So you have seen the classic two handed backhand but you don't like to be the one who uses the spin more. You like power and pace with less effort.
The Modern Two Handed Backhand
Players that use it: Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, Novak Djokovic, David Nalbandian, Serena Williams
It hardly looks that different in normal speed:
But in slow motion you can see it...
And even better when put up against Venus's classic backhand
See how once Serena extends her arms back, she keeps them extended throughout the stroke (more or less)?
Serena's extension of the arms gives the shot more rotational energy from the shoulders and waist allowing you to hit the shot slower and with less energy. It also allows you to stay rooted into the ground all the way through the stroke. Many professional players are starting to adopt this technique because throughout the long matches you want a nice and easy technique.
The bonus of this technique is that, if you are flexible, you can maximize it. Meaning a small skinny person can hit a powerful backhand. Even though Serena is a built lady, her shoulders are very flexible. You also have a good reach with it, allowing you to use it more on the run.
The problem? Whereas you footwork would have to be better moving to balls with the classic backhand, your footwork needs to be better GETTING OUT OF THE WAY for this one.
The technique is really ineffective when you get jammed. And because you don't put much spin on it, it becomes a low quality ball. If you have the type of strokes made for reaching, a ball coming right at you will ruin your day.
Here is a highlight from one of my favorite matches in which Marat Safin and Andre Agassi use the modern backhand to play some powerful tennis. It sounds like they are cracking the ball but when you look at them individually it doesn't seem that way.
This backhand is a great technique for the person that likes to conserve energy and hit the ball nice and powerful. Keeping your body loose so that you can use the full effect of this backhand is very important. Good luck!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Technique: Classic and Modern Two Handed Backhand Part 1 Classic
It is time for the two handed backhand analysis. If you have a one handed backhand the blogs for the two types of one handed backhands are here and here. So....Lets get started.
General Backhand
With the general two handed backhand (THBH) you want to take the racket back with two hands (right hand on bottom for right-handers) and then bring the racket forward. Andy Murray shows us his highly praised backhand technique:
Classic Two-Handed Backhand
Players that hit it: Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Duval, Sabine Lisicki, Jelena Jankovic
This backhand was favored by a lot of ladies in the 90s. As the two handed backhand became the favorite of coaches training their students, they started to teach that the backhand be hit like a forehand. So what you get is the classic "C motion" backswing (the way you start the stroke makes a C shape with your racket) and the wrap around the neck followthrough (finishing your stroke around your neck).
Sometimes without the C motion.
But what makes this backhand more interesting is the way the players pull the racket close to their body and keep the left arm bent all the way through. It is a technique that promotes core strength, which is why a lot of people use it from childhood.
The bonus of this shot is the spin and control combination. Since it mimics the forehand so much, you can bend the elbow and lift up on the shot for maximum spin. You can grip the racket super hard and spin some angles and good, hard to attack shots. It's also great for defensive lobs.
Both JELENA JANKOVIC and SABINE LISICKI show off the versatility in this type of backhand.
The weakness in this backhand is its restriction and the lack of easy power. Because this backhand is so tight into your body, you can't blast a ball too easy when it is coming at you slow. So if you want to blast one of these, you have to lean into the shot or the ball needs to be right around your bellybutton AND you need to be standing upright. We all know that doubles partner that can hit a backhand 100 mph in or out from a super simple swing. This is the reason.
One more thing to note: Many times a kid has been taught this backhand and then they grow up to be a huge muscular person with this backhand. The fact that they are so big makes it so that this is the only two hander that they can hit freely and they are super restricted still. If you have a lot of mass in your upperbody area, you might want to seriously consider switching to a one hander. If you are beginning, you DEFINITELY want to switch. I'm not saying that you will hit the ball BETTER, but the potential is there. A big guy's potential with a two hander gets worse if he lifts weights because he loses flexibility. Basically your two-hander loses potential the more you practice it. That doesn't happen with a one handed backhand. You can get as big as you want!
This double fister is nice and you can use the spin to move the ball around easily. I suggest you use it to roll angles and make your opponent run everywhere. Just don't let the ball get too far from you or you will have to let go of the racket with one hand and slice. When I had it, my opponents did not like it too much because I could use a compact swing to keep them running. I do miss that a lot!
