The Art of Winning

[johnyandell]

Let's hear your thoughts on Frank Giampaolo's article "The Art of Winning."

[don_budge]

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Doors

The rock band "The Doors" of the late 60's and 70's whose lead singer was Jim Morrison named themselves after the book "The Doors of Perception". A book written by Aldous Huxley about his experiences with mescaline. Jim Morrison was a big fan of Ferdinand Celine...as I am, and he penned a song called "End of the Night" as a tribute to Celine's novel "Journey to the End of the Night". You did write about "The Doors" in your article, Frank.

I would like to recommend that reading to you Frank. I don't know why...it has nothing to do with tennis. It's just that you seem to be operating from some kind of enlightened basis or operating system than most coaches. Anyone with enough nerve to call their book "The Bible"...I will leave it to bottle to finish that sentence.

But anyways...Frank! What a great article or chapter or book or verse! Call it what you will. Written like a true tennis coach with possible roots in Tilden. An article solely about tactics. It's a game of tactics in the end (another Doors tune, "The End")...the technique merely allows you to carry out those tactics. Warning...don't develop technique that will limit your options. Having different options to play different opponents when the first option isn't working is what we used to call...flexibility. The ability to change and to adapt to different conditions.

The ability to change...come to think of it Morrison wrote a song called the "The Changeling". Maybe this does have something to do with tennis. Super article at any rate...Frank! Appropriate title too...winning as an art. That is a novel way of looking at it. I suppose one must be a bit philosophical when they lose as well.

[don_budge]

"The Art of Winning"...and "The Door" to the service game

Winning is indeed an art. Tennis players that are "winners" definitely have achieved the status of artist in their craft. I like that...the creative link to the human experience. Tennis players that eventually become masters of their craft are also scientists, philosophers...and detectives.

I read your article a couple of times...not because I didn't understand the language but because I thought it was interesting and there were a couple of points that I would like to mention and elaborate or rather comment on. I love the analogy of "thinking like a pitcher"...especially when it comes to serving. I think that some months ago I wrote a post suggesting that coaches teach their students to emulate the Cy Young Award winner from the Detroit Tigers...Justin Verlander. But overall I must quote from Tilden in that respect..."never give your opponent a ball that he likes to hit". You cover some of the options rather nicely. Study your opponent...study his grips. There is a lot of information to be gleaned from this alone.

Your discussion of preferred short ball options is interesting as well. On top of this I would add that players approaching the net develop all four options and a couple of others as well. I find that the use of underspin is an under utilized tactic at all levels of tennis. Particularly in the lower echelons from the professional scene. I would call this tactic a high percentage play. In this respect there is a sister article in this months issue..."The Opportunity Attack".

When you discuss the causes for errors...the one thing that I would like to add is footwork. The key to a balanced base from which to swing is in the placement of the feet. The player that hits or swings from a more balanced and secure base more often has a higher percentage of hitting with power, placement and spin. Even in the highest of levels of tennis this is often a huge deciding factor. When you look at Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray it is easy to determine why these are the players that are succeeding week after week at the highest level of tennis. They get in better position, more often than their opponents do.

Tennis players are really creatures of habit aren't they? More than that they are ritualists...and I was really entertained that you made this distinction later in your article. Ritual is such an integral part of each players makeup. Look at your top players...when they mean it, when they are serious they never deviate from their rituals. Especially when they are closing out matches they go deep into the ritual process. Just watch Roger Federer serve out matches. I wonder where his sense of ritual went in the Olympic Finals against Murray. Did they go the way of the sentimental favorite somehow? Just a question. I have never seen him so lackadaisical regarding his rituals.

And finally Frank...I bet you thought I would never get this over with. It is your fault anyways for writing such a thought provoking article. Finally Frank...it is this matter with the doors that you speak about... and "The Doors of Perception" that Aldous Huxley wrote about. Plus don't forget Jim Morrison's rock band in the '60s and '70s...The Doors. There is one door that I would like to introduce to "The Art of Winning". This door is specifically one or two meters directly behind the service line from the point where the server is going to put his serve in play. I suggest that the server mark this spot in his tactical and ritualistic brain and enter this door every time he goes to serve. On every point as he enters this doorway he is contemplating the point to be played. On important or critical points he might even want to pause in the "doorway" and contemplate his service tactic, the score and various other components of the upcoming point. Ladies and gentlemen...may I introduce to you..."The Door". I just love a good concept or metaphor when it comes to doors.

Thoroughly enjoyed the article Frank...have you ever read "How to Play Better Tennis: a complete guide to technique and tactics" by Bill Tilden. You read as if you may be a student of Tilden.

[privas]

"The End"- The Beatles

Excellent stuff, beyond tennis, more "meaning of life" stuff here in this article, more like approaches to success in general, Og Mandino-esque. Knowing a Plan B, C, and D requires a love for the sport during practice and during match play many times unkown today...to loosen up and help get beyond the rigidity of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, i.e. insanity. "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." (The End, Beatles)

[don_budge]

Andy Murray the "Artist"?

Rarely will anyone think of Andy Murray as being artistic in the true sense of the word. But I am sure that if Frank was watching him he probably said to himself, "nice tactics".

Murray was down a set and Cilic was serving for the second set to go up two sets to one and Murray did some very thoughtful things. He changed things up a bit to present something to his opponent in an attempt to momentarily unnerve him and try to derail him from winning the set. He tactically outmaneuvered him.

Andy thoughtfully retreated a full three meters behind the baseline on the Cilic serve and returned Cilic's first ball with a blocked forehand return with underspin. Murray won that point. He did the same thing on the second point and Cilic double faulted. At love thirty, Murray again returned with a blocked forehand with underspin and won that point to go up love forty with three break chances.

Cilic did manage to pull even at deuce but ended up losing his serve with a double fault. Up until that game he had been serving like a god. Losing that game probably cost him a spot in the semifinals of the U. S. Open and he will always be left to wonder what would have been if he had managed to hold serve. Andy managed to cast a shadow of doubt on his opponents confidence and Cilic lost his nerve. Murray however moves on with a well deserved spot of his own and he may just owe it to the tactics that he used to break his opponents serve at a key moment in the match.

There was a little bit of a scary moment...at one point Andy made one of his grimacing faces. He looked just like his mother for an instant. I wonder what he would look like holding that U. S. Open trophy over his head.