Hey AJ, tell us about your game

[lukman41985]

Grips, playing style, etc.

[johnyandell]

He can do just about anything with the ball. He enjoys doing just about anything with the ball. You can't do anything to him with the ball. He enjoys that you can't do anything to him with the ball

[lukman41985]

Really, is he open level?

[ajchabria]

blushing

What a question. I'm flattered....and humbled by Mr. Yandell's words. But, John, Lukman was asking about MY game, not Federer's.

Hmmm. My game. Let me get back to you tomorrow. I try to steer clear of narcissism, self-indulgence....I even make fun of SNL when it gets too self-referential.
Oh what the hell.

Short answer: a Becker/Stich wannabe. Of course, I'm just barely 6'0" and stocky, so I really canNOT end the answer there.

Longer answer: I'm told I'm consistent during practice. That is a surprise to me, since during matches, the points are usually short (1 way or the other).

Pretty good serve: some kick, some slice, some disguise. Righty.

Versatile slice backhand (continental). Love to approach off it. Like to hit topspin BH passes (conservative eastern BH grip, bordering on continental by today's standards, though I'd love to be more like Guga/Gaudio). Love to rip the occasional BH return, but the slice is the go-to.

Favorite shot: Bh topspin lob.

Okay FH from the middle of the court. Good running FH, I'm told. Eastern grips.

Most comfortable at net these days (continental grip). Love to drop volley. Love angling overheads behind people.

Grew up on clay outdoors and fast hardcourts indoors. Raised on Nastase, Borg and McEnroe. Loved playing on grass, though it's been a while. Ideal surface: a fast, hard, dry clay court or maybe one of those synthetic grass courts where you can play attacking tennis, but you can still slide into your groundstrokes.

I dig the S-V/chip&charge game, but my ideal point is: a short angled X-ct FH or BH, a slice Bh approach, a volley to the side T, then an overhead to a corner. Man, that sounds cocky, especially after John's all-too-kind assessment. Sorry, but it's what I like....as long as my opponents cooperate, nobody gets hurt, see?

Love to slice my BH wide and short to the two-hander's bh side and sneak in. I smoked my first and only cigarette after Boris did that to Agassi like 30 times in the '95 Wimbledon semi....a rare Boris win over Dre.

Enjoy playing S&V'ers (love a target). Love to play a pusher and/or a baseliner, too. The college kids I say I'm hard to read, especially on the BH side. Of course they hit much harder than me, so they can afford to throw a few compliments my way.
I struggle with the all-court players, especially those who are younger and quicker than me (obviously).

I play purely for fun, even in a real match. Naturally, some well-timed, high risk shot selection is cool by me, especially if I make it . BH smash DTL...lob-volley, dropper from the baseline, tweener, whatever. Make or miss...it is, literally, all in good fun.

Love this game!

Thanks for asking. You know what would be cool? A couple of paragraphs on each writer and member here in this forum!

Who's next?

[johnyandell]

AJ you know very well what I meant... Remember I was on the court with you.

[scottmurphy]

Aj

Okay, okay, I can't resist. I had the great fortune of hitting thousands of tennis balls with AJ before he departed for greener pastures some eight years ago and pure and simple, he's a hell of a player. He's also an absolute fountain of tennis knowledge. He's had an answer for anything I've ever asked him and he's the perfect guy for Notes On The Tour.

[bottle]

Confession or Solid Analysis?

I love this kind of total self-assessment. Among other things, it's full of ideas to try. I'd do one myself except that I'm not feeling masterful and have a match to play. Can one play tennis effectively right after writing about it?
I doubt it.

Masterful players should all have a ticket to talk about their own game. The dangerous players who might use this information against them probably don't know how to read-- so why worry? A.J. overcame his embarrassment quite well, it seems to me, and other masters could, too.

C'mon, Ivan, talk-- this time without a ghostwriter.

[ajchabria]

confession / self-assessment / solid analysis ?

Way too kind, gentlemen.

Bottle, how did your match go?

[bottle]

How My Match Went-- I'm Glad to Answer

Unlike Bea Bielik against Justine Henin-Hardenne, I was able to get around the outside of my 1htsbh's and so prevailed 4-1, ret. Well, actually, it was an underspun dink to the short T that caused my opponent's hamstring to go BOING! He had no chance of retrieving this shot and tried too hard as it died in the har-tru. He just hadn't learned yet, although he is elderly like me, that certain shots are best let go. Hopefully, the pull was mild.

[ladycoach]

Bea vs Justine

Wow, you were at that match at the '02 US Open? Me too.
I was hoping the young New Yorker could make some waves, but...

Yes, the soft slice to the side T. Hope your victim will be okay soon.
Take care.

[ajchabria]

Bottle,
Nice shot...well played. Hopefully, your opponent isn't too bad off.

As for the BB vs JHH US Open match from '02, I was there, too. Great first set, huh? Then Bea started looking like the weaker player, not just the less experienced player. Even the NY crowd thinned out less than halfway through the second set.

What do you all think of Justine's chances at Roland Garros?
What about the men's draw?

[ruymendes]

Roland Garros

Womem´s Final - Justine X Clisters
Men´s Final - Federer X Nadal
Quite an obvious choice, don´t you think?