2014 Aegon Championships ATP 250...London, Great Britain

[don_budge]

No thread for this little jewel. Oh well...here goes.

Forgive my lousy posts as of yesterday...I had my right hand operated on for Dupuytren's Contracture. The devastating effect of having to type with a bandage the size of a tennis ball in my right palm is maddening. They gave me an assortment of pain meds...including four shiny tabs of morphine but I haven't taken any of it. You can call me "King of Pain".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3l0kpl5tA4

You can call me anything you like...except a "whining bitch".

But anyways...fresh back from Paris and the red clay of Roland Garros. Now I know why it is called the "Parisian Hour"...actually now I know why I made that term up. I have yet to make my thoughts public here...but I will.

Live from London it's the traditional Queen's tournament...lawn tennis. Nobody bother's to question it anymore but the net game has all but disappeared from the game of tennis. The politically correct dog and pony show goes on. No matter...life goes on. Nobody cares. The remaining semi-finalists are Stanislas Wawrinka versus Grigor Dimitrov (Wawrinka leads 2-0 head to head) and Radek Stepanek versus Feliciano Lopez.

You know...these are really strange days. You gotta be careful what you say these days. Tip toeing around the truth is as precarious as swimming in a pond of alligators...but these are grass courts and nobody is going to the net let alone serving and volleying. I say nobody and that isn't entirely true...Radek Stepanek makes the trek more than anybody but then again he is basically a 35 year old journeyman these days.

But many of the top seeds have quietly disappeared in both of the two grass court tournaments that are being hosted simultaneously this week. Unable to cope with a different surface where the ball is not bouncing shoulder high to accommodate their strong forehand grips and two handed backhands...the lack of initiative to conclude things at the net. A whole host of players succumbing to lesser ranked opponents causing stroke to opine about the serious depth of men's tennis. I say it is quite the opposite.

So just for the sake of illustration this may or may not be interesting today. Two matches and four possible outcomes. The top half of two legitimate up and comers and the bottom half made up of a couple of thirty-something journeymen looking for a shot of redemption.

[klacr]

Good choice of song don_budge. You know I have a soft spot for them.

Queen's Club. It is a classic event. Too bad its still an ATP 250 event. That's a joke as it should be a 500 event in the future.

Radek Stepanek shows he still has some magic left in that body of his. His twitter bio reads "Live, Love, Laugh...and if in doubt, serve and volley "

Feliciano Lopez is not afraid to use the serve and volley and had some very impressive points against Berdych yesterday.

It is rare to see but the balance will shift back once coaches and players realize tactically sound attacking and true tennis can still be a thing. Sick of the monotony of the baseline stuff. Everyone player should learn how to move forward, capitalize on weak returns or pressure their opponent by being a force at net. But I digress...

I think the semis will be interesting today. Battle between Wawrinka and Dimitrov, one handers. Battle between Stepanek and Lopez, both capable of playing all out attacking tennis. I'm hoping for some wonderful tennis

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Feliciano vs. Radek

Radek owns an 8-2 record against the Spaniard. This should hold true...it seems. Dimitrov over Wawrinka in a relatively routine straight set match without much net play.

We should see more ventures to the net from Stepanek.

[stotty]

Queens

I am sorry but you don't want to take this event seriously. Over here it's recognised as a limbering up event. Top players have been known to exit after a couple of rounds once they feel they've had enough matchplay on grass.

Halle is likely viewed in a similar way...wouldn't know.

The only serious grass court event is Wimbledon and herein lies the problem. How about two 1000 events on grass...or even three? The hard court season is way too long yet it's the most robotic surface. It stifles creativity...you get robots not artists. I say let's have more grass court tournaments that count and really mean something. Can someone tell me where I can officially make such a request...start lobbying...get the ball rolling? And what are my chances of getting anyone to listen?

[don_budge]

Three of four...Slams

The only serious grass court event is Wimbledon and herein lies the problem. How about two 1000 events on grass...or even three? The hard court season is way too long yet it's the most robotic surface. It stifles creativity...you get robots not artists. I say let's have more grass court tournaments that count and really mean something. Can someone tell me where I can officially make such a request...start lobbying...get the ball rolling? And what are my chances of getting anyone to listen?

Does anybody remember when three of the four slams were played on grass courts? They used to call it lawn tennis. Those were the days...wood racquets and all.

Grigor "Galavant Kid" Dimitrov versus "Jose" Feliciano Lopez in the final.

[klacr]

Stotty and don_budge,

you are speaking my language.

More tournaments on grass indeed. The fact that neither Halle or Queen's is a 500 event is a joke. You have multiple top 10 players in each draw.

