2017 BNP Paribas Open...ATP 1000...Indian Wells, California USA (Trump Land)

[stotty]

Federer defeats Nadal...

Federer played well, no question. But I tend to agree with McEnroe that Nadal is 80% of his former self. He had a few decent spells when the rallies were neutral or on his terms but he seldom made the most of it. His length was generally poor and his forehand, other than a handful, didn't penetrate. Overall it was a lousy performance from Nadal overshadowed only by Roger's brilliance in punishing him for it.

Where the situation has, ironically, become reversed from their younger days, is that Nadal is now under enormous pressure to do lot with his forehand once they come around. Ten years ago it was the other way around. Roger's forehand was always under huge pressure because he had to make them count when they came around, since he could never hurt Nadal with his backhand. Now we have a reverse scenario. Nadal certainly won't like that.

One thing I have learned about Nadal is he is a fast learner. Once he realises the situation has changed and is here to stay, he will adapt and up the stakes. He's no fool. He's one of the very best match players the game has ever had. The problem is he is going need his former game and timing back to do it, and I'm not sure his best days aren't behind him.

Full marks to Roger for one thing: There is zero doubt in my mind that Roger grossly overstated his injury to take time out and retool his game. I am supremely confident this is the case. Do it secretly if you are going to do it...don't give the game away. It worked. Roger is certainly a better player now than he has ever been in terms of repertoire.

I think we are in for a great year of tennis.

[bottle]

I permit myself to conjecture so think that this new flatter backhand has immediate application to me, yes to my own tennis game. (Is that arrogant or pretentious of me or do I just want to learn?)

I see that inside out level swing as driven pre-contact by the right scapula and rising freely from the shoulder from contact upward. Is arm barred behind one? I don't think so. I think it straightens slightly to contact.

And see the added possibility of a slice backhand hit exactly the same way only with a different grip. Such a shot should be part of a constellation if not galaxy of other slice shots.

The notion of slice in which the racket does not descend is expressed in the tennis book that Ivan Lendl wrote with Eugene Scott. Lendl reveals that before he spent three years in developing his spectacular topspin backhand he won major junior championships using only backhand slice in which the racket never went down other than during the stroke's preparation.

Is it possible to hit slice with a level stroke? Sure. With an upward stroke? Sure again. Think of slice lobs.

[stroke]

It was the best one handed backhand dlsplay that that I have ever seen, better that Stan, better than Gasquet. At one point late in the match, shot spot stats actually showed he was hitting the ball slightly faster on the bh than his fh. His grip, which appears to me to be a slighty weaker(less eastern) grip than guys like Stan, Gasquet, and Thiem, I think is better suited to taking the ball on the short hop/rise, of course, easier said than done. Just ask Dimitrov, who seems to have the identical grip structure. Fed is the gold standard for tennis technique obviously. Fed hit away all his bh's(with the exception of a couple of drop shots), no slice backhands, and that coming from a guy who has a gold standard slice backhand. It was simply a mesmerizing display that no one else could ever do.

[klacr]

The Backhand, The Backhand, The Backhand! Can't wait to see Federer's up close in Miami next week. Credit to Federer for "going for it" and coach Ljubicic for making him trust it.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

I missed Nadal v Roger...on too late in my neck of the woods.

I did however see a good portion of Kyrgios and Djokovic. Djokovic was up for it and in no mood to lose. He was playing well when I tuned in. But Kyrgios was also up for it. He was focused and playing well. He served extremely well and had Djokovic guessing all the time with his placement. He also took risks on his second serve and was aggressive. It was also notable how well Kyrgios traded and, at times, defended in some of their longer rallies. Kyrgios is a better player than when I last saw him, quite a lot better. If he could just get that backhand a little better still.....

It was not as if Djokovic was still struggling or off form. Kyrgios won purely on merit. And Kyrgios is certainly going to be the player everyone loves to hate.

I saw the beginning. Djokovic was fretting and fussing noticeably. He was not happy playing the late match the night before and then having to play during the day. He was visibly upset and did a number of very strange things. He probably settled in after a while. Kyrgios looked to be quite focused and there were not any antics on his part. He conducted himself like a tennis player. Didn't see past the first set.

[stotty]

I missed Nadal v Roger...on too late in my neck of the woods.

I did however see a good portion of Kyrgios and Djokovic. Djokovic was up for it and in no mood to lose. He was playing well when I tuned in. But Kyrgios was also up for it. He was focused and playing well. He served extremely well and had Djokovic guessing all the time with his placement. He also took risks on his second serve and was aggressive. It was also notable how well Kyrgios traded and, at times, defended in some of their longer rallies. Kyrgios is a better player than when I last saw him, quite a lot better. If he could just get that backhand a little better still.....

It was not as if Djokovic was still struggling or off form. Kyrgios won purely on merit. And Kyrgios is certainly going to be the player everyone loves to hate.

[don_budge]

The Whole Enchilada...Key Improvements since the Equipment Change

Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact...I did say it. A long, long time ago. Here are the highlights. How about that backhand...stroke?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mILJW4Vj0w

The backhand is a key. It's true. The ability to take it up the line and to hit aggressively into the forehand...it's a combination. But there are other factors in this overwhelming performance...I should say performances. Since the Australian Open. What about the serve? How much better is that since...say, two or three years ago. What about the volleys? He's closing the net behind much superior approach shots. What can you say about the forehand? His reverse cross court (inside out to most) is winning him droves of points.

It's the racquet. The extra real estate makes a little difference here...a little difference there. He went from 80" square to 89" square. Is it safe to say that his margin for hitting the ball solid has increased 10%? I think it is. Let's say that on every aspect of his game...technically speaking he has improved his margin 10%...how much of an accumulative effect is that? The resurgence started with the racquet. What a shame he didn't do it a couple of years earlier when I first started talking about it. How many more Slams would he have won?

