2014 Australian Open Championship...Melbourne, Austalia

[don_budge]

Djokovic?...or Wawrinka for Berdych. The horse ain't in the barn...yet.

Can anyone name the 5 current players on the men's tour who have reached the semifinals or better in every grand slam?
Djokovic
Murray
Nadal
Federer
...and Berdych!!!

Tberd is not done playing yet. Took out David Ferrer in 4 sets. He's licking his chops for Novak Djokovic. If anyone can end Djokovic's reign, It's Tberd. Playing very confident right now and a confident Berdych is a dangerous Berdych. Just ask Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at 2010 Wimbledon, or Federer at 2012 US Open.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Berdych just might be disappointed if Wawrinka has anything to say about it. Tberd isn't done yet and neither is Wawrinka...at least at this point. Stan up two sets to one.

[stotty]

6-5 in the fifth and it rains...drama.

[julian1]

Biomechanics

Sorry, too busy to post from Down Under. Given I was at Melbourne Park 10 hours a day...

Tennis Australia Coaches Conference was a blast. The Tennis Australia team is very hospitable. Best conference! Toni Nadal, Rod Laver, Sven Groeneveld, Roger Rasheed. My presentation at Hisense was very very well received. Also got on the courts and clay courts to hit around. Toni is a bit old school. Great stuff but I think many tour coaches may not grasp full understanding of physics or biomechanics…more later.

Very hot for a few days (but it cooled off very fast on Friday). So it's normal now.

Federer clearly hits much heavier now with the new racquet which could be a major plus to stay even with the other big three. Everyone is looking at his volleys but the heavier groundies might critical to create the open court. There are stats on his ball spin (closest to Nadal, compared to Murray and Djokovic).

Most dramatic match…late night with Gilles Simon and Daniel Brand…something like 18-16 in the 5th and Gilles then beat Cilic (who also had a 5-setter). Gilles hung around the court for 15 minutes afterwards just so happy taking photos with fans and signing autographs. Fabulous Fognini was fun to watch…clearly the acrobatic player (diving on the court) on the tour but no match for Gumby (Djokovic) himself. Nadal doesn't like the surface. Murray was fine in his matches I saw…back is fine.

I picked Azarenka and Djokovic to win (a bit fast for Nadal). And Serena to lose by the QFs…finally, a pick I got right!

Eugenie Bouchard is very good but still needs some development…she's a bit behind Sloane and Madison. But a smarter player (accurate and good tactics) and as good an athlete. Tonight…close to even vs Ana Ivanovic unless Ana is totally on. If not, it can be a 3-setter either way. Funny Nick Saviano coached both Sloane (not presently) and Genie. Madison played poor tactics against Jie Zheng (why is she backing out and letting Zheng take the backhand early?) to lose. She needs tactical coaching to reach the top 10-15 which she should be within a year if she makes the tactical adjustments.

Best,
Doug

Doug,
Could you expand your sentence about biomechanics above?
Thank u,
Julian

[stotty]

What a great couple of sets for Wawrinka...sets 2 and 3. Great clean hitting. Who would have thought he's have won that fifth set? Djokovic won so many love games on his serve because Wawrinka just blocks and chips returns (Wawrinkas big weakness in my book, especially on the forehand). On that basis, going in to the fifth set, I thought Djokovic couldn't lose...just hold serve and wait to break....but Wawrinka hung in. Just goes to show if you hang in something might just turn up.

I felt Djokovic was passive when he needed to step it up. I think he thought he could sneak through the match as he always has in the past. There seemed to be no influence from Becker in terms of game style that I could see. Unlike Federer, where influence from Edberg was clearly evident.

Wawrinka seemed to lose his nerve in the fourth and his standard dropped. He served great at key moments, though, which kept him in there and won him the match for me. Now he plays Klacr's mate...T-bird. With so much at stake I wouldn't like to pick a winner with those two. It will be a nervy affair when it comes to closing out.