General Backhand
With the general two handed backhand (THBH) you want to take the racket back with two hands (right hand on bottom for right-handers) and then bring the racket forward. Andy Murray shows us his highly praised backhand technique:
Classic Two-Handed Backhand
Players that hit it: Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Duval, Sabine Lisicki, Jelena Jankovic
This backhand was favored by a lot of ladies in the 90s. As the two handed backhand became the favorite of coaches training their students, they started to teach that the backhand be hit like a forehand. So what you get is the classic "C motion" backswing (the way you start the stroke makes a C shape with your racket) and the wrap around the neck followthrough (finishing your stroke around your neck).
Sometimes without the C motion.
But what makes this backhand more interesting is the way the players pull the racket close to their body and keep the left arm bent all the way through. It is a technique that promotes core strength, which is why a lot of people use it from childhood.
The bonus of this shot is the spin and control combination. Since it mimics the forehand so much, you can bend the elbow and lift up on the shot for maximum spin. You can grip the racket super hard and spin some angles and good, hard to attack shots. It's also great for defensive lobs.
Both JELENA JANKOVIC and SABINE LISICKI show off the versatility in this type of backhand.
The weakness in this backhand is its restriction and the lack of easy power. Because this backhand is so tight into your body, you can't blast a ball too easy when it is coming at you slow. So if you want to blast one of these, you have to lean into the shot or the ball needs to be right around your bellybutton AND you need to be standing upright. We all know that doubles partner that can hit a backhand 100 mph in or out from a super simple swing. This is the reason.
One more thing to note: Many times a kid has been taught this backhand and then they grow up to be a huge muscular person with this backhand. The fact that they are so big makes it so that this is the only two hander that they can hit freely and they are super restricted still. If you have a lot of mass in your upperbody area, you might want to seriously consider switching to a one hander. If you are beginning, you DEFINITELY want to switch. I'm not saying that you will hit the ball BETTER, but the potential is there. A big guy's potential with a two hander gets worse if he lifts weights because he loses flexibility. Basically your two-hander loses potential the more you practice it. That doesn't happen with a one handed backhand. You can get as big as you want!
This double fister is nice and you can use the spin to move the ball around easily. I suggest you use it to roll angles and make your opponent run everywhere. Just don't let the ball get too far from you or you will have to let go of the racket with one hand and slice. When I had it, my opponents did not like it too much because I could use a compact swing to keep them running. I do miss that a lot!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Question: What the Heck is "Hitting the Ball on the Rise?"
Hitting the ball on the rise is a term that was made popular by Andre Agassi who did this EXTREMELY WELL.
"On the rise" sometimes referred to as "taking it early" is pretty literal. The ball is rising from the ground and you hit it before is starts to fall back to the ground.
This is Jo Wilfried hitting balls on the rise in slow motion. Notice how the ball itself is still rising when he strikes the ball:
And here is the OPPOSITE in Tommy Robredo in which the ball is descending to the ground when he hits it:
Compairing the two, notice that Tsonga is almost on top of the baseline where Robredo is so far back you don't know where the baseline is. This builds into the tactics of the two contrasting styles.
People that hit the ball "on the rise" (like Tsonga) like to use foot speed and timing to speed up the points and make their opponent feel rushed. The idea is that the opponent gets tired trying to keep up with your aiming and your agility. These players use more quick twitch muscles for shorter points.
Here are two players with the "on the rise" Philosophy featuring Andre Agassi and Roger Federer
People that hit the ball normally like to wait on the ball and load into it with a perfect well taught stroke. The idea is that the ball is such a high quality spinning ball that the opponent will have to back up to deal with the balls that explode off the ground and throw off an aggressive players timing. These players use long twitch muscles for longer, more organized points.
Two players with the "on the decline" philosophy. Gael Monfils and Rafael Nadal
It is important to note that these two tactics are just a philosophy. You can be any type pf player (serve volley excluded) and subscribe to any one of these at any time. For instance: Federer and Murray are both the tennis genius style of all court player with a huge arsenal of shots at their disposal. But Federer plays fast and Murray doesn't. Murray can decide to play fast if he needs to change his tactics to win (that is what makes him a genius).
Also important is noting that a player doesn't ALWAYS hit on the rise. It just means they stand close to the baseline during rallies which ups the chance of them hitting on the rise balls.
Hitting the ball "on the rise" is a term for hitting the ball as early as you can after the bounce. But it is also a tactic in which you take time away from your opponents and test their ability to deal with your urgency. So run circles around those cones, jump rope and play some "whack-a-mole" because you are going to need to recognize and react to a lot of balls very casually.
"On the rise" sometimes referred to as "taking it early" is pretty literal. The ball is rising from the ground and you hit it before is starts to fall back to the ground.
This is Jo Wilfried hitting balls on the rise in slow motion. Notice how the ball itself is still rising when he strikes the ball:
And here is the OPPOSITE in Tommy Robredo in which the ball is descending to the ground when he hits it:
Compairing the two, notice that Tsonga is almost on top of the baseline where Robredo is so far back you don't know where the baseline is. This builds into the tactics of the two contrasting styles.
People that hit the ball "on the rise" (like Tsonga) like to use foot speed and timing to speed up the points and make their opponent feel rushed. The idea is that the opponent gets tired trying to keep up with your aiming and your agility. These players use more quick twitch muscles for shorter points.
Here are two players with the "on the rise" Philosophy featuring Andre Agassi and Roger Federer
People that hit the ball normally like to wait on the ball and load into it with a perfect well taught stroke. The idea is that the ball is such a high quality spinning ball that the opponent will have to back up to deal with the balls that explode off the ground and throw off an aggressive players timing. These players use long twitch muscles for longer, more organized points.
Two players with the "on the decline" philosophy. Gael Monfils and Rafael Nadal
It is important to note that these two tactics are just a philosophy. You can be any type pf player (serve volley excluded) and subscribe to any one of these at any time. For instance: Federer and Murray are both the tennis genius style of all court player with a huge arsenal of shots at their disposal. But Federer plays fast and Murray doesn't. Murray can decide to play fast if he needs to change his tactics to win (that is what makes him a genius).
Also important is noting that a player doesn't ALWAYS hit on the rise. It just means they stand close to the baseline during rallies which ups the chance of them hitting on the rise balls.
Hitting the ball "on the rise" is a term for hitting the ball as early as you can after the bounce. But it is also a tactic in which you take time away from your opponents and test their ability to deal with your urgency. So run circles around those cones, jump rope and play some "whack-a-mole" because you are going to need to recognize and react to a lot of balls very casually.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Technique: Classic and Modern One Handed Backhand Part 2 Modern
With a good understanding of the classic one handed backhand (part 1) we can now delve into the changes that were made to make the more modern backhand.
The Modern One Handed Backhand
Players that hit it: Stanislas Wawrinka, Justine Henin, Amelie Muresmo, Ivan Ljubicic,
For a frame of reference, here is the classic:
With the more modern one handed backhand (OHBH) the player twists back a little more and the swings around. This opens up his shoulder slightly. So instead of the followthrough going up or forward, it goes across their chest. This means they get a little more use of the core. This is more power, less spin. The trick is in the timing because you are rotating your shoulders and trying to turn your wrist for the spin. Otherwise you will flatten it out too much or maybe even slice it.
The bonus of course is the power from the baseline. If you happen to be standing still when you hit this OHBH then you can make your opponent pay.
But the weakness occurs when the opponent makes you move laterally or reach forward. The further you have to reach from your core the less power you have. On top of that, the nature of the shot makes you lean back a bit which makes it hard to hit a backhand if you are coming to the net. If someone hits a ball shorter than you thought or runs you from side to side, you slice. Simply put, instead of the opponent pounding your weak classic OHBH, they do the opposite. They run the you to diffuse the more modern shot.
The bottom line: This OHBH is for the baseliners with excellent timing. The better you hit this shot, the more of them they will be forced to send back to you. But if you are off balance for any reason, you have to slice the ball or hit a weak classic backhand. So get really good at timing this one or else you will not get many chances to use it.
The Modern One Handed Backhand
Players that hit it: Stanislas Wawrinka, Justine Henin, Amelie Muresmo, Ivan Ljubicic,
For a frame of reference, here is the classic:
With the more modern one handed backhand (OHBH) the player twists back a little more and the swings around. This opens up his shoulder slightly. So instead of the followthrough going up or forward, it goes across their chest. This means they get a little more use of the core. This is more power, less spin. The trick is in the timing because you are rotating your shoulders and trying to turn your wrist for the spin. Otherwise you will flatten it out too much or maybe even slice it.