The backhand has improved dramatically. More noticeable than any other aspect...except maybe the serve. The the backhand is so important once that ball is in play. He no longer has the glaring differential between the backhand and the forehand. It looks to me as if the grip is stronger in some instances...maybe overall. He takes that higher shoulder high ball and drives it without hesitation. It used to be that this was a weaker fluff into the wheelhouse of the Nadal forehand. But now he rakes it aggressively at the strength of Nadal and comes away unscathed. Going down the line has been a more subtle improvement but no less important. Now he has the ability to take the game at the Nadal backhand too. Don't forget the slice as well. This ball now knifes through the Velcro like tennis surfaces with a bit more bite and the ability to make the ball "lie down". The tactical possibilities just considering the backhand alone is vast.

That may have been the best volleying that I have seen from Federer in many, many years. But this stuff is all interrelated. One thing effects the other. His approach and the balls that he is going in behind are all incrementally better.

But the serve! Man...he really takes command of his service game and manhandles the opponent. Talk about taking care of his serve...when he is really serving well the games peel away like the skin of an onion. So many times down the stretch of sets when he is up a break he just becomes a locomotive and just runs over people. He is up 40-0 in about 25 seconds and it is goodnight Irene. What is power? Control is power. All three element take on a new dimension. He serves incrementally harder or faster but the real improvements are on the less emphasized elements of control...spin and placement. The incremental spin gets him on a roll and just look at the placement. He is always nipping at the lines just like a major league baseball pitcher is nipping at the corners of the plate. His ability to do this dramatically increases the tactical strength of his service game as you can well imagine.

It's amazing really but this all should have happened years ago. The question I want to ask Federer is...why didn't you do it years ago? Why didn't you switch equipment?

[don_budge]

The One-Handed Backhand...


Four out of the eight remaining quarterfinalists use the one handed backhand. Pablo Cuevas, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and you know who...The Living Proof. Roger Federer.

[don_budge]

It will probably come down to how the Fed taking it early backhand maintains. In the AO, it was at his best it had ever been vs Nadal.

Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact...I did say it. A long, long time ago. Here are the highlights. How about that backhand...stroke?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mILJW4Vj0w

[klacr]

Great! Thanks for that heads up. I am not familiar with Lajovic at all although I recognize the name. Dusen. I found some highlights of their second set tiebreak. Pospisil ironically missed a couple of pretty straight forward volleys but finally hit the concluder...a touch angle for a winner on set point. Strange though that Pospisil eliminates the world number one and then is eliminated in the next round and then his eliminator is eliminated in the next round. Where is the consistency? This is why the top players stay on top. They win more of the matches that they are predicted to win. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of great champions.

I'm watching another beautiful stroke on the backhand side right now...Pablo Cuervas from Uruguay.

Murray might win the wooden spoon award in this tournament. Lost to Pospisil, who lost to Lajovic, who lost to Carrera Busta who may be underdog against Cuevas so on and so forth. That would be something.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Pospisil did not employ the same commitment to the net as he did against Murray. Lajovic has a lovely one-handed backhand, not only as a drive but also a slice, used it effectively to neutralize Pospisil. With that said, Pospisil still had a match point. You gotta convert.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Great! Thanks for that heads up. I am not familiar with Lajovic at all although I recognize the name. Dusen. I found some highlights of their second set tiebreak. Pospisil ironically missed a couple of pretty straight forward volleys but finally hit the concluder...a touch angle for a winner on set point. Strange though that Pospisil eliminates the world number one and then is eliminated in the next round and then his eliminator is eliminated in the next round. Where is the consistency? This is why the top players stay on top. They win more of the matches that they are predicted to win. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of great champions.

I'm watching another beautiful stroke on the backhand side right now...Pablo Cuervas from Uruguay.

[bottle]

The Bottom Half...Interesting on Paper

But Donald Young is coming off a win over Sam Querry (querulously known to someone as a "Frankenstein" simile though I never saw it).

Yes I say-- querulously-- that Sam Querry has the sankapu eyes of Boris Karloff.

[klacr]

Whatever happened to Vasek Pospisil? Answer: loser to Dusan Lajovic. Couldn't sustain the level after a big win.

Pospisil did not employ the same commitment to the net as he did against Murray. Lajovic has a lovely one-handed backhand, not only as a drive but also a slice, used it effectively to neutralize Pospisil. With that said, Pospisil still had a match point. You gotta convert.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

Nadal sinks Verdasco.....

He will be hoping Roger gets through against Johnson. Nadal must be absolutely fuming after losing to Roger down under. He will be wanting to put the record straight at the first opportunity....this week he hopes. The courts seem a little slower than they were down under which should suit Nadal better. Nadal is moving better also from what I have seen, and his forehand seems to be finding the mark again.

I hope Roger gets through...no reason why he shouldn't. It will make for a big match psychologically. Roger either gets to reinforce his work down under, or Nadal gets to right the ship. Let's hope the match comes about...no hiccups, please, Roger. I want to see something interesting.

Really looking forward to it for all the reasons you mentioned. It will probably come down to how the Fed taking it early backhand maintains. In the AO, it was at his best it had ever been vs Nadal. Kyrgios took it to Zverev, who looked none too pleased with the outcome. Nick seemed to have a better forehand, serve, movement, and hands. As good as Zverev is, the only part of his game that is as good as an engaged, interested Kyrgios is his backhand.

[don_budge]

Whatever happened to Vasek Pospisil? Answer: loser to Dusan Lajovic. Couldn't sustain the level after a big win.