Is the surface quicker?. Certainly sets 2 and 3 seemed to say yes. Those bullets from Wawrinka looked to be skimming under Djokovic's comfort zone on his forehand wing, and Djokovic looked pushed for time in many of those rallies. Some of the players say the surface is the same speed as last year, others say it's quicker...the tournament organiser says it's the same as last year...Doug says it's quicker. Can someone give a definitive answer? One thing all are agreed on is the balls are tighter woven and quicker.

[don_budge]

Wawrinka vs. Berdych in the semi's...

Who would have thought he's have won that fifth set? Djokovic won so many love games on his serve because Wawrinka just blocks and chips returns.

I watched the whole match except the last set...as well as their last couple of encounters. I can certainly understand why nobody gave him much a chance. Even Wilander expressed his doubts all along the way. I never ruled him out...he was battling the whole way and never backed off. Sure the match has ebbs and flows but Stan was really a man about it. A friend of mine once told me that when I was lamenting about some woman that got away...he told me, "sometimes you just have to be a man about it". That one statement stuck with me all of my life and to this day I think of that sometimes...if times are tough. You just have to be a man about it. Thanks Leon.

What a great match right from the beginning. Some players just match up like that. They just pounded away at each other for the entire five sets. Without letup. I had to leave for work in the beginning of the fifth set. They were on serve when I left and the match was really up for grabs although given that past results...it looked to be Djokovic's for the taking. Given that Djokovic had beaten him the last 14 times in a row. But somehow Stanislas found a way to believe that it was his day. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He had heard that the bell was tolling for him. Quite a story...quite a lesson in life. Don't quit. Keep plugging away. Sometimes...you just have to be a man about it.

I like that return of Wawrinka's. There is nothing more stupid than players trying to hit winner off of return of serves. There is no point to be won if you miss that kind of gamble and slug the return out. I think that Federer makes that mistake against Nadal as he too often feels like he has to drive the return. It looked to me as if Wawrinka was able to neutralize the serve much of the time and reset the point. It's a percentage play and a good one. Keep the ball in play...and live to play another day. That is exactly what Wawrinka did...and now it is a real showdown with Tomas Berdych. You know who's boy.

Well...I hate to be on the other side of the fence with a homey from Michigan but I have this feeling that Wawrinka just might be the man of the hour. It looks to me as if he has the cajones to takes on Berdych for all of the marbles. He has won six of the last seven against Berdych...but the eighth match was a loss to TBerd at the Australian back in 2009. A real toss up. But I never ruled the "Other Swiss" out against Djokovic and I am so happy to see Novak go down after witnessing some of those primal screams once again. If he was doing that to try and intimidate Wawrinka...it obviously didn't work. I remember that he did that to Federer...I don't like that kind of demonstration. Some demonstrative behavior is good for the game but that reeks of something else.

It was a great match and Stanislas Wawrinka deserves it so much. He has really grown and come of age the last couple of years. He has taken his beatings and become a better man for it. He's been my wife's favorite player for a couple of years now. She really knows how to pick 'em...don't you think so? She just came and told me that they are playing the match on EuroSport right now and they are in the fourth. I think I will go and catch the fifth...just for the hell of it.

The court's are quicker. It seems to favor certain types of players. Wawrinka hits a bit flatter and with more penetration. Federer is much the same. There are a couple more very interesting one-handed backhand versus two-handed backhand matches to be played. Perhaps this may just be a glimpse of the future of tennis. They are jazzing it up just a bit.

[tennis_chiro]

...

I felt Djokovic was passive when he needed to step it up. I think he thought he could sneak through the match as he always has in the past. There seemed to be no influence from Becker in terms of game style that I could see. Unlike Federer, where influence from Edberg was clearly evident.

...

I don't think you would have seen last year's Djokovic make that disastrous move to the net on the last point. In the long run, the addition of another weapon or a sharpened one may help him become a better player, but incorporating Becker with the first tournament being the Aussie Open was flawed thinking. It would have made more sense to have incorporated a new tactic or at least a fuller use of it (being more aggressive and going forward more, not just s&v) in the tournaments following the Aussie leading into Indian Wells and Miami.

Here is my earlier statement from my prognosis for the draw:

I don't think there is anyone there who can impede Djokovic's inevitable progress to another Australian final. The one exception is Wawrinka, but I think Djokovic will be too prepared for him. The one thing that could work for Wawrinka is the influence of Becker. If Becker gets Djokovic to try something other than the formula that has been so successful with him, it could hamper Djokovic's performance and supply an opening for Wawrinka. I just think it is a mistake to subjugate Vajda's judgement and suggestions to those of Becker. If this change is not absolutely seamless, it could create a seed of doubt in Nole's mind; that seed of doubt can be deadly at this level. But short of something like that happening, I can't see anyone derailing the Djokovic Express short of the final meeting with Nadal whom I still see as the favorite on the other side.

But all credit to Wawrinka. He kept me up until 5AM! Both he and Tberd are playing well. Stan may be a little more tired, but they are playing a night match. Damn it! No sleep until Friday night.

don

[stotty]

Do I set the alarm...

Shall I set the alarm and get up and watch Dimitrov versus Nadal tomorrow? I might...or maybe not. Can Dimitrov come of age and take out Nadal? Federer will certainly be hoping so. Federer has only beaten Nadal four times since 2007 and two of those were indoors while the other two had a story behind them. If Nadal were to take an unexpected exit, it would spur Federer on no end. I'm glad Nadal and Dimitrov are up first tomorrow...just in case Nadal were to take a tumble.

I'd love to stick my neck out and say who's going to win out of Murray and Federer, but there are a lot of unknowables. Can Federer perform brilliantly again? Or will he fall flat has he has the last couple of years just when we thought he was back to his best? Laver said it becomes harder to rely on your form as you get older. He should know.

As for Murray, it's hard to know how well he's really playing. He hasn't been tested yet. Sure he dropped a set to Robert, but he routed the other three sets. He's always been prone to falling asleep, getting bored.

Murray knows how to play Federer and leads him in head-to-heads. But it's all about temperament with Murray...whether he gets ratty or not. Getting ratty has often led to his downfall. He's been better with Lendl because he can't get snappy with Lendl like he has all his other coaches. Lendl doesn't need the money and can walk. This is a good position for a coach to be in...ought to be made mandatory on the tour when coaching petulant athletes.

If I had to put money on it, I might just have to favour Federer. My heart wants Murray because he's a fellow countryman.

[stotty]

I don't think there is anyone there who can impede Djokovic's inevitable progress to another Australian final. The one exception is Wawrinka, but I think Djokovic will be too prepared for him. The one thing that could work for Wawrinka is the influence of Becker. If Becker gets Djokovic to try something other than the formula that has been so successful with him, it could hamper Djokovic's performance and supply an opening for Wawrinka. I just think it is a mistake to subjugate Vajda's judgement and suggestions to those of Becker. If this change is not absolutely seamless, it could create a seed of doubt in Nole's mind; that seed of doubt can be deadly at this level.


don

Brilliant...and absolutely spot on.

[stroke]

As much as I was looking forward to the Stan/Novak match, the next 2 are even more interesting to me. I still think Roger has another major in him. This may be it. If not, Wimbledon. Dimitrov may be ready to take Nadal, but what a test for him.. I also like what Cahill said about Stan's one handed backhand, calling it unquestionably the best in the game.

[stotty]

I also like what Cahill said about Stan's one handed backhand, calling it unquestionably the best in the game.

On a week in week out basis Cahill could be right, but there have been key matches where Federer's backhand has been absolutely scintillating. In fact, no one I can think of has hit backhands better than Federer when he's in full flow. His slice is better than Warinka's. He's better at neutralize two-handed opponents with it. Federer has better hands, too, so can pull of those miracle shots no other player can.

Like I said Cahill could be right...but I wouldn't discount Federer's. Federer's backhand has been overshadowed by his forehand...but his backhand is truly great also.