The bonus of course is the power from the baseline. If you happen to be standing still when you hit this OHBH then you can make your opponent pay.
But the weakness occurs when the opponent makes you move laterally or reach forward. The further you have to reach from your core the less power you have. On top of that, the nature of the shot makes you lean back a bit which makes it hard to hit a backhand if you are coming to the net. If someone hits a ball shorter than you thought or runs you from side to side, you slice. Simply put, instead of the opponent pounding your weak classic OHBH, they do the opposite. They run the you to diffuse the more modern shot.
The bottom line: This OHBH is for the baseliners with excellent timing. The better you hit this shot, the more of them they will be forced to send back to you. But if you are off balance for any reason, you have to slice the ball or hit a weak classic backhand. So get really good at timing this one or else you will not get many chances to use it.
Technique: Classic and Modern One Handed Backhand Part 1 Classic
When I started playing tennis. I had a two handed backhand. However, as I got more beefy and the balls traveled faster, my backhand became a little limiting. But that is another blog. In this one, I will attempt to explain the general biomechanics of the two one handed backhands (Classic and Modern). The biggest problem that occurs in these backhands is when you try to combine the two techniques into one.
General Backhand
The general idea of this backhand is that you turn sideways, draw the racket back with two hands and then bring the racket forward with your dominant hand. As a shirtless Tommy Haas shows, its a very smooth and pretty motion if done well.
The Classic One Handed-Backhand
Players that hit it: Roger Federer, Tommy Haas, Mikhail Youzhny, Richard Gasquet, Grigor Dimitrov, Carla Suarez Navarro, everyone player from 1990 and older.
This one handed backhand (OHBH) is done with the arm. You do everything to set it up and then you basically move the arm all by itself. AFTER you contact the ball you can do whatever you want. A lot of players accentuate the followthrough. That is what makes it look pretty
The bonus about this backhand is that you can be very creative. Your arm moves independently so you can hit the ball flat by extending forward OR you can loosen your arm and flick it upward for more of a loopy topspin. In addition, you can manage pace better when it comes to you and can aim easier.
If you watch a creative player like RICHARD GASQUET when his backhand is under attack, you will see about 5 or 6 different ways of hitting it.
But also that brings us to the weakness of the classic OHBH that is shown in the video as well: lack of power. It is possible to hit this type of backhand with power, but you have shotgun it from the racket back position and lean forward. Which makes it very hard to focus on when you want to make someone pay or you are moving laterally.
The biggest weakness on a classic OHBH is a heavily topspun ball. I mentioned before that you can extend your arm forward for flat, or you can loosen your arm and flick upward. WELL...a ball that explodes off the ground makes you flick upward because the other way will make you hit the ball long. So it becomes a matter of organization at this point. Do you wuss out and slice? Roll a very high slow ball back OR try to use your weak shoulder and forcefully meet the ball to overcome the spin? Keep in mind that you are also hitting the ball in front of you. None of these choices lead to a powerful response. And most of the time you will get another shoulder punishing, heavily spun shot. Better get ready to run because that is what you will be doing...that is as soon as they get tired of beating up on you WEAK backhand.
Here is a video of Roger Federer's top 10 backhand winners. Notice that his winners are not him slapping the mess out of the ball like his forehand. He either just deflects the ball someone has just hit flat or loops an angle off the court. He is very good at his backhand organization
The bottom line: the classic one handed backhand is great for playing creatively with your opponent. But the higher up in skill you go the more you see that you HAVE to play creatively because you don't have another option. So if you have this type of OHBH, then learn to play loose and mix up your shots. You are going to need that slice and a lot of unconventional shots!
General Backhand
The general idea of this backhand is that you turn sideways, draw the racket back with two hands and then bring the racket forward with your dominant hand. As a shirtless Tommy Haas shows, its a very smooth and pretty motion if done well.
The Classic One Handed-Backhand
Players that hit it: Roger Federer, Tommy Haas, Mikhail Youzhny, Richard Gasquet, Grigor Dimitrov, Carla Suarez Navarro, everyone player from 1990 and older.
This one handed backhand (OHBH) is done with the arm. You do everything to set it up and then you basically move the arm all by itself. AFTER you contact the ball you can do whatever you want. A lot of players accentuate the followthrough. That is what makes it look pretty
The bonus about this backhand is that you can be very creative. Your arm moves independently so you can hit the ball flat by extending forward OR you can loosen your arm and flick it upward for more of a loopy topspin. In addition, you can manage pace better when it comes to you and can aim easier.
If you watch a creative player like RICHARD GASQUET when his backhand is under attack, you will see about 5 or 6 different ways of hitting it.
But also that brings us to the weakness of the classic OHBH that is shown in the video as well: lack of power. It is possible to hit this type of backhand with power, but you have shotgun it from the racket back position and lean forward. Which makes it very hard to focus on when you want to make someone pay or you are moving laterally.
The biggest weakness on a classic OHBH is a heavily topspun ball. I mentioned before that you can extend your arm forward for flat, or you can loosen your arm and flick upward. WELL...a ball that explodes off the ground makes you flick upward because the other way will make you hit the ball long. So it becomes a matter of organization at this point. Do you wuss out and slice? Roll a very high slow ball back OR try to use your weak shoulder and forcefully meet the ball to overcome the spin? Keep in mind that you are also hitting the ball in front of you. None of these choices lead to a powerful response. And most of the time you will get another shoulder punishing, heavily spun shot. Better get ready to run because that is what you will be doing...that is as soon as they get tired of beating up on you WEAK backhand.
Here is a video of Roger Federer's top 10 backhand winners. Notice that his winners are not him slapping the mess out of the ball like his forehand. He either just deflects the ball someone has just hit flat or loops an angle off the court. He is very good at his backhand organization
The bottom line: the classic one handed backhand is great for playing creatively with your opponent. But the higher up in skill you go the more you see that you HAVE to play creatively because you don't have another option. So if you have this type of OHBH, then learn to play loose and mix up your shots. You are going to need that slice and a lot of unconventional shots!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
My 2014 US Open Review WTA
OY....What the heck happen to the ladies??? I went through all this draw and pick Simona Halep to make it to the final and all the ladies to watch got knocked out in the first week!! I didn't even look at my draw anymore. Seriously:
Petra Kvitova OUT
Agneskia Radwanska OUT
Angelique Kerber OUT
Dominika Cibulkova OUT
Sloane Stevens OUT
Sabine Lisicki OUT
Simona Halep OUT
Madison Keys OUT
Carla Suarez Navaro OUT
Taylor Townsend OUT
Francesca Schiavone OUT
Ana Ivanovic OUT
Svetlana Kuznetsova OUT
Zheng Zie OUT
Andrea Petkovic OUT
Coco Vandeweghe OUT
Seriously the best match of the whole Tournament was Cici Bellis (USA) v Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan). I didn't even know Kazakhstan was a real place. I thought they made it up for BORAT. I'm dumb.
Cici is 15 as I write this blog. Apparently she is the future of USA tennis because she upset Dominika Cibulkova in 3 sets. Number 2 in the Juniors and a great competitor. But...look at her:
She's TEENY. I'll be very interested in how she develops but she will probably not be the girl the US is hoping for. Fighter or not I don't think she can take out any heavy hitters. Cibulkova is fast and speeds up the pace but the big girls hit heavy, that girl is in for a lot of running.
Notwithstanding, it was a good match and Diyas shut the crowd up. The commentators spent a very long time talking about how great Bellis is and how she is training. I honestly didn't want to hear about it anymore. It's basically like saying "This girl could go to an academy but she is richer than that so she stayed home and her parents paid lots of coaches and hitting partners." Yup....just in case you want to know how to make a professional tennis player. It helps if you start off rich.
Another match that I enjoyed immensely was Serena Williams v Varvara Lepchenko. Normally I don't watch Serena's matches until the end. I believe that Serena has an issue with blond women and that she REALLY hates losing to them. So she TRASHES them. So I only really watch the matches with Brunettes. But this match was pretty good. Way better than the score dictates. Serena learned how to slide on hard courts AND she had much quieter footwork. Usually she is a little heavy footed but I was REALLY impressed. Serena was very cat-like and this is coming from a person that doesn't like talking about Serena.