3 of 4 grand slams on grass. I've only read about those days. Wish I was around and playing then. I might have had a chance. With Federer being the best grass court player in the past decade it makes you wonder how many grand slams he could have won. Thats why the GOAT argument is a tough issue. Completely different eras. The technology, the court surface, and even the rules.

Remember when players came out on court with a few racquets, no bags or luggage or extra carry-ons.

Those were the days...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV5LQcmuGg8


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Remember when players came out on court with a few racquets, no bags or luggage or extra carry-ons.

Those were the days...


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

You mean like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkPuC6NzAL4

[klacr]

Yup, like that. But there are more recent examples of this. It wasn't that long ago. I remember Borg, Connors and McEnroe didn't bring out bags.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Nice point...Stepanek

Here is a nice point...Lopez was at the net three times and Stepanek finally concludes it himself at the net.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/24/London-Queens-Saturday-Hot-Shot-Stepanek-Lopez.aspx

[bottle]

More About Dustin Brown Please!

[don_budge]

Dimitrov over Lopez...

Feliciano Lopez put on a "daring" display of grass court tennis but came up just short. He was poised to end it in straight sets but Grigor saved a match point under the watchful eye of his darling Maria Sharapova and he went on to win a third tie-break in the deciding set. 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 to the Bulgarian playboy.

Lopez for his part followed his lefty serve to the net many times and he was reaping the rewards of his aggressiveness. He also was diligently slicing and dicing with his backhand very effectively leaving Dimitrov ever so slightly off balanced that he wasn't able to unload with ATP forehand nearly as much as he would have liked to. Lopez dictated play in this sense...he had Dimitrov playing to his tempo and to his style.

In the end it was superior athletic skills that won the match for Dimitrov. He hung in there and gutted it out. He retrieved and returned. He dug deep and did what he had to do to keep the ball in play just enough times to get to the haven of the tie-breakers and to hold the winner's trophy over his head. The adoring Sharapova never let out a peep...behind her shades and her cashmere jacket.

Congratulations to Feliciano Lopez for realizing that he was outgunned and he would have to have a strategy to effectively take the air out of the ball he was sending back to the more highly skilled Dimitrov. The slice backhand worked beautifully and if his approach and volley skills were just a bit more sophisticated he should have eked it out.

[stotty]

Now for some proper volleying and net coverage. The young, pigeon-toed Frank Sedgman features second in the clip. Watch his superb volleys and quick movement at the net.

http://www.t3licensing.com/license/clip/48050258_9800.do?assetId=clip_8903884&keywords=sedgman

The 1950's saw some of the best volleyers ever. Players these days get passed so easily at the net. Yes the game is faster and more spinny these days but all the same players don't read what's going on...they're kind of numb at the net. Frank is completely at home at the net...it's like he lives there...which he did. It's an education to watch this stuff, it really is.

[bottle]

Oh yeah, he was in the other tournament.

More About Dustin Brown Please!

But S&V with style-- yes! Too bad he wasn't able to convert one of his five match points against the cabbage patch kid.

[klacr]

A few notes about Dimitrov's win over Lopez...

Grigor Dimitrov becomes 1 of only 8 players in the last decade to win titles on three different surfacesin the same season. He won titles in Acapulco (hard) and Bucharest (Clay) The others are Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Ferrer, Karlovic, Roddick and Querrey.

The final between Dimitrov and Lopez was first three tiebreak final on grass since 1997, When Kafelnikov defeated Korda in Halle.

Dimitrov and Lopez playing Eastbourne this week as well. No rest for the weary.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[tennis_chiro]

Now for some proper volleying and net coverage. The young, pigeon-toed Frank Sedgman features second in the clip. Watch his superb volleys and quick movement at the net.

http://www.t3licensing.com/license/clip/48050258_9800.do?assetId=clip_8903884&keywords=sedgman

The 1950's saw some of the best volleyers ever. Players these days get passed so easily at the net. Yes the game is faster and more spinny these days but all the same players don't read what's going on...they're kind of numb at the net. Frank is completely at home at the net...it's like he lives there...which he did. It's an education to watch this stuff, it really is.

Awesome piece of video. Sedgeman epitomizes something I try to get my students to understand: the great volleyers are never rushed in their strokes; they look like they are moving in slow motion; perhaps a better term would be unhurried. Sedgeman's racket head goes right to the ball, very little backswing and yet he easily able to put plenty of "stick" on his volleys when he needs to and has the opportunity.

Questions: who is his doubles partner? and who is Seixas's doubles partner? 1950 Davis Cup. Notice that even though they have chairs, they barely sit down if at all on change of sides.

don