[klacr]

Always great to hear observations from Doug on the forums. He's one of the best minds in our industry and one of the biggest assets that USPTA has in its organization.

Now on to a very exciting semi-final

Berdych-Wawrinka.

A spot in the finals.

New blood.

Berdych has been to this stage before and made finals of Wimbledon. Wonder how much gas Wawrinka has in the tank after Djokovic match? Stan has spent more time on court than Berdych. Berdych has ability to take the racquet out of your hand. If Wawrinka beats Berdych I'll be upset for my boy but pleased that a player like Stan gets a chance to compete for a GS title. Nothing against Stan. I always root for him, unless he plays Berdych. Tomorrow will be one of those instances. If Berdych happens to win, just smiling from me. If he happens to pull off the improbable and finally announce himself into the game's elite by winning in finals against whomever he faces...GOD HELP YOU ALL..for the number of posts that I may produce showcasing my fandom and showing off my stained, wrinkled, torn and faded ticket on his bandwagon for a very very long time. Wanna talk about a happy camper? Wanna see a cheshire cat grin? You want to physically know what a smile from ear to ear looks like? If Berdych wins the whole shebang you will see that from me. But we are still a long ways a way from that. But I'm getting antsy just thinking about it.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

On a week in week out basis Cahill could be right, but there have been key matches where Federer's backhand has been absolutely scintillating. In fact, no one I can think of has hit backhands better than Federer when he's in full flow. His slice is better than Warinka's. He's better at neutralize two-handed opponents with it. Federer has better hands, too, so can pull of those miracle shots no other player can.

Like I said Cahill could be right...but I wouldn't discount Federer's. Federer's backhand has been overshadowed by his forehand...but his backhand is truly great also.

I agree completely. I am not discounting Fed's at all. No doubt about Fed's forehand. The only forehand I would say has an argument to be better than Feds is Nadal. I do like how Stan straightens his arm way earlier pre contact that Fed. As for slice, Feds is the best. But Stan has a very good one. Way better than Novak or Nadal to me.

[tennis_chiro]

I agree completely. I am not discounting Fed's at all. No doubt about Fed's forehand. The only forehand I would say has an argument to be better than Feds is Nasal. I do like how Stan straightens his arm way earlier pre contact that Fed. As for slice, Feds is the best. But Stan has a very good one. Way better than Novak or Nadal to me.

Did you guys notice Fed is hitting the high backhands much better, much more aggressively? I think it's the racket. But I don't know if anyone can hang in exchanges with the backhand the way Stan did last night, at least not as consistently. That aspect was critical to him not giving up ground to Djokovic's forehand attack.

As for the forehand, I think you have to question Fed's consistency, at least the last couple of years; too many ue's! But when he sets up and hits it, don't the pros consider it the most deadly, except maybe for Del Potro, who can't hit it on the run as well. When you consider consistency, then you have to give the nod to Nadal.

Really curious if anyone else noticed that more aggressive play on the high backhands and backhands in general with the new racket for Fed.

don

[don_budge]

Set the alarm...for Nadal and the Modern Paradigm of Tennis

Shall I set the alarm and get up and watch Dimitrov versus Nadal tomorrow?

You might want to set the alarm for Rafael Nadal. He is getting a wake up call...from Dimitrov and the ITF. He thinks his having friends in the business is more important than the integrity of tennis.

The speed of the courts will make playing so near the baseline impossible with the wild windup on the forehand. It will make playing so far behind the baseline a fruitless tactic. "The Kid" might just take him down...if he can figure out how to press this advantage and not be shy while doing it. This is no time to get cute...that's one mad dog on the other side of the net.

Soon you guys are going to need a dossier about why the speed of the surface would render the present modern paradigm of tennis...extinct. Just imagine if they slick up the grass once more...the way it was for over a hundred years.

[don_budge]

The winds of change...are upon us

Berdych-Wawrinka.

A spot in the finals.

New blood.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Something has changed. Anybody else notice?