Anyway the final came out to be Caroline Wozniaki and Serena Williams with Serena winning pretty easily. I didn't know if she was going to beat Lepchenko but Serena is REALLY consistent when it comes to finals. I can't remember her losing one other than Sam Stosur a few years back.
This win marks Serena's 18th slam which ties her with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and they both came to commemorate the occasion.
More notable things:
Petra Kvitova OUT
Agneskia Radwanska OUT
Angelique Kerber OUT
Dominika Cibulkova OUT
Sloane Stevens OUT
Sabine Lisicki OUT
Simona Halep OUT
Madison Keys OUT
Carla Suarez Navaro OUT
Taylor Townsend OUT
Francesca Schiavone OUT
Ana Ivanovic OUT
Svetlana Kuznetsova OUT
Zheng Zie OUT
Andrea Petkovic OUT
Coco Vandeweghe OUT
Seriously the best match of the whole Tournament was Cici Bellis (USA) v Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan). I didn't even know Kazakhstan was a real place. I thought they made it up for BORAT. I'm dumb.
Cici is 15 as I write this blog. Apparently she is the future of USA tennis because she upset Dominika Cibulkova in 3 sets. Number 2 in the Juniors and a great competitor. But...look at her:
Notwithstanding, it was a good match and Diyas shut the crowd up. The commentators spent a very long time talking about how great Bellis is and how she is training. I honestly didn't want to hear about it anymore. It's basically like saying "This girl could go to an academy but she is richer than that so she stayed home and her parents paid lots of coaches and hitting partners." Yup....just in case you want to know how to make a professional tennis player. It helps if you start off rich.
Another match that I enjoyed immensely was Serena Williams v Varvara Lepchenko. Normally I don't watch Serena's matches until the end. I believe that Serena has an issue with blond women and that she REALLY hates losing to them. So she TRASHES them. So I only really watch the matches with Brunettes. But this match was pretty good. Way better than the score dictates. Serena learned how to slide on hard courts AND she had much quieter footwork. Usually she is a little heavy footed but I was REALLY impressed. Serena was very cat-like and this is coming from a person that doesn't like talking about Serena.
Anyway the final came out to be Caroline Wozniaki and Serena Williams with Serena winning pretty easily. I didn't know if she was going to beat Lepchenko but Serena is REALLY consistent when it comes to finals. I can't remember her losing one other than Sam Stosur a few years back.
More notable things:
- Peng Shuai cramping so bad in the semifinals that she had to default the match. Ugh...I've seen it happen a bunch of times and it always sucks. Muscles just seize up and lock because of the tremendous pressure. Sigh...
- Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta losing the doubles final. Great match if you can look it up on espn3.com
My 2014 US Open Review ATP
As much as I love tennis I can only watch so much of it at a time. However, one of the things that intrigues me about these tournaments is the story that unfolds. My friends, students, wife and I fill out a racket bracket and see who is the best at predicting the story. The best thing about these Slams for me is watching the story slowly unfold over 2 weeks. It's not necessarily watching the matches. So here is the story how I saw it (basically I'm not fact checking):
A couple of side notes:
Men's ATP
Most of the people in the racket bracket picked Federer to win. I don't know what the heck happened to the draw but Raphael Nadal wasn't in it. So on one side you had Roger Federer with his BRAND NEW MICHEAL JORDAN TENNIS SNEAKERS and on the other side you had Jo Willy Tsonga, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic.
This was a great chance for Federer to get another slam because the other guys would get to beat up on themselves and be too tired to punch when they meet Federer at the final. I mean, Fed looked great. He was almost as fast as when he was 25 (gotta be the shoes) AND with Stefan Edberg in his corner, he had been playing some great attacking tennis.
BUT...Gael Monfils showed up all of the sudden trying to prove that he belongs in the top ten. He came with no coach and beat Grigor Dimitrov (who has Monfils' OLD coach) by generally blasting aces and forehands and having a bad breakdown? STRAIGHT SETS! I don't know what was wrong with Dimitrov (baby Federer). He was missing all over the place. Playing Dimitrov is too much like playing Federer so I'm sure Monfils felt good about playing Federer.
