July 15, 2006
|
Three Takes on Wimbledon 2006 The Tale of the Tape
Jim McLennan At any level of the game, whether recreational or professional, “You are only as good as your second serve.” And at the height of their games, both John McEnroe and Pete Sampras had incredible second serves – deceptive, accurate, and fearless. Somehow these details are obscured when we marvel at the pace of the big first serves and those who serve them (including Roddick), but when it comes down to crunch time, it is all about placing the ball heavily into the corners on the second serve when the chips are down. As Nadal progressed through the Wimbledon fortnight we all saw an improved serve, but in hindsight it was the second serve that told the story in the finals.
Federer was making a statement as he opened the match with a near perfect first set. 14 of 15 first serves, 6 break points and three breaks, and this against a man who had played nine consecutive sets without a break point against serve, and who had only dropped two service games in the previous six matches. But as the match wore on, they battled on nearly even terms, with second and third set tiebreakers, close enough that it could have been Roger in straight sets, or Nadal leading two sets to one. The fourth set was about basic grass court tennis – all the games relatively close, but where Roger avoided break points on his own serve (early in the set) Nadal got into trouble twice and paid for it on both occasions. With two breaks in hand, Federer served for the championship at 5-1 and was broken, and I truly cannot ever remember a champion serving for a championship and having been broken, certainly that has not occurred during any of Federer’s previous title runs (nor did it ever occur with Sampras or Borg serving for the title). Federer regrouped on his second try and served out the match at 5-3, but this slight chink in the armor spoke volumes about Nadal’s effect on the Federer’s psyche. That said the following stats truly tell the tale of the match.
A Battle for Supremacy and a Place in History Doug King For those who doubted Rafael Nadal’s ability to play on grass, this year's Wimbledon final must have certainly put those doubts to rest. Plain and simple Nadal can run and hit a tennis ball. Be it clay, grass, or hardcourt, the kid still runs and hits - lights out. Like Borg who proved the same point more than two decades ago, an extreme grip and more spin does not change that fact. His improved serve and adjusted court positioning have made him more than a legitimate threat on any surface. And don’t think Federer wasn’t keenly aware of this fact throughout the entire match.
Federer missed a couple of early chances to break back at 2-1 in the second and Nadal adamantly closed him out. Nadal crushed a first serve winner to open his serve at 4-3 while Federer shook his head in seeming acknowledgment, resignation, and disbelief at the turn of events. “This can’t be happening again” one could almost hear him mutter. Nadal held at love to go up 5-3, with hardly a whimper from Federer.
Federer’s Crystal Ball Dave Smith On a surface that has been considered home-turf to a select number of players over the last three decades, Roger Federer joins the ranks of such greats as Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras in making the lawns of the All England Club his home, having won his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title, this time over Rafael Nadal. In almost all his matches, regardless of round or opponent, Federer maintains an inner calmness, a sense of confidence that is expressed without expression. It reflects what I call ‘crystal ball’ awareness, a purveyor of wisdom in which he alone is privy to. I mean, if you already know that you are going to win a match ahead of time, you would not go through the theatrics of anger, frustration, or fear during the match. Federer seems to play tennis as if he knows the outcome.
In the Wimbledon final against Nadal, Roger dominated on the faster surface early on, establishing an all-court game plan that left little doubt who was the better player. However, as the match progressed, you could see Nadal gaining a feel for the court, elevating his game to a level that paralleled Federer’s. Unlike many players who favor one surface over another, Nadal seems to be gaining a feeling for grass, obviously moving through earlier rounds with little trouble. Like Federer, Nadal possesses a confident flair, a lack of panic, even when he was down two sets to none in the final. The pair produced some scintillating tennis, points that featured drop shots and raw power, angles and aces, defense and offense. Anyone who has complained in the past that tennis was being played too fast and with little creativity, must retract such complaints after watching Wimbledon this year. The same could be said about the women’s final, one that featured drop shots, angles, and a mix of serve-and-volley with some laser-guided groundstrokes. The ‘crystal ball’ concept I mentioned earlier is a mental philosophy that I use to encourage my own students to play within this calm sense portrayed by Nadal and Federer. The idea is to play tennis as if you have a magic crystal ball which has shown you your future…a future where you come out on top in any given match. If indeed one had such an object that could reveal the future, a player with such knowledge would not panic or show much emotion, positive or negative. They would already know ahead that they are going to win. Such a belief would allow a player to play tennis within a calm, relaxed mind set. And, that is exactly how I would describe both Nadal’s and Federer’s on-court demeanor. In fact, you can look at other past champions who expressed similar mental patterns: Borg, Sampras, Agassi, Edberg, and even players like Becker, Laver, and Ashe, all maintained a steely mind set, seldom exhibiting mental meltdowns.
Competitive and recreational players can learn from this technique. Too many players exhibit some element of panic when they find themselves falling behind in a match. However, if players maintain composure, maintain an aura of confidence, one that says, "Hey, it doesn’t matter I’m behind…I know I will win," these players will have the best chance to change the momentum of a match and turn a potential loss into a win. Sure, it won’t guarantee a win, but it does provide the vehicle to make such a come-from-behind win possible. Stroke for stroke, I don’t think Federer had any more weaponry than Nadal. Experience was the deciding factor at Wimbledon. And even as Nadal had a 6 to 1 head-to-head advantage over Federer, Roger has 8 Slam Championships and 38 career singles titles compared to 2 Slams and 17 career singles titles for Nadal. Yet, I expect to see Nadal continue to improve and mature. At this point, he seems to have the best chance to push Federer and, perhaps replace him as #1 in the very near future. I wonder if Roddick, Blake, Fish, and a few other America men and women could learn from this? Now, where did I put my crystal ball? As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
If you wish to be removed from our newsletter list, please send an email to newsletter-unsubscribe@tennisonenews.com and leave the subject line blank. A confirmation email will be sent to you, and you will be removed from our newsletter list once you reply to that confirmation.
|
|
|
