Australian Open 2018

[don_budge]

All About Novak Djokovic...The Elbow

The 2018 Australian Open may have been an inconclusive tournament for Novak Djokovic and it might be too early to jump to conclusions.

I forgot to mention something that I found very interesting in the Djokovic vs. Chung match. To me it was an extremely important crossroad for Novak. There was a point early on...it was 3-0 in the second if I read my quote correctly. It looked to me as if Novak wanted to pack it in. He was having his ass handed to him by the younger, hungry Chung and he wanted to disappear. Who likes getting their ass kicked when you were once the top dog? But he turned his mental outlook around and made the kid earn it. Just like he should. I am not a big fan of Novak Djokovic but I believe that he showed that he had some respect for the game, his opponent and the crowd that paid good money to come and watch him. In turn he certainly earned my respect for his effort. He's a pro...it was his only option. The only other option was to quit. Once you quit...you are by definition a quitter. More on Nadal later.

I wish him the best of luck and fortune. He knows of course that the only thing this old world truly understands is hard work. You cannot let the other guy outwork you. My dear old tennis coach used to say that it takes five tournaments to get fully prepared for the tournament you want to peak for. Novak has some work to do and he knows it. He got a finger on the pulse of where he stands. He'll figure it out.

[gzhpcu]

In Roger ‘s case am sure good anticipation and staying close to the baseline helps...

[stotty]

I'm optimistic Chung may prove a difficult opponent to beat. They have never played each other before and Chung doesn't have the baggage of having lost to Roger umpteen times like most other players. He beat Djokovic and I didn't think Djokovic was playing all that bad. What I like most about Chung is he is up for scrap and his groundies penetrate. I think he is the type of player who would have handled that chipped forehand from Roger at set point to Berdych. I hope he can come out with his best game to hand and play his socks off.

I like Roger but I want to see him work for it. The game has been based around 4 and half players for the last decade and now 3 and half of them are now getting sidelined with injuries all the time, it's getting dull just watching Roger put on a show.

It's remarkable that Roger is escaping injuries. I know he floats around and moves so well but even so you'd think he'd start feeling it by now. Those hard courts are punishing. There is no give on them so braking and changing direction is a nightmare for the joints.

[stotty]

As far as there being nowhere to go...anybody with half a brain will understand that the way forwards is to go back.

There is no going back, the game has burnt its boats.

[don_budge]

Maybe the last 100 years has culminated in Federer and now there is nowhere else to go. Sure feels that way sometimes.

The book is William Tilden. The model is Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand. The coach is Harry Hopman. Roger Federer is the Living Proof.

You said it...stotty. I couldn't have said it any better. But to be fair...Roger Federer has not faced a draw full of competitors like it was in the past. He is the only player on the tour capable of playing the game A thru Z. Even he has some rusty issues that he hasn't used in over a decade.

As far as there being nowhere to go...anybody with half a brain will understand that the way forwards is to go back. Follow the dots...they culminate with Federer. The classic game. It takes longer to master. The junior game does not apply to men's tennis...not in my book. Which is Bill Tilden. No...the way forwards is today the road less travelled. Why is it less travelled? For a myriad of reasons...but a big one is the group mindset. Even the announcers like Wilander and McEnroe don't make this connection. All they marvel at is how Federer is playing. I rarely if ever hear any mention about the things that I write about. But I am convinced these things are/were cyclical. All we have been dished up for over a decade is the same old slop. Junior tennis on steroids. Maybe literally.

It is the game that has been demeaned. Certain actors are more responsible than others. More about the Nadal fiasco later.

[stotty]

Roger Federer at his Best...when he is at his Worst

On one key point he threw a seemingly innocuous sliced, chipped forehand at the Berdych backhand and Tomas played right into the Federer hand and drove the ball long.

Yes that was the set right there. The chipped forehand was a little bit of acumen and a little bit of hope....pop the ball back and see what happens. Berdych had to seize that moment right there. He also might of gone for a little more earlier in the rally. He had his chance.

Roger is coasting now. He has missed a few due to complacency...it's that easy.

Maybe the last 100 years has culminated in Federer and now there is nowhere else to go. Sure feels that way sometimes.

[don_budge]

Medical timeout for Berdych? No more timeouts period. Not for Nadal...not for anyone. If you cannot answer the bell...you are done.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer at his Best...when he is at his Worst

4-5 Roger breaks back. Such a shame. Berdych tightened up a bit there...stopped going for the lines. Berdych needs to get this first set to make a game of it.

I think we all feel the same way. Tomas certainly needs the 1st set to make a go of it.

It's power Berdych needs from here on in. He had it in the first set then just pulled back on the throttle when it was vital to keep it going. Once he eases off and let's Roger slice, poke and prod him around it's all over. Berdych just had to be a bit braver at the close of that first set.

I don't think Berdych has a cat in hell's chance from here but you never know. Miracles can happen.

At the beginning of the first set I had a very bad feeling about Roger Federer. I had the feeling that he really didn't want to be there. He wanted to be anywhere but in front of thousands of people with high expectations for his performance and television. All of it. It seemed that he felt tired...maybe just a tad old.

Tomas Berdych came out firing and Roger just couldn't seem to feel his legs. His feet were in a jumbo and he couldn't find any rhythm. So what does the Swiss Maestro do? He pulls out Plans A, B, C...thru Z. He threw everything including the kitchen sink at Berdych and Tomas didn't have any answers. Match Play and Spin of the Ball...Federer realized he couldn't find his A game and Berdych apparently had his so he brought Berdych down to his level where he could beat him.

On one key point he threw a seemingly innocuous sliced, chipped forehand at the Berdych backhand and Tomas played right into the Federer hand and drove the ball long.

This was an amazing performance by Federer who relied on tactical acumen to win that first set. He couldn't beat Berdych with straight on power so he did it with spin and placement. He dictated the pace of the match and effectively slowed the game down so he could get some breathing room. He started to relax and serve better and by the time they got to the tie-break Federer was flying again and Berdych was left with grasping at straws. A superb performance. He even used a bit of a dispute in his favour. Stalling just a bit and making Berdych wait just an extra second to two. The issue wasn't winnable but he used a bit of gamesmanship. A little unusual for Federer but he brought it in under the radar so it didn't look too obvious or ridiculous. The man has impeccable timing. Command of the moment.

[stotty]

It's power Berdych needs from here on in. He had it in the first set then just pulled back on the throttle when it was vital to keep it going. Once he eases off and let's Roger slice, poke and prod him around it's all over. Berdych just had to be a bit braver at the close of that first set.

I don't think Berdych has a cat in hell's chance from here but you never know. Miracles can happen.

[don_budge]

When Djokovic got Stepanek on his team, I thought it was to work on his volley game, and to do what Federer did with Edberg. Saw no sign of it.

It simply is not in the Djokovic DNA at this point. If Boris Becker could not make an impression on the Djokovic game in this regard it ain't going to happen. With regard to Federer...he was a serve and volley player early in his career. He followed every single first and second serve to the net in a match with Pete Sampras in the year 2000. It is at least in his DNA.

[don_budge]

All About Novak Djokovic...The Elbow

The Book is Bill Tilden...
In Chung's win over Zverev he neatly attacked the forehand to open up the backhand. This is perhaps technically attacking the other player's strength typically. Against the two hand backhand this is particularly effective as the marginal limit in reach on the backhand is exposed by opening up the court. Chung has done this a couple of times against Djokovic and it looks rather clever. Now he will serve for the set at 5-4. A big moment for the young man.

Djokovic looks just a bit shaky on his feet. It is questionable if he is actually match tough and can withstand the pressure over five sets. As tennis_chiro noted a major strength of Chung is movement and he looks to have tree trunks for legs. This gives him the appearance of being considerable shorter than he actually is. It will be a war of attrition if Chung can take out the legs of the older and perhaps less well conditioned Djokovic. Does the two handed backhand eventually become a liability when movement becomes less with age?

Boy oh Boy...
Two tie-breaks end simultaneously. Sandgren loses his to Thiem...two sets all. Into the fifth. Chung wins his against Djokovic. I almost feel it was more imperative that Djokovic win the first set than Chung. Chung now has the luxury of facing a long battle against the older and more questionably fit Djokovic. Very interesting.

Sandgren is in unknown territory. A fifth set being deep in the draw of a Grand Slam. Let's see how he handles the pressure.

