57 for Wawrinka; the difference was the in the 21 to 18 ace edge for Berdych. Both had 49 ue's. Tomas made 87 first serves compared to Stan's 88. Stan won 72 compared to Tomas's 71; Stan won two more 2nd serve points: 32 to 30. Stan did have the only converted break point in 4 chances; Tomas had just the one chance in the second set. Berdych led receiving points 41 to 39. There was, however, one key difference: 3 more double faults for Berdych including the 3 key ones in the last two tie-breakers.
Wawrinka has been much overlooked. Hardly anyone has named him as a possible contender for the top 4 or 5 places in the rankings. But with tonight's win he has assured himself a move ahead of Murray and Berdych to at least the number 6 berth in the rankings. Unless Federer beats Nadal and then beats his fellow Swiss in the final, Stan has assured himself at least the number 5 ranking, not to mention the number two spot in the Race to London. And if he should manage one more victory, and remember that he gets an extra day of rest to prepare for Nadal or Federer, he not only leads the Race to London, but he takes up the number three position in the rankings. Of course, there would be the minor detail that he would become just the 6th man to win a grand slam title in the last 10 years.
Berdych's fine run in this tournament should not be overlooked either. He played a very high quality match with 60 winners to 49 unforced errors. The statistical difference here was paper thin. It will be hard for Tomas not to take this loss hard. Especially after the double faults. I've always felt his first serve percentage was too low and his double faults were too high. He is striking the ball absolutely beautifully. And in my last post, I mentioned that I didn't think any of the big guys could implement the aggressive style Federer has been using to take down his opponents the last 10 days. But Berdych's technique on his volleys is so good and his approaches are so big, I think he could definitely play a lot more in the front court. I'd sure like to see it. He can improve his first serve percentage and eliminate some of those double faults. That is completely in his hands. Getting his confidence back after this loss may be a little tougher, but physically, he is such an imposing player, he is definitely capable of joining the top group. But he must fix that second serve and close just a little more.
In light of the way Wawrinka has competed on the biggest stages with three five-set matches against Djokovic in the last year and the increased maturity and consistency he has exhibited since joining forces with Magnus Norman last year, Stan could truly be the man in 2014. He's still just 28 years old and has very few points to defend besides a final at Madrid and quarters at Roland Garos. At the very least, there is a significant changing of the guard. If Roger can continue to show the good form he's had the last month, we will be talking about the top six players. (It would be the top 7 with Berdych. I think Ferrer is going to have a very hard time maintaining his current ranking in the next few months.) That would be very good for the game…and a lot more fun to watch. I think Djokovic and Nadal will continue to keep themselves separated from the rest, but the breach between them and the rest will begin to shrink just a little bit.
OMG One more night tomorrow without sleep to see Federer play Nadal. It's going to be a long day today.
10sChiro
to see other articles by 10sChiro, go to
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For more information about about lessons with TennisChiro or his videotaping and analysis service, just dial **tennispro on your cell phone. He also has a Fitness and Injury Clinic at The Sun Valley Golf Center in North Hollywood
Berdych the leader in a few categories. 3 of the 4 sets going to a tie-break. Anyone's match. Double faults were brutal for my boy. Typical Czech serving. Big first serves with a hard slice as a second, very little kick. At 6'5", you gotta be able to have a big kick serve. Guess not. What do I know? I picked Tomas to go all the way. As usual. Credit to Wawrinka. In the end, it's probably better that Stan won. We get to see that gorgeous one-hander for one more match.
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca RatonLeave a comment:
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It's the adrenalin, stupid!
This will go up on 10sballs in a few hours:
Going late into the third set, I thought Wawrinka was making a mistake in not engaging in more rallies involving movement like he and Djokovic demonstrated in the quarters. I felt that while Berdych is definitely an exquisite striker of the ball, he did not move as well as Wawrinka and if Stan kept the premium on movement, he could swing the scales slightly in his favor in baseline exchanges. Perhaps part of the thinking was that he was at a slight disadvantage if endurance became a significant issue in the match because of the strenuous nature of his quarterfinal match with Djokovic. But Berdych was getting more and more comfortable and winning his service game more and more routinely.
Given all that, it really seemed in the second set tie-breaker that the real culprit for Stan would be mental fatigue. He would not be physically exhausted at this point, but he could simply be mentally exhausted and unable to get up for the big moments when they presented themselves as they invariably do in matches like this. Then, at 4-4 in the third, Wawrinka went down 0-30, but came up with a couple of big shots and great serves to hold and seemed to give his adrenal glands the necessary "squeeze" to fire him through to the end of the set and into the tie-breaker.
Commentator Wilander noted that Berdych had seemingly stayed away from Wawrinka's backhand the first set and a half and Stan was hurting Tomas with his forehand; but then it seemed as if Berdych was actually a tactical genius as he started to go after Wawrinka's backhand in the late stages of the 2nd and 3rd sets at key times. Berdych seemed to be swinging control of the match in his favor.
However, a five set match is a very different animal. The amazing experience Wawrinka has gained in the three marathon 5-set matches he has played in the last year against Djokovic may have been severely undervalued. Stan appeared to be somewhat mentally frayed in the latter stages of the third set, especially at 0-30 in that 4-4 game. But once he got that surge of adrenalin and held in that ninth game, his whole demeanor changed. When the time came to provide some of his best stuff, he appeared to be ready and able to perform as necessary. It turned out Stan's approach to surviving the long test of a three-out-of-five-set match against an elite opponent on the big stage was just right.
Wawrinka got the early mini-break in the third set tie-breaker, but Berdych played a brilliant point to get it back to 2-3. I could swear I saw the surge of adrenalin through Berdych's body at this point just before he stepped up to serve; he almost visibly shook just before double-faulting to go down 2-4. Stan was firing on all cylinders at this point and took the tie-breaker when Tomas double-faulted again at 3-6.
Wawrinka kept the pressure on in the first game of the fourth set as he made Berdych serve for 12 minutes, but the big Czech survived two break points, the only ones of the fourth set for either player. Stan proved to have the necessary reserves to come back from 0-30 in the 4-4 and 5-5 games with big serving just when he needed it. After those two close calls, he got off to a crisp start in the tie-breaker. His backhand passing shot forced an error volley from Berdych on the first point and then on the second point he continued to press the issue approaching the net after a second serve and forcing a backhand error from Tomas. Berdych missed a backhand return at 2-0 and suddenly the higher seed was in a big hole. Berdych made a fine forehand to force an error, but he gave up another key double fault at 1-3 to go down two mini-breaks. Wawrinka played just a little bit tentatively, understandably as he was just 3 points from his first Grand Slam final, and Berdych played a good point to draw a forced backhand error from the Swiss. Wawrinka answered with an ace to make it 2-5. Two points away! Berdych again failed to make his first serve, but played a good forehand to draw a forced backhand error from Wawrinka. Then at 3-5 with his back against the wall, Berdych missed another forehand. Now, serving at 6-3, Wawrinka blinked and served a double. But he immediately righted his ship and made the final with a service winner down the T to Berdych's backhand.
It should be duly noted that there is no extraneous expenditure of energy from either of these players; they simply could not afford it. They are all business; they play at a crisp pace with little ball bouncing and they certainly don't waste any energy with grunting or shrieking. The whole match was played with a great attitude - a great display of sportsmanship.
It's amazing how close the match was statistically. Points: 142 to 143. Winners: 60 for Berdych, 57 for Wawrinka; the difference was the in the 21 to 18 ace edge for Berdych. Both had 49 ue's. Tomas made 87 first serves compared to Stan's 88. Stan won 72 compared to Tomas's 71; Stan won two more 2nd serve points: 32 to 30. Stan did have the only converted break point in 4 chances; Tomas had just the one chance in the second set. Berdych led receiving points 41 to 39. There was, however, one key difference: 3 more double faults for Berdych including the 3 key ones in the last two tie-breakers.
