September 22, 2006
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Impressions from the 2006 US Open Jim McLennan I am at a loss these days without any tennis to watch, I was so moved by the recent US Open. Compelling, dramatic, a resurgent Roddick, welcome back Jimmy, keep it going James (you are getting closer), even Serena showed us some glimpses. And let's not forget, despite all the hype, Maria won her second grand slam. But as always, it seems, the story is about Roger Federer. I study his matches. I chart the ebb and flow; when he is content to rally, when he chips, when he steps forward, and when he suddenly and inexplicably elevates his game to totally swamp his opponent.
Many of the guys can now hang with Roger, but only for moments of a match, and rarely from start to finish. Somehow, to beat him they must play perfect tennis (which doesn’t mean error free for in a long match both players make many errors) but the perfection required has to do with both the shot making and decision making on “big points.” Many years ago, in an interview at the Siebel Open in San Jose (now the SAP), Sampras was asked how it felt to play “perfect tennis,” and with uncharacteristic candor Pete reflected that perhaps once a month his tennis did indeed feel perfect, but only on the days when as he said, “my shots and my decisions are perfect.” Decisions include when to gamble and when to play safe, when to approach and when to rally, when to get the ball in play and when to go for an ace on the second serve. (Remember Pete's famous US Open match against Alex Corretja when Pete was exhausted and sick to his stomach? Six all in the fifth set tiebreaker and what a glorious ace that was which Corretja followed with a match ending double fault.)
In the Roddick/Federer final this year, the match was extremely close--splitting the first two sets and then 5 all in the third set. Roddick was holding relatively easily, and even John McEnroe was questioning Federer’s legs, opining that Roddick appeared to want it more. Well, Federer held easily but serving at 5-6, Roddick yanked two forehands out of court and soon faced two set points at 15-40. Then the big first serve to the tee, which Federer barely gets his racquet on, floating the ball deep into Roddick’s backhand corner. And then the wheels came off for Roddick. If it were poker, I believe Roger would have everyone’s money. He generally has the cards, but always seems to know how to play them. Further, he has an instinct for his opponent’s tendencies. Point in fact, at nearly every tournament, however many aces his opponents are averaging, Federer seems to cut that total in half if not more so. And at 125 – 135 miles per hour, if Federer denies the opponent aces I believe it has more to do with his anticipation, his reading of the situation, understanding his opponent’s tendencies, the opponent’s cards if you will, and then “betting” appropriately.
Well at 5-6, 15-40, from behind the baseline, Roddick bet “all in.” He approached crosscourt, was totally out of position as he charged the net dashing to cover a Federer down the line backhand pass. But with all the chips in, Federer simply chipped crosscourt, not for a winner but more so to cause an awkward backhand volley error. McEnroe questioned Andy’s decision (to take the net from such a difficult position) and within 28 minutes (the duration of the fourth set), Federer claimed grand slam title number nine. In comparison to both James and Andy, Federer has two skills that elevate him well above the field. Both James and Andy have awesome power and can drive the ball into the open corners for winners, but in both cases their strokes appear muscular and slightly effortful. Further, they play these winners without disguise, such that Roger can get started at, if not a moment before, their moment of contact. Whereas Federer drives the forehand and backhand with disguise (when attacking rather than when rallying) such that Andy could not anticipate, and somehow his slightly later starts to these shots explained in some ways the enormous number of winners Federer hit. In fact throughout the fourth set, Roddick was often flat footed, not even starting to retrieve the 14 winners Federer hit to close out the fourth set and the match.
And doesn't even take into consideration Federer's serve which might just be the best in the game. Early in the match he routinely erased Roddick’s break points with aces out wide to the deuce court. And we are only now beginning to compare Federer's serve to Sampras' (or at least I am). Note that now Roger's fastest first serve, 131 mph, approaches Pete’s numbers. And even though Roddick is not yet known as a returner (keep working on this Jimbo as I am sure you will) Federer’s serving numbers in the final tell the tale.
And Now to the Women
In the semifinals it appeared that Mauresmo was playing not to lose. I am not sure about the 6-0, 4-6, 6-0 score, but I did notice that on many, if not most forehands, Amelie appeared to be recovering as she drove the ball. She looked as if she was attempting to recover and stay in the rally rather than attack. Maria, on the other hand, was much more grounded as she drove the ball into the corners. A jabber against a slugger, but on this day the slugger found the corners, while unfortunately the jabber (who holds two grand slam titles this year) played defensive tennis. There may have been a day when the girls could beat Maria by keeping the ball in the court, but that appears to be no longer the case. The final was much closer, but a little like the men’s final, the serve seems to have told the tale. And the two telling stats are the percentage of first serves (72 vs. 53) and the winning percentage on first serve (74 vs. 66). Overall, Sharapova won eight points more than did Henin-Hardenne, but to my mind Maria’s first serve carried the day. Finally, a note on the future. Both Roger and Maria appear to be improving, and among other things both are doing so in the serve department. But to look at their deliveries side by side, note that just after contact Federer appears to still be rising ever so slightly, and the racquet is clearly being whipped through contact. Sharapova seems to be pulling her upper body through the hit and forcefully forward. If and when she can work less and whip more, her delivery will have significantly more pop and disguise, for the similarities between Federer and Sampras on this delivery are not yet approached by the up and coming Sharapova. Stay tuned.
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Jim McLennan talks about how to react to the ball. eTennisTeam Captains' Testimonials Click to see a free sample of TennisOne's Slow-Mo™ videos. |