It looks like Djokovic may be on the ropes...going down. Chung 3-0 in the second. Djokovic is tweaking with his arm and flexing his fingers. Arm trouble? Sandgren and Thiem on serve in the fifth going toe to toe. Thiem saved the match for himself at this point with two unbelievable down the line backhands in the tie-break. One of them was on match point for Sandgren.

The 2018 Australian Open may have been an inconclusive tournament for Novak Djokovic and it might be too early to jump to conclusions. He looked to play rather well in spots but when push came to shove and he was jp against an opponent who could take the heat and return it with interest he fell short. The argument can be made that he simply was not match tough. When things started to get hot and heavy against the younger Chung I could almost visibly see that the legs of Djokovic seemed to be buckling. He wasn't match tough and understandably so. It took a really strong opponent to exploit this too.

I believe that when he lost the first set to Chung it really took the air out of his sails. He knew that this opponent had the stuff that was going to weather anything he had to offer and he wouldn't be making any unnecessary unforced errors. This turned out to be the case.

The elbow is an interesting issue. I question if this sort of injury should be a career ending problem. I remember having elbow issues when I was playing tournaments. I took a lot of aspirin. You learn to deal with the pain and eventually it went away. It appears to be pain on the inside of the elbow Djokovic is trying to manage and this is indicative of problems with the forehand. Baseball pitchers often deal with pain like this all of their careers. It isn't funny but you learn to bite the bullet.

There isn't any reason for Novak to panic in this regard as I think with time he will either resolve the problem or learn how to deal with the pain. I remember having this problem for the better part of a year or more. I played really well that year and I remember waking up on the day of the semi's and finals having to slowly straightening my arm and working some movement into it. Some more aspirin. Warm-up. Once the ball drops its game on. No sense on advertising my problem to my opponent. After a while I didn't feel a thing...until after the match. Start the procedure again. Straighten. Aspirin. Stretch. Game on.

With regards to the service backswing change. It is of no consequence. I base this conclusion on the results. His serve looked just fine. Richard Gonzales made a similar change in his backswing and went to a more abbreviated backswing. Perhaps a little less aesthetically pleasing but equally functional. If he feels it takes a little pressure off of his elbow...it's a mental thing.

Perhaps the difficulty that Novak will have is that it will make it difficult to practice. But at this point in his career practice shouldn't be so important. It is more important to be mentally prepared to do what you have to do. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to this situation. The survival of the fittest is not the strongest or even the smartest...it is the one who adapts the best.

I guess at this point we are all kind of just repeating our self, but I think Fed's inimitable perfect technique is what has enabled him to continue on(at the very top of the game) age wise past what anyone thought possible. Novak's forehand, like most players, does seem somewhat physically taxing. Roger, with that straight arm and perfect head position, looks totally relaxed, no strain. He is the Michael Jordon of tennis. I do not think we will see another, Jordon or Roger.

stroke is right in this regard. But it isn't solely about Roger's technique. The thing is Federer has more options than the rest of the cookie cutter modern players. It would be in Djokovic's interest to have a Plan B when he goes out on the court but as we saw against Chung...there is no Plan B. Merely the same old Plan A. Federer is showing as I type that he has Plans A, B and C. He wasn't playing well at all in his start against Berdych but he managed to bring Tomas down to his level where he could beat him. Can Novak do this? If he can I haven't seen it.

[stotty]

Berdych goes a set down. Shame because he had the luck and run of play throughout much of that first set. It may be a little dull from here. I think Roger will start to expose Berdych far inferior movement more and more.

Let's hope Novak can get fit again or Roger will be winning slams until he's 40 at this rate.

[stroke]

4-5 Roger breaks back. Such a shame. Berdych tightened up a bit there...stopped going for the lines. Berdych needs to get this first set to make a game of it.

I think we all feel the same way. Tomas certainly needs the 1st set to make a go of it.

[stotty]

4-5 Roger breaks back. Such a shame. Berdych tightened up a bit there...stopped going for the lines. Berdych needs to get this first set to make a game of it.

[gzhpcu]

When Djokovic got Stepanek on his team, I thought it was to work on his volley game, and to do what Federer did with Edberg. Saw no sign of it.