Sure enough Monfils took Federer in 2 sets and had 2 straight match points and went back to the old Monfils and lost from being 2 sets ahead. Oh Well, I went to sleep early anyway.
Then Federer ran into Marin Cilic with Goran Ivanisevic (Wimbledon Champion) in his corner in the semifinals and got MAN HANDLED. It is very Surreal because I'm not used to seeing Federer greeted with rallyballs that keep him from hitting forward. I guess those shoes weren't so great....Thanks alot MJ!
The other side of the draw had been going about as planned: Murray took out Tsonga....Djokovic coasting to the semis like always. Seriously, ever since before he won a Slam in 08 Djoker always gets to the quarters with no problem. He's not even worth watching....Wawrinka LOST to Nishikori in 5? Nishikori was supposed to have a foot problem. He seems fine.
So semifinals was Djoker and Nishikori and Nishikori looked like he was doing great while Novak Djokovic didn't. People were saying it was because Djoker was not playing well and just hitting the ball back in the middle of the court. But I think that Kei's ball was just way tougher than Djoker was expecting. I seriously am going to start re-evaluating my game. Kei is about my size minus about 50 lbs...I think I can do it!
Rant: Also the Commentator I was listening to dropped the line "Flushing Meadow's new rising sun" about the Japanese Nishikori. I'm sure he had been waiting all day for that....but he sucks. I don't know who he is but he is...dumb. They let him do the final on usopen.org with Luke Jensen. He just steps all over the analysts toes and makes these statements that assume that tennis is not complicated. That is not his job. His job is to pretend that he knows he is an idiot so that the analyst can explain to him things. All the other Commentators at least played pro except for Ted Robinson or Chris Fowler. But they will at least softball their statements into questions for the analyst. Where the HECK did they get THIS guy? I can't even find him online to complain about him specifically.
So that lead to the final where Nishikori choked and Cilic did not. Finals are not really that great to me. But this one was the first time in 10 years that none of the top 4 were in it. THAT is pretty cool.
- American players aren't very good now
- Patrick McEnroe lost his job as the head of USTA player development
- Nick Kyrgios (low ranked player that beat Nadal at Wimbledon) is worth watching if only to try and understand that loose power. Robredo took him out though....which gave me bragging rights in my household.
- Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil will probably never beat the Bryan Brothers again...Sorry
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Question: What If You And Your Partner Disagree On A Line Call?
So the situation goes like this: You and your partner are playing at the end of a set. The score is TIGHT. They have second serve, your advantage. They serve to your partner and you look at the back line and see an out ball. You put your finger in the air (tennis sign language for out) but your partner hits the ball wide and says "GREAT SERVE!" Then you guys stare each other down for a few seconds as a tumbleweed crosses the court...
Generally the better call goes to the more confident one. If no one is sure, concede the point. But there are a few situations you can be sure of being right in the override.
1. If you are assigned to call that line. If you are returning serve, your partner calls the back line, you call the side line. In the aforementioned situation, you would have been right.
2. If your partner is indisposed. A lot of players don't see the line very well if they are running down lobs or stretched out wide. In that case you are pretty much obligated to call the line for them. If you don't call it out if it was, you better get ready because you will be the only one on the court at that point anyway.
3. If everyone on the court knows what it was. If the other team protests a bad call and your partner looks at you with the eyebrows up. Tell him/her what you thought. You don't have to override forcefully at that point. An insecure partner would feel all three of you are against him/her.
4. You and your partner both agree that your partner sucks at calling lines. Some people suck at it. They get sidetracked and do not pay attention. You should still hold them accountable though.
5. If it is a matter of the game. If you are sure you are right and it could cost you the game, speak up. The other team will not protest hopefully.
And the times you don't override:
1. If your partner says its out with absolute certainty. They are sure about it but you didn't think so. Let the moment pass. You don't want to fight your partner about it. It will mess it your game and devalue the calls for the opponents.
2. If your partner is calling an out to get the other team back for a call they made. You don't want any parts of that one. Support quietly. Say nice point but don't look at your opponents for a reaction.
It is important to remember in line calling that bad calls usually even out. Being right is good but circumstantial. The only thing that proves you right is popular opinion. Also, you do have your partner's self esteem to worry about. If they feel they always make bad calls, then when you need them to call for you they will not sell the call to well and you will have to give up the point.
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