Wawrinka has been much overlooked. Hardly anyone has named him as a possible contender for the top 4 or 5 places in the rankings. But with tonight's win he has assured himself a move ahead of Murray and Berdych to at least the number 6 berth in the rankings. Unless Federer beats Nadal and then beats his fellow Swiss in the final, Stan has assured himself at least the number 5 ranking, not to mention the number two spot in the Race to London. And if he should manage one more victory, and remember that he gets an extra day of rest to prepare for Nadal or Federer, he not only leads the Race to London, but he takes up the number three position in the rankings. Of course, there would be the minor detail that he would become just the 6th man to win a grand slam title in the last 10 years.
Berdych's fine run in this tournament should not be overlooked either. He played a very high quality match with 60 winners to 49 unforced errors. The statistical difference here was paper thin. It will be hard for Tomas not to take this loss hard. Especially after the double faults. I've always felt his first serve percentage was too low and his double faults were too high. He is striking the ball absolutely beautifully. And in my last post, I mentioned that I didn't think any of the big guys could implement the aggressive style Federer has been using to take down his opponents the last 10 days. But Berdych's technique on his volleys is so good and his approaches are so big, I think he could definitely play a lot more in the front court. I'd sure like to see it. He can improve his first serve percentage and eliminate some of those double faults. That is completely in his hands. Getting his confidence back after this loss may be a little tougher, but physically, he is such an imposing player, he is definitely capable of joining the top group. But he must fix that second serve and close just a little more.
In light of the way Wawrinka has competed on the biggest stages with three five-set matches against Djokovic in the last year and the increased maturity and consistency he has exhibited since joining forces with Magnus Norman last year, Stan could truly be the man in 2014. He's still just 28 years old and has very few points to defend besides a final at Madrid and quarters at Roland Garos. At the very least, there is a significant changing of the guard. If Roger can continue to show the good form he's had the last month, we will be talking about the top six players. (It would be the top 7 with Berdych. I think Ferrer is going to have a very hard time maintaining his current ranking in the next few months.) That would be very good for the game…and a lot more fun to watch. I think Djokovic and Nadal will continue to keep themselves separated from the rest, but the breach between them and the rest will begin to shrink just a little bit.
OMG One more night tomorrow without sleep to see Federer play Nadal. It's going to be a long day today.
10sChiro
to see other articles by 10sChiro, go to
or
For more information about about lessons with TennisChiro or his videotaping and analysis service, just dial **tennispro on your cell phone. He also has a Fitness and Injury Clinic at The Sun Valley Golf Center in North HollywoodLast edited by tennis_chiro; 01-23-2014, 11:36 AM. Reason: made a mistake on set number in one referenceLeave a comment:
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The Dog and Pony Show...and the 2014 Australian Open (cont.)
Wow!!! What a tournament. What a wonderful thread. What a great post by the other don....tennis_chiro. That post alone is the basis of another chapter that will be the epic of this 2014 Australian Open. It’s not over yet and the best is yet to come. Something is different about this great championship over recent championships. It all begins with Nadal whining about the surface to his “friend” the tournament director. Let’s see how it ends. If there is any justice in the world it will end with Nadal leaving the court with his tail tucked between his shorts...come think of it he must have a tail. He is always digging around "down under" there. Oh well...he has his ideas. Like everyone else. Which is another reason I like that quote from “Barfly”.
By the way...that was the other don...Stotty. And it was very insightful. We expect no less. It would be unsportsmanlike for me to leave this uncorrected and take credit for his observation.
More to come. Possibly an all-Swiss final...how healthy would that be? I need a short rest.
Last edited by don_budge; 01-23-2014, 01:53 AM.Leave a comment:
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