The Gold Medal Match...Federer vs. Murray

[don_budge]

Well...any thoughts?

[don_budge]

Here's a thought...Murray's serve vs. Federer's serve

Notice how Murray finishes with his left wing flapping incoherently in the wind and behind him. Now he must collect himself for his opponents return.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/andy_murray/am_serve/am_1st_serve/am_1st_serve.html?AM1stSDeuceCourtLevelFront1.mov

See how Federer neatly catches his racquet with his left hand as he is finishing his service swing. Hmmm...is he already preparing for the next shot? Remember it is little things at this level of the game. The sum total of those little things spell the difference...between winners and losers. Men of destiny versus the also rans.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/roger_federer_09/rf_serve/rf_1st_serve/rf_1st_serve.html?RF1stSDeuceCourtLevelFront1.mov

There seems to be much more balance to the Federer swing. Is it because he is tossing the ball a bit farther to the right. There is an almost imperceptible rhythmic flaw in Murray's motion and it seems to be related to his toss...it is as if he tosses the ball behind him so that he must make some compensating move to get his body out of the way. He seems to be a bit off balance. It is almost as if he is ducking out of the way at the last moment of impact. Even the way that Federer lands into the court after his delivery looks to be much more balanced and therefore purposeful than Murray who appears to really be struggling with his balance and sense of equilibrium.

Take both motions and stop them at the moment of impact. It appears to me that Murray has done much more rotating to the left than Federer. He has spent much of his rotational energy before he has made contact whereas Federer has delayed his rotation and timed it a bit more neatly with the total energy package of his motion. Look at the position of their left hands at impact...Murray has pulled his hand clear to the middle of his abdomen whereas Federer's hand is still chest high. Look at the position of their respective shoulders. It looks to me that Murray's motion tends to be a bit quick with respect to his rotation of his lower body and torso compared to Federer.

The fix for Murray? Throw the ball a tad more to the right and catch the follow through ala Federer. This will prevent the premature rotation that makes him to appear ever so slightly off balanced at impact. Result? Fewer faults in the net.

This may not look to be much of a deviation but under pressure on a windy day in front of a throng of hopeful, adoring Brits with demanding and astronomically high expectations...it may play havoc with the nerves of a man not made of steel. A little premature quickness in a golf swing can be the kiss of death. The same thing might just hold true for the service motion in tennis.

Just a thought. Anyone?

[bottle]

Thanks for the lesson.

[don_budge]

Very Interesting...Serves and Slices or the Hometown Hero

With love and respect...John. One for the money...two for the show...three to get ready...now go cat go.

What a beautiful moment for a tennis match. A tennis match for the Olympic gold medal. For me...the Olympics are rather meaningless. But of course I am a relic. I am from a day when it was amateur athletics...whatever that means. Today the professionals bring everything with them that has pretty much destroyed what used to be the spirit of athletic competition. Instead of loyalty, dedication to the team and coach...it is all about the almighty dollar. That's ok. Things change. I live in the woods.

But how much have they changed in the two weeks or so since the two combatants played the final at Wimbledon? That glorious day when Federer hammered out his latest Grand Slam victory. Slamming the door on Murray's chance to redeem his nation on the hallowed stage of the Center Court at Wimbledon. As luck would have it opportunity comes knocking once again for the hapless Scot...another chance to redeem himself after a wonderful match against the once "Meteoric Djokovic". But can he capitalize?

One thing that has changed is both men are a couple of weeks older and a couple of weeks smarter. But which has gleaned more from their experiences? Has Murray learned anything from his defeat at the hands of Federer and his recent success in the Olympics? Will his participating in the doubles at the Olympics work for him or against him in terms of fatigue or his ability to be ready when the bell tolls on Sunday afternoon at one-thirty London time. Or will it be another case of the Fed Express just being too much for Andy and another sad and lonely singing of "London Bridges Falling Down".

It comes down to a couple of things. One of them is performance and one of them is intestinal fortitude. Who will rise to the occasion and who will have the balls to carry out their mission? My guess is it will be Federer...but I wouldn't rule out Murray. Not this time.

With regard to Federer...he is who he is. He is the "Once and Future King". We counted him out after his heartbreaking loss to Djokovic last summer at the US Open when Novak hurled a bolt of lightning from out of nowhere at him on a crucial match point. But Roger somehow went off and licked his wounds...reinvented and resurrected himself to catapult back to the numero uno position in professional tennis. You will never be able to count him out of this match until it is over. In order to go home with the gold Federer will just have to do what he always does...be himself. Serve well, stay in the moment and never give up. He's a simple man...just keep it simple. Serve well, make good use of the slice backhand and get to the net to conclude things whenever possible.

Andy Murray on the other hand tends to be a bit more complicated. The Scot and his karma...he has a history of disappearing at the big moment. But compensating for his spiritual shortcomings will be the throng of Brits behind him and in the Olympic spirit of the day...this will be his ace in the hole. If ever a man needed a crowd behind him to buoy his spirits...it is Andy Murray. Plus the odds are starting to favor him. Afterall...if you put enough monkeys in a room with enough typewriters, sooner or later one of them will type out the King James version of the Bible. Know what I mean?

If Murray should ever find the confidence to play Federer on the big stage at the big moment he will find himself on the verge of a breakthrough moment. Andy needs to serve tough. Plain and simple. Throw that ball a tad more to the right and a bit more into the court and go for it. Andy needs to be a bit more fatalistic at this point in his career. He will gain a huge psychological edge over himself if he finds himself holding serve methodically and rhythmically over his royalty opponent. If he finds himself in this driver's seat he may just as well find the confidence to start taking some good swings on return of serve and find himself with a break opportunity or two which is all that he will need...if everything goes perfectly for him.

The fact that the match is two out of three sets could work for or against either of these two contestants but because the match is being played in Murray's "backyard" this will give him a slight edge in the beginning of the match and a huge edge if he should be so fortunate to capture the first set. Federer on the other hand has seen it all. He has been there many times and looked the abyss deep in the dark hole. When you are at the top the view is splendid but there is always that realization that there is only one way out...and that is down. He has been at the top. He recently scaled that precipitous wall again. He has no intentions of letting this one slip away.

One other thing is working in "The Maestro's" corner in the lead up to this match and that is the two matches that he played before he plays Murray. His opponents John Isner and Juan Del Potro both were playing big tennis and big serve so Federer has his teeth into the tournament at a fast pace. Federer was making great use of his slice backhand to neutralize and defend in both matches and he should continue to do so as he whittles away at Murray's impressive two handed backhand. The object of Federer's tactics will be to dismantle the strength of Murray which is the backhand in order to exploit his mental and spiritual deficiencies. These big guys were not just shilly shalleying around. The tense third set against Del Potro should ground his nerves for any tense moments that might arise during the Gold Medal contest.

What a great backdrop there is for this Olympic sized spectacle. This is a special moment at these 2012 Olympics. It is an Olympic sized moment as well. The fact that this match is being played on the hallowed stage of Wimbledon's center court is everything. The uniqueness of tennis to provide drama for the spectator is in its glory today. For the love of the game...let the game begin. Gentlemen...start your engines. I have a feeling that this is going to be very interesting.

[jbill]

It's my understanding the gold metal match today is a best of five not three sets. Kinda changes the complexion, doesn't it?

[don_budge]

Advantage...

It's my understanding the gold metal match today is a best of five not three sets. Kinda changes the complexion, doesn't it?

Ooopss...my bad. Thanks jbill!

Advantage Federer.

[don_budge]

Exhibition Match?

Federer played that as if it was an exhibition. Very lackadaisical and nonchalant. Very unlike him. Very unfederesque. He was laughing as he went to the net to congratulate Murray. Hmmm.....is it possible that he thought it would be a nice present to throw Murray a bone?

It didn't cost him anything but Murray on the other hand could reap some rather large benefits. Murray climbed into the stands and the whole scene lacked a sense of reality...it lacked a sense of real drama.

[don_budge]

Wtf?

What a beautiful moment for a tennis match. A tennis match for the Olympic gold medal. For me...the Olympics are rather meaningless. But of course I am a relic. I am from a day when it was amateur athletics...whatever that means. Today the professionals bring everything with them that has pretty much destroyed what used to be the spirit of athletic competition. Instead of loyalty, dedication to the team and coach...it is all about the almighty dollar. That's ok. Things change. I live in the woods.

Perhaps that match was a "professional sports" moment. In a rare show of solidarity my wife seems to agree with me. She asked me if that match could of been fixed. She is convinced that Federer threw the match. My answer to that...professional sports brings another element to the mix of the Olympics. Not all of it that good...take betting for instance. Just think...Big Time Wrestling.

It's funny. My wife cannot seem to let this one go. She has sat through many a Roger Federer match and to her untrained eye she thinks that match was rigged. She says she never has seen Roger go down so meekly. You know what...I have to agree with her and you don't know how much that hurts to say that. It looked like Roger tanked that match. When they brought the professionals into the Olympics they brought the big bucks. Money talks and bullshit walks. Well...you never know. I am not saying the match was set but one must wonder what kind of betting money was exchanged on that little fiasco. Whatever the circumstances...that was most "unfederesque".

It certainly does not dissuade me in my opinion of the Olympics...they are tainted. There is a lot of cheating going on.

[jbill]

Pure and simple Federer got outplayed. He wanted to win the gold as much as anyone. Murray was the better player today!

[jbill]

As far as tanking the match, I really doubt that that is in Federer's character. He won't even use gamemanship to win matches like someone else we know (Nadal).

[don_budge]

I know...I know.

Yeah...I know jbill. I have watched a lot of tennis through the years but that match looked really bad. There had to be something dreadfully wrong with Federer. Murray didn't look that impressive. I was even unimpressed with his voyage into the stands to hug and kiss everyone in his box.

You will have to forgive my wife too. She reminds me of that Hungarian Zsa Zsa Gabor character in the old sitcom "Green Acres"...you are probably too young to remember that one. But the character is a slightly aging blonde bombshell...I looked up the word for bimbo in Hungarian and it is bimbo. Not that my wife is a bimbo or anything it is just that Zsa Zsa always got things mixed up in translation with the Eddie Albert character on account of the language differences. If you can imagine I have the same thing going on here...I am starting to shake my head instead of questioning.

But this time I have to hand it to her...that match was a stinker. I have watched a lot of Federer...and the wife has watched him with me...and I have never seen him give up without a fight. Until today. I know that "tank" is an ugly word in the tennis world but I have a difficult time saying that he was outplayed. Murray was not that impressive...at least not any more impressive than usual. To my eyes...that match didn't make much sense.

Anybody else out there with any thoughts about the Gold Medal match. I had such high hopes but it sure came off like a lead balloon. Stotty...did you see it?

[jbill]

I do agree with you, though, don_budge, on the fact that the olympics nowdays are just a commercial venture. It's all about money for almost everyone concerned. In the old days the spirit was totally different. i don't really care much for the olympics these days.

[gsheiner]

My first thought was that it was a breakthrough win for Murray regardless of the circumstances. He still had to serve it out and showed no jitters ( the opposite actually since he nailed 3 aces in a row). It should do him a world of good psychologically.

Initially, I wouldn't have believed that Federer would donate ( If the vision from Sweden is correct) a match of this significance to Murray, because it would take away from Fed's edge over Murray in any future slam semis or finals in the near future, and why would he risk that?

Then, a second thought popped into my head.

What if Federer realizes that his time for seriously competing for slam titles is getting short.

His main goal might be to stop Nadal , and even Djokovic, since with no superstars on the horizon, those two might pick up a ton of slams over the next five years.

What better way than to Lendlize Murray? The great loser transformed into a champion so that now the slams get divvied up 3 ways?

Just a thought.

[stotty]

Impressive

Yeah...I know jbill. I have watched a lot of tennis through the years but that match looked really bad. There had to be something dreadfully wrong with Federer. Murray didn't look that impressive. I was even unimpressed with his voyage into stands to hug and kiss everyone in his box.

You will have to forgive my wife too. She reminds me of that Hungarian Zsa Zsa Gabor character in the old sitcom "Green Acres"...you are probably too young to remember that one. But the character is a slightly aging blonde bombshell...I looked up the word for bimbo in Hungarian and it is bimbo. Not that my wife is a bimbo or anything it is just that Zsa Zsa always got things mixed up in translation with the Eddie Albert character on account of the language differences. If you can imagine I have the same thing going on here...I am starting to shake my head instead of questioning.

But this time I have to hand it to her...that match was a stinker. I have watched a lot of Federer...and the wife has watched him with me...and I have never seen him give up with out a fight. Until today. I know that "tank" is an ugly word in the tennis world but I have a difficult time saying that he was outplayed. Murray was not that impressive...at least not any more impressive than usual. To my eyes...that match didn't make much sense.

Anybody else out there with any thoughts about the Gold Medal match. I had such high hopes but it sure came off like a lead balloon. Stotty...did you see it?

Sorry not to be chipping in to the threads right now. I am running a tournament with over 200 entrants...snowed under. Won't be around much for another week.

I have to disagree with you, don_budge. You must have been watching a different match to me. Murray was Impressive with a capital "I". Finally he has justified his talent. Not that I term the Olympics as a major event for tennis, and deep down neither do the players.

I once saw Murray demolish Nadal in the same way after losing the first. He went on to win the next two set 6-2 6-0. It was almost embarrassing the way he pulled Nadal apart that day. And today he did the same again, only this time Federer was his victim. He battered him to death.

Federer was flat, seemed to have nothing in his legs. That match with Del Po sapped him...he is 31 now. That's the only excuse I can give him.

Murray deserved his emphatic win, thoroughly deserved it.

We are a tiny country, yet third on the medal tally list...not bad.

[tennis_chiro]

Agree with Stotty

I have to agree with Stotty. Federer was flat, perhaps from the exertion and tension of the Del Potro match. Imagine the shock when he finally broke Del Potro in the 21st (or 19th) gave of the third set and immediately lost his serve on 4 points. He was lucky to get out of that. He said he imagined losing during the match. Not the old Fed. Or perhaps just Fed getting old.

In any case, he was missing something, but Murray was terrific. That final against Nadal was in Tokyo last fall. Nadal got only 4 points in the last set. Give Murray his due. He earned it. But that was not the Fed out there today who earned back the number one ranking over the last 10 months. Let's hope that other Fed will still be around a little longer to fight for the number one ranking at the end of the year.

Notice Fed is not playing Toronto. Curious to see if Murray and Djokovic show up and play well. Cincy should be really interesting.

don