2012 Davis Cup

[klacr]

Am I the only one that has not owned up to the fact that the tennis season is over?

Davis Cup Finals are going on and I have the feeling not many people care.

Of course, I can't call myself loyal if I don't watch Tomas Berdych and the Czech team take on the Spaniards. TBerd had a big 5 set win yesterday against Almagro. He followed that up with a crucial doubles victory today.

I know many tennis fans and forum contributors have no interest in Davis Cup because it's somewhat antiquated in format and meaningless in the frequency of its occurrences. It also doesn't help that two of the top players are Ferrer and Berdych.

Many folks find Ferrer (alliteration not intended) boring to watch. Can't really argue that.

A lot of people find Berdych too mechanical and rigid. But man can he hit that ball. In love with that forehand.

While the rest of you reminisce about the wonderful 2012 season, I'll still be clinging on to the final day of actual men's tennis. Even if it is Davis Cup.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[lobndropshot]

Ferrer is the bodyguard of the big 4. If you want to get to them you have to go through him.

[don_budge]

The 5th Rubber Match...Davis Cup 2012 Stepanek vs. Almagro

Am I the only one that has not owned up to the fact that the tennis season is over?

Davis Cup Finals are going on and I have the feeling not many people care.

Of course, I can't call myself loyal if I don't watch Tomas Berdych and the Czech team take on the Spaniards. TBerd had a big 5 set win yesterday against Almagro. He followed that up with a crucial doubles victory today.

I know many tennis fans and forum contributors have no interest in Davis Cup because it's somewhat antiquated in format and meaningless in the frequency of its occurrences. It also doesn't help that two of the top players are Ferrer and Berdych.

Many folks find Ferrer (alliteration not intended) boring to watch. Can't really argue that.

A lot of people find Berdych too mechanical and rigid. But man can he hit that ball. In love with that forehand.

While the rest of you reminisce about the wonderful 2012 season, I'll still be clinging on to the final day of actual men's tennis. Even if it is Davis Cup.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Yes Kyle...you are the only one who has owned up to the fact that the tennis season is not over. I am going to write a song about you and I will call it...”The Only Living Boy in Boca Raton”. The music is the same as the Simon and Garfunkel tune...”The Only Living Boy in New York”.

Not that many people are interested in the Davis Cup these days and the feeling is that a lot of the players are not that interested either. It’s too bad. This is another example of the tradition that has gone by the wayside in tennis. Davis Cup...traditionally many years ago was an amateur event and the pride of playing for your country was one of the chief reasons that players would play Davis Cup year after year. Like everything else these days...the big bucks rule and there are more lucrative ways to spend your time as a professional tennis player. A reformatting is probably called for.

David Ferrer is a boring tennis player to watch but that is not to say he is without merit as you pointed out in the 2012 Paribas French Open thread. His ability to retrieve and persist is perhaps without parallel in the game today which has earned him the reputation of a bulldog guarding the gates...as lobndropshot asserts. But equally boring in my opinion is your boy Tomas Berdych as his play is very one dimensional and lacking in any kind of versatility whatsoever...at least as far as I can see. He is all forehand and serve and hard hitting...and harder. Boring. Sorry about that Chief.

I tried to watch the match but decided to go out and toss some wood into the woodshed instead. Not that my activity was so exciting but at least I had the companionship of my chocolate lab Frankie whom I brought with me from America plus the serenity of the work and fresh air is unparalleled in the universe. I may be broke on any given day...but I am a rich man. Plus I have twelve cubic meters of wood in the bank...I mean the wood shed.

But now Nicolas Almagro and Radek Stepanek are a different matter entirely. What an entertaining match this is turning out to be. Stepanek actually holds a 2-1 head to head advantage on Almagro and their respective #37 and #11 rankings make this a highlight of their years and even perhaps their careers. This is the beauty of Davis Cup...guys that are out of the highlights normally, get a chance to step up to center stage and have the chance to be a hero. How beautiful is that?

Stepanek is 34 years old, which is only three clicks lower than his ranking but he is showing a bunch of maturity in his play against the younger and higher ranked opponent. Radek is one of the top ranked doubles players and today he is using all of that tactical savvy as he is pressing the issue at the net. At this point in the match he is up two sets to none and it is going to be interesting to see if he can get the horse in the barn. We will see if his 34 year old legs can finish the deal.

Almagro, to his credit is a beautiful one handed backhand player with some nice classic swings but he seems to be rather uncomfortable coming forward. He appears to have some rather noticeable funny business in his service motion as well and his serve definitely let him down throughout the first two sets. The pressure of playing in a hostile country seems to be taking its toll on him as well as his footwork seems to have disappeared on him as the nerves seem to be taking its toll. Once all of the nervous energy is filling the head the feet seem to lose their ability to move. How does one get the energy back down into the legs once it has filled the head? The ability to relax under pressure...that’s how.

Stepanek is playing very wisely indeed...his repeated advances to the net are giving the Spaniard a duo pronged vexation . By taking such initiative at every opportunity, Stepanek is exploiting the nervous footwork of Almagro and at the same time the pressure of the attack puts him back more on his heels keeping him off balance. At the same time Stepanek is defending very well and staying in some points that otherwise may be conceded to the Spaniard. The sum total of the tactics of Stepanek are some rather uncharacteristic errors from the normally very stable groundstrokes of the Spaniard. Making passing shots under pressure of cleverly placed and change of pace approach shots is no easy task. The clever play of Stepanek, the constant noise of the blaring horns and the hostile crowd are going to be a real challenge for Almagro to overcome if he is going to comeback and take this match in five sets.

Almagro just took the third set...6-3 and is clinging to this match...much as you and I are clinging to the final day of tennis in 2012.

[don_budge]

The 100th Davis Cup Final to Czechoslovakia...

Radek Stepanek defeats Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. A brilliant tactical and emotionally managed match for Radek Stepanek. Perhaps the most entertaining match of the year. Tough stuff.

[stotty]

Almagro

I watched Almagro at Wimbledon this year. I sat about three rows back and had a great view of his game. He strikes the ball beautifully...but with little variety...the ball crosses the net at the same height all the time. It's dull stuff after a while. He strolls around rather majestically and is very conscious of himself and doesn't want to be seen to be trying too hard...a primadonna. After a couple of sets I came to the conclusion he's not the sort of bloke to put your money on in a crisis. I think I was right.

Yes, the Davis Cup is defunct...an insignificant event...has been for years.

Here's the question: How would YOU turn around the event and turn it in to what it once was?

[klacr]

Yes Kyle...you are the only one who has owned up to the fact that the tennis season is not over. I am going to write a song about you and I will call it...”The Only Living Boy in Boca Raton”. The music is the same as the Simon and Garfunkel tune...”The Only Living Boy in New York”.

Not that many people are interested in the Davis Cup these days and the feeling is that a lot of the players are not that interested either. It’s too bad. This is another example of the tradition that has gone by the wayside in tennis. Davis Cup...traditionally many years ago was an amateur event and the pride of playing for your country was one of the chief reasons that players would play Davis Cup year after year. Like everything else these days...the big bucks rule and there are more lucrative ways to spend your time as a professional tennis player. A reformatting is probably called for.

don_budge,

You are a lucky man living in Sweden. Beautiful country indeed. A bit chilly for my taste though. I say that bundles up in this nippy 71 degree weather looking at the ocean.

Thanks for the song. I love it.

I was being a bit facetious with my question. I had an idea that no one really cared about Davis Cup and although I understand why, many of the reasons you mentioned, But I still feel I need to watch it out of respect. I'm a bit old school in that way I guess.

Yes, Ferrer is respected but nothing fancy.

The way you describe Berdych are hard for me to read, but at the same time I am completely in agreement with you, just tough to fathom why I like him so much. I prefer one-handed backhands, which Berdych does not have. I like all around and smooth games, which Berdych does not have. I like some style and flair which Berdych does not have. I love the versatility of the players from a different era which Berdych does not possess nor does he originate from.

I appreciate your honesty don_budge in evaluating the Berdych game, it all rings true. But maybe it's my stubbornness, my "Titanic band" going down with the ship mentality. Or maybe, just maybe, It's that Forehand.

Ahhhh Hell! It's all of those things!

With that being said...After that awesome Stepanek/Almagro match which was truly a delight to watch...

Tomas Berdych, despite all the negatives has something that neither you nor I nor Roger Federer have...A Davis Cup Trophy for our country and ourselves.

Czech Mate


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Thanks for the tipoff...Davis Cup 2012

don_budge,

I was being a bit facetious with my question. I had an idea that no one really cared about Davis Cup and although I understand why, many of the reasons you mentioned, But I still feel I need to watch it out of respect. I'm a bit old school in that way I guess.

Czech Mate

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Czech Mate indeed! A friend of mine recently visited Prague and said it was an incredible city with wonderful nightlife...especially if you are an insider. Prague must be rocking after their recent Davis Cup triumph along with some prestigious football victories.

I was more or less done with the tennis season until your heads up about teh Davis Cup on the forum for which I am deeply thankful. If you had not mentioned it I am not sure that a Stepanek vs. Almagro match would of gotten my interest. As it was I think it was the most exciting match that I have seen this year.

Great call...Mate! Great that you call yourself old school...I just think you are a great guy who knows how to show respect for days gone by and your elders. Moving forward we certainly need guys like you to carry on the great traditions of this sport. Keep up with your homework here on the forum...we look forward to your comments and perspectives. Down there in sunny Florida...with your Pina Colada's and the rest of it.

[klacr]

Czech Mate indeed! A friend of mine recently visited Prague and said it was an incredible city with wonderful nightlife...especially if you are an insider. Prague must be rocking after their recent Davis Cup triumph along with some prestigious football victories.

I was more or less done with the tennis season until your heads up about teh Davis Cup on the forum for which I am deeply thankful. If you had not mentioned it I am not sure that a Stepanek vs. Almagro match would of gotten my interest. As it was I think it was the most exciting match that I have seen this year.

Great call...Mate! Great that you call yourself old school...I just think you are a great guy who knows how to show respect for days gone by and your elders. Moving forward we certainly need guys like you to carry on the great traditions of this sport. Keep up with your homework here on the forum...we look forward to your comments and perspectives. Down there in sunny Florida...with your Pina Colada's and the rest of it.

Some of my college friends and teammates are from the Czech Republic. They know many of the players and staff on the Davis Cup team and said partying and celebration was an understatement in Prague last night. Having been to Prague before, it is an awesome city. I can only imagine the festivities during a Davis Cup celebration.

I'm glad don_budge that you were able to watch the Stepanek-Almagro match. See, and you had written the tennis season off. NEVER GIVE UP! That's what I love about tennis, just when you think there will be a lull some match or player brings all the energy and passion straight back when you least expect it. I had a tennis lull that seemed to last an eternity from 2001-2003 before Federer won his first Wimbledon. All my favorites (Krajicek, Muster, Pioline, Edberg, Becker) were pretty much all gone from the game and I didn't see anyone or anything on the horizon. The 2002 Wimbledon Final between baseliners Hewitt-Nalbandian was the embarrassing low point...But then Federer came into the spotlight and their was a new hope. Funny how it works.

I always have tried to have respect and admiration for my elders and traditions. I always feel it's important to keep our past fresh in our memory so we can appreciate the current and future even more. The past will always be the past and the basics will always be the basics. We can't improve until we respect and master those two ideologies respectively.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[DougEng]

I watched Almagro at Wimbledon this year. I sat about three rows back and had a great view of his game. He strikes the ball beautifully...but with little variety...the ball crosses the net at the same height all the time. It's dull stuff after a while. He strolls around rather majestically and is very conscious of himself and doesn't want to be seen to be trying too hard...a primadonna. After a couple of sets I came to the conclusion he's not the sort of bloke to put your money on in a crisis. I think I was right.

Yes, the Davis Cup is defunct...an insignificant event...has been for years.

Here's the question: How would YOU turn around the event and turn it in to what it once was?

For a one-hander, he's game is quite monotonous. Compared to many who are more creative or use all-court games. Wouldn't you say?

[bottle]

Stepanek's Combination of Beauty and Ugliness

So glad to hear about this. I only saw the doubles-- but it was fascinating-- especially after what happened with Stepanek playing with LEANDER PAES against the same team just the week before.

I have to say, I really love Davis Cup and its crowds and all its little side stories just the way it is. If that makes me an old fogey sobeit.

Paes was so impressive-- so stately, athletic and charismatic-- in Davis Cup Winston-Salem, which is where I saw him in person. He and Bhupati won the doubles point but he had to play singles too and didn't do badly though he lost to Roddick or Blake-- can't remember which.

At another Davis Cup Winston-Salem which I saw, Richard Gasquet had a hissy-fit because he didn't want to play against Roddick so Guy Forget substituted Michael Llodra.

That's almost gossip, isn't it? But as I say, all the little stories and even observations by the locals become part of the mix. I was in a bar and one of the local players, a real tennis person, was assisting with the event. And all week he watched the American and French teams practice, and thought Patrick McEnroe, the non-playing American captain, looked the best of anybody.

Well, there is aesthetics in tennis, and we admire a smooth player just the way we admire a smooth dancer. And the beholder with beauty in his eye can just be some guy in a bar rather than a famous person.

There's something sterile and numbing about the more "professional" events.
They need to become more like Davis Cup rather than the other way around.

[klacr]

For a one-hander, he's game is quite monotonous. Compared to many who are more creative or use all-court games. Wouldn't you say?

Doug,

Totally agree. Great moment on Almagro's game. very boring with no real flair. Most one-hander's have a little something special in the strokes, a unique twist or turn. A little slice or an attacking volley/backhand volley game. Almagro is content to hand back and just hit same thing over and over. Can't fault him for it as he was and nearly is currently (ranked 11) a top ten player. But he lacks that artistry.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Thinkers please...

For a one-hander, he's game is quite monotonous. Compared to many who are more creative or use all-court games. Wouldn't you say?

Yes, I agree with you about Almagro, my post said as much. Being a one hander isn't necessarily a ticket to creativity, just a better sliced backhand in most cases. Being very talented isn't a guarantee of entertainment either if the player doesn't play tactically or thoughtfully. I used to enjoy watching Monfils until it soon transpired he's as daft as a brush...like Leconte was. If a player doesn't THINK, I quickly lose interest...talented or not...one handed or not...no...give me a thinker...someone who engages and locks into matches...I like players with an IQ.

[don_budge]

CCS...Nicolas Almagro or FOOW

For a one-hander, he's game is quite monotonous. Compared to many who are more creative or use all-court games. Wouldn't you say?

Nicolas Almagro has been a finalist in tournaments six times in his professional career and all of the events were held on clay. He has won twelve career titles and all of the titles were on clay. I saw him beat Robin Söderling in Båstad, Sweden when Robin double faulted on match point and wept during his interview. That prompted my letter to Robin's father that I posted in the forum here. Narbrug mocked me for that post but it did sort of launch my career. Almagro was even a doubles finalist once down in Buenos Aires...no surprise that event was also on clay. I think it would be safe to say that he is a Clay Court Specialist and a Fish Out Of Water playing in the finals of the Davis Cup against someone like Radek Stepanek or at Wimbledon against someone who has the ability to press the issue at the net.

Stotty's statement stuck very much in my subconscious the other night along with all of the other mumbo jumbo that has been collecting there. He said something about the ball clearing the net monotonously over and over some height over the net. There I was on court with Nicolas trying to get him to aim a bit higher over the net...then the ball smacked into the tape with a resounding thud. I looked at him and shook my head as if to say I told you so. He nodded in agreement. It was only a dream.

[don_budge]

Thinkers are trained to be thoughtful...

Yes, I agree with you about Almagro, my post said as much. Being a one hander isn't necessarily a ticket to creativity, just a better sliced backhand in most cases. Being very talented isn't a guarantee of entertainment either if the player doesn't play tactically or thoughtfully. I used to enjoy watching Monfils until it soon transpired he's as daft as a brush...like Leconte was. If a player doesn't THINK, I quickly lose interest...talented or not...one handed or not...no...give me a thinker...someone who engages and locks into matches...I like players with an IQ.

It seems today that generally speaking the modern tennis player hits hard and harder from the baseline. One doesn't really have to think too hard to oneself to understand that they were trained not to think or rather that they were not trained to think very complicated thoughts, tactically speaking.

It's the same thing with ill behaved children...don't blame the child so much as the parent. Begin to try to understand the implications of social engineering and the effects upon the parents. The coaching has gone along with the modern day paradigm for professional tennis...I blame the coaching but I also understand the there are the powers that are beyond and over and above the coaches. Maybe we should throw in a little Calculus or Literature in the training of a tennis player...to provoke deeper thoughts.

The paradigm may be changing a bit though. Roger wants faster courts. Let's see if Roger gets what Roger wants.

[don_budge]

The Mindset of a Winner...

Radek Stepanek was quoted as saying the following...

"I came on the court with a mindset that I have to stay calm, hungry, motivated, concentrated, and always know what I'm doing. And that's what I did."

Interesting...how to stay calm while staying hungry, motivated and concentrated while still always knowing what you are doing. This is a bit more complicated than the mindset of a baseliner. Very interesting comments...I think.