2014 Wimbledon Championships...London, England

[klacr]

Berdych over Tomic comfortably. I don't think Tomic has made lots of progress since last year and has a tendency to go on a walkabout at times. I think Berdych's consistency will pull him through. Tomic will have flashes of brilliance, but not long enough to be a threat.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Kyle, you will like this: S.Stakhovsky beats Gulbis in straight sets. He beat Federer last year serve and volleying. So serve and volley is not yet dead...

[gzhpcu]

And Stepanek barely loses to Djokovic in a cliff hanger. Not a bad day for S & V. Djokovic showed great sportmanship in conceding a crtical point to his opponent.

[klacr]

Kyle, you will like this: S.Stakhovsky beats Gulbis in straight sets. He beat Federer last year serve and volleying. So serve and volley is not yet dead...

I was going to post my comments about this match. Actually spoke to Stakhovsky via twitter private message. He said it definately gave Gulbis issues and threw him off rhythm with his backswings. Gulbis never got into a groove and always felt rushed. Stakhovsky said the grass court bounce should never be a factor when you take the ball out of the air.

Very interesting day.

Stepanek gave a very entertaining performance against Djokovic. Very interesting to see how troubled Djokovic looked against Stepanek's game compared to Djokovic first round match Andrey Golubev. Variety, tactical awareness, court sense and the ability to come to net are still effective no matter what generation you belong to.

Fans got a real treat today.

Oh, Berdych won in 4 sets as well. Tomic is comfy on the grass and it shows but consistency and ball striking won out with Tberd advancing. Berdych facing Cilic next and possible 4th round opponent of Stakhovsky if he gets past Jeremy Chardy.

BTW, anyone else in love with the Berdych forehand like I am?

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/...and/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-9HFJdgiJ8

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Gulbis has a huge backswing on his forehand. Quite a handicap on grass, especially against a serve and volleyer...

[stotty]

Very intriguing how Stepanek caused Djokovic problems in their second round match. I was there watching. Approaching the net on Djokovic's forehand was a good ploy. Using slice and deep volleying he got the ball under Djokovic's racket on the forehand wing causing real problems. Stepanek repeatedly got Djokovic on the stretch then hit deep approaches and came in. It worked really well.

Djokovic played way too conservatively for his part. He really needed to step it up in the third set but didn't.

Stepanek served really well when it counted, and he served and volleyed solidly throughout. Nothing brilliant, just solid.

More on serve and volley tomorrow. I know things you guys don't and will share them with you soon....

[gzhpcu]

The result? A routine straight set second round win over the French Open finalist...he went down with barely a whimper.

Semifinalist...

[don_budge]

Second round results...the jury is in. The verdict is...

A couple of entertaining matches but one of the perpetrators is already been dispatched to the doubles courts and we will see about the other.

Very intriguing how Stepanek caused Djokovic problems in their second round match. I was there watching. Approaching the net on Djokovic's forehand was a good ploy. Using slice and deep volleying he got the ball under Djokovic's racket on the forehand wing causing real problems. Stepanek repeatedly got Djokovic on the stretch then hit deep approaches and came in. It worked really well.

Djokovic played way too conservatively for his part. He really needed to step it up in the third set but didn't.

Stepanek served really well when it counted, and he served and volleyed solidly throughout. Nothing brilliant, just solid.

More on serve and volley tomorrow. I know things you guys don't and will share them with you soon....

Some tremendous early round action...second round matches coming up today.

http://www.drakulastream.eu/tennis-live-streaming-video.html

Interesting match ups:

Novak Djokovic vs. Radek Stepanek. Can Radek get the quick drop on his predominately baseliner opponent. Does he have the juice at 35 years old? Perhaps not...but his entertaining style of play will help to raise the bar of awareness.

Ernests Gulbis vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky. Ernests arguably used some rather blatant gamesmanship in his victory of Roger Federer earlier in the clay court season at Roland Garros. Sergiy used predominately serve and volley tactics to defeat Roger last year on the lawn of Wimbledon. This could be perhaps one of the most interesting matches today. I think I will take a peek.

The rest of them...just foreplay.

It’s dead. It might have a feint pulse but it is definitely on life support. Everything yesterday is only foreplay...keep that in mind. While Djokovic (ranked #1) vs. Stepanek (ranked #38) and Stakhovsky (ranked #90) vs. Gulbis (ranked #10) were entertaining to watch, these matches are still missing major elements of the game of tennis as it used to be. These are just appetizors and the main course is yet to come. The main course? Backcourt tennis on the lawn. The usual.

It is quite an easy matter to understand what transpired in the two matches that are referenced above. It isn’t rocket science and it isn’t an act of God either. It is only fundamental knowledge of tennis as in fundamental knowledge of surface, grip, spin and backswings...and so on and so forth. Gulbis’s forehand grip will dictate how he plays on any surface and coupled with the backswing...his options are limited. They just happen to very good when the conditions favor him as they did at Roland Garros earlier in the month. But once the conditions swing in the other direction, that swimming forehand becomes a fish out of water.

Sergiy certainly had the right combination of variables solved that made the equation one out of Ernests’ wheelhouse. The consistent well placed serving coupled with a frequent rush to the net behind it was the initiative of the tactics. When staying back in the backcourt Segiy wisely kept the ball below the power zone of both the Gulbis forehand and backhand. The result? A routine straight set second round win over the French Open semi-finalist...he went down with barely a whimper.

These two had played five times in the past and four times Gulbis won. All of the past meetings were on hard courts...modern hard courts that are designed to bounce the ball to shoulder level and slow down the pace. Courts that are engineered to favor the western gripped forehands of today and discourages net play because the approach shots will not lie down and serves are neutralized. The meeting on grass yesterday was influenced by not only the conditions but tangible intangibles like grips, style of play and the surface.

Read the “Jack Kramer explains various Grips...” thread or dig even deeper and try the old master Bill Tilden’s “Match Play and the Spin of the Ball” on for size. If you are not afraid of the boogeyman.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/bulletin/showthread.php?t=2610&highlight=jack+kramer+grips

Novak Djokovic and Radek Stepanek? