ATP Stockholm Open

[klacr]

It's not a grand slam, Davis Cup or Masters 1000 event. It's just a 250 event. But it's one I enjoy. Something special about the Stockholm Open. The echo and acoustics of the ball being struck in that indoor facility known as Kungliga Tennishallen. Those sounds remind me of playing tennis in college at the indoor facility. The wooden benches that creak and strain with every posterior shift from the spectators. So classic. Edberg played there every year and he was obviously the big draw. Many big names have played at the event.

Sad to see a country that provided us with so much tennis talent and champions like Borg, Wilander Edberg and countless other very respectable professionals disappear so quickly. Sweden's highest ranked player in the ATP rankings is Markus Eriksson at #406. I'm sure Mr. Eriksson is a splendid guy and a very legitimate player, but its still sad. What a great country. Great people. Tough winters. I may have been tennis channel's only viewer today when they televised 1st round coverage of Stockholm featuring the highly anticipated (deep sarcasm) match between Jurgen Zopp and Pablo Carrena Busta.

Anyone remember Joachim Johansson. Big serving Swede. He got through qualies and will be in the main draw. For those whose memories may have escaped them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiNIjvth8Qw

(unrelated note: Anyone notice Agassi's step to center on return? But that's for another thread I'm still working on )

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[bottle]

"Zopp" and "Busta"-- with names like that would they even need to know how to play tennis?

[GeoffWilliams]

Klacr again writes something interesting! He's a real asset to this forum. I miss Edberg badly. What a great volley, the best ever imo. The lowest split step going into net, almost a 90 degree angle, which gave him greater lateral range, and allowed the 6'2" swede to reach lower shots easier. Great split steps are often the hall mark of great players, allowing them the ability to get sideways faster, and coil more. Fed's drop coincides with his drop in speed. Top players are faster than the others, in unit turns, defensive ranges, offensive attack footworks!

[don_budge]

ATP Stockholm Open...2013 and 1984

Klacr again writes something interesting! He's a real asset to this forum.

Get ready for some serious fireworks in the second round...Joachim "Pim Pim" Johansson vs. Milos Raonic. Pim Pim's forehand just about matches his forehand in the devastation rating. He has been off of the tour for a number of years with some injuries.

Klacr's post was loaded with interesting observations. The one about the decline of Swedish tennis could be an epic entitled "The Rise and Fall of Swedish Tennis". Such an interesting and fascinating tale when looked at from within the context of Swedish culture. Swedish tennis has fallen even further and deeper than American tennis...if that is possible.

Kungliga Tennishallen is the scene of a couple of wonderful John McEnroe performances. The Swedes love McEnroe for his wildness and his histrionics. Vicariously they can exalt through him...even if they find it difficult to do on their own accord. Johnny beat Björn there the first time that they met in 1979. He also cleared the table of everything with his racquet sending water bottles and cups airborne in one of his more infamous displays of the "McAttack".

The year was 1984...don't you just love that year? The Orwellian year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Nyc9jzSDg

Who was his opponent...was it Anders Jarryd? Yes...it was.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/sports/tennis/05tennis.html?_r=0

It gets even more interesting...doesn't it? Good one...klacr!

[klacr]

Klacr again writes something interesting! He's a real asset to this forum. I miss Edberg badly. What a great volley, the best ever imo. The lowest split step going into net, almost a 90 degree angle, which gave him greater lateral range, and allowed the 6'2" swede to reach lower shots easier. Great split steps are often the hall mark of great players, allowing them the ability to get sideways faster, and coil more. Fed's drop coincides with his drop in speed. Top players are faster than the others, in unit turns, defensive ranges, offensive attack footworks!

Thanks for the kind words Geoff. I'm glad you appreciate Edberg like I do.

Here's a teaser for all you Edberg Fans, there may or may not be something about Edberg coming up in the future. That's all I'm allowed to say. stay tuned to tennisplayer.net...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Get ready for some serious fireworks in the second round...Joachim "Pim Pim" Johansson vs. Milos Raonic. Pim Pim's forehand just about matches his forehand in the devastation rating. He has been off of the tour for a number of years with some injuries.

Klacr's post was loaded with interesting observations. The one about the decline of Swedish tennis could be an epic entitled "The Rise and Fall of Swedish Tennis". Such an interesting and fascinating tale when looked at from within the context of Swedish culture. Swedish tennis has fallen even further and deeper than American tennis...if that is possible.

Kungliga Tennishallen is the scene of a couple of wonderful John McEnroe performances. The Swedes love McEnroe for his wildness and his histrionics. Vicariously they can exalt through him...even if they find it difficult to do on their own accord. Johnny beat Björn there the first time that they met in 1979. He also cleared the table of everything with his racquet sending water bottles and cups airborne in one of his more infamous displays of the "McAttack".

The year was 1984...don't you just love that year? The Orwellian year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Nyc9jzSDg

Who was his opponent...was it Anders Jarryd? Yes...it was.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/sports/tennis/05tennis.html?_r=0

It gets even more interesting...doesn't it? Good one...klacr!

don_budge,

The Swedish tennis decline is truly a sore sport for tennis. Or at least it is for me. Swedes did love Johnny Mac because he did everything "(behavior wise) on a court they would never dream of.

Good video finds on youtube. In that McEnroe tantrum I find it interesting the players chairs were on opposite side of the court from chair umpire.

Joachim Johansson cruised in his victory over Alejandro Falla. Pim Pim is playing at home tourney and that indoor court is just to his liking. His match vs. Raonic will be full of aces.

Interesting stuff indeed.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Interest...digging deep

Interesting stuff indeed.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

It turns into an effort to show any interest in anything other than the biggest events. The China Syndrome came and went...barely a nod. A real snoozer. Djokovic ran the table at the two events...once again the tide seems to have turned in his favor. It's a two horse race these days...Nadal and Djokovic...although Del Potro sort of rudely got his foot in the door there.

At the Stockholm Open...Grigor Dimitrov is competing at his home away from home. His training home is in Stockholm with the Niklas Kulti group, the Good to Great Tennis Academy.

Jack Sock, the lone American in the draw has the EveryReady Energizer Bunny next...David what's his name. An American venturing off of the grid into the Scandinavian unknown. He must be some sort of wild man.

Jerzy Janowicz is back in the tour hunt apparently after some sort of injury scare that turned out to be not so serious. That's good news for tennis_chiro's poster boy and tennis in general. I would like to see some maturity in his game...he's been getting seasoned a bit. He has a lot of potential but the question is...is he going to develop it or waste it. The fast courts at Kungliga Tennishallen should be to his advantage. I could definitely see him all of the way to the finals.

But mostly I think I would like to see this Pim Pim thing materialize. Swedish tennis needs a good shot in the arm...even though Pim Pim plays a game that is beyond the reach of most mortals. Too bad about Söderling...gone and nearly forgotten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCuygYcFatI

Play on...

[GeoffWilliams]

Janowiz: I nick name him: "The monster." Brutality at its best. This is how Klacr would play given the same game. How would americans feel if the top guy we had was 406th in the world? Ping pong pim pim. Solderling said, "I want to be with the fishes.", for all you Mecir fans. Bench boy Solderling. The only guy to beat the Butt Pick Kid at the French.


HA HA HA!

[klacr]

Janowiz: I nick name him: "The monster." Brutality at its best. This is how Klacr would play given the same game. How would americans feel if the top guy we had was 406th in the world? Ping pong pim pim. Solderling said, "I want to be with the fishes.", for all you Mecir fans. Bench boy Solderling. The only guy to beat the Butt Pick Kid at the French.


HA HA HA!

I'd probably agree with you on the Janowicz assessment and my game. However, I'd try to get to the net more often, have a better backhand (one-hand) than forehand and not use the drop shot so much. Also, I'd control my emotions a tad bit better. But besides that, we are nearly twins.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[jbill]

Revolver

don_budge,

Thanks for the great rerun on the Beatles Revolver album. I used to have a copy of that many years back. Still sounds good. Now there was some creativity!

jbill

[don_budge]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...The Beatles...Oops...I meant the Stockholm Open

don_budge,

Thanks for the great rerun on the Beatles Revolver album. I used to have a copy of that many years back. Still sounds good. Now there was some creativity!

jbill

You betcha brother...jbill. Jerzy "Joe" Janowicz into the third round as is Stotty's Benoit Paire. Paire to play the winner of Raonic and "Pim Pim". There's no way that Pim Pim gets through...is there?

She's in love with me and I feel fine...she said so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SSa8KE9MbI

Oops...here comes licensedcoach now.

[stotty]

You betcha brother...jbill. Jerzy "Joe" Janowicz into the third round as is Stotty's Benoit Paire. Paire to play the winner of Raonic and "Pim Pim". There's no way that Pim Pim gets through...is there?

She's in love with me and I feel fine...she said so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SSa8KE9MbI

Oops...here comes licensedcoach now.

The great thing about the Beatles is they evolved...then terminated. They went from Please, Please Me to Abbey Road in seven years. Amazing. Musically, to evolve that far is astounding. Play the album Please, Please me....then Abbey Road, and you'll see what I mean. The only other popular artist to cover such ground so rapidly was Bowie.

I actually prefer The Rolling Stones to the Beatles. The Stones never evolved much, and much of their music has the same sound...but I prefer their songs.

The band Love made a tremendous album called LOVE...which beats anything either the Stones and Beatles produced hands down.

My favourite singer is (was, now dead) Tim Buckley. His album Sweet Surrender is out of this world. His voice hits just about every note possible on that album.

[klacr]

In more Stockholm Open news...

Jonas Bjorkman made a winning debut in his comeback. He played doubles with Robert Lindstedt and they won in a final set tie-break over Isak Arvidsson and Andreas Siljestrom. Bjorkman was a great doubles player and even made it to #4 in singles.

More power to him.

See, this Stockholm Open has storylines people!

Anyone starting a thread on Vienna or Moscow?....didn't think so.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[tennis_chiro]

Ditto

don_budge,

Thanks for the great rerun on the Beatles Revolver album. I used to have a copy of that many years back. Still sounds good. Now there was some creativity!

jbill

Summer of '66, I was making tacos in a taco stand until 3 in the morning so I could play junior tournaments during the day getting ready to start college.

don

[don_budge]

The plot thickens...the storyline

In more Stockholm Open news...

See, this Stockholm Open has storylines people!

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Raonic vs. Johansson at 8 pm here in Sweden...I can make it home without racing past the traffic cameras and down the two lane country road and the one and a half lane dirt road to the farm. It's such a beautiful drive...relaxing after spending four hours on the court teaching tennis. Unwinding...driving down the winding road.

Sometimes the brain just turns to mush and the thoughts all seem to turn into a slurry of sorts...like a iPhone where all of the apps just melt together into one psychedelic collage. Something about being on the tennis court puts me into a bit of an altered state. Concentrating so hard...so intensely for four straight hours. Anybody else feel this? Or is it just me. Just like the full moon puts me into a state...it pulls me.

But the real story line is in the crowd. In the faces of the Swedish people. The Stockholmites. I always wonder what is going on in the "collective unconscious. In this case...the faces will be for the most part indecipherable. Like the poker face of Björn Borg. You guys all thought that he was such an enigma. Ha...he was just being Swedish. So what is going on in the faces? Not much...just concentrating on their own business and staying between the lines that the culture has drawn for them.

Perhaps that is one reason that the Swedes excelled so disproportionately at one time in tennis...they are master at staying between the lines. They know their limits...they know where the boundaries are. This is all quite a mystery to a wild American...where the lines were always a bit obscure.

There is a story line here...klacr...thanks for the ideas. I smell a book! At least an essay. Maybe coming to "Traditional Thoughts" at tennisplayer.net!

Raonic vs. Johansson. Should Johansson win it will send quite a tremor throughout the beautiful city in the Scandinavian north. Should he lose...everyone will exit the stadium the same way they came in...nonplussed. They don't see the sun all that much in Stockholm is my guess...certainly not in Göteborg. This could have something to do with things here. The Swedes seem a bit gloomy. Me...I am going to follow the sun...so to speak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uk_6WWy0RA

"I'll Follow The Sun"

One day you'll look to see I've gone
For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun
Some day you'll know I was the one
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun

And now the time has come
And so my love I must go
And though I lose a friend
In the end you will know, oooh

One day you'll find that I have gone
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun

Yea, tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun
And now the time has come
And so my love I must go
And though I lose a friend
In the end you'll know, oooh

One day you'll find that I have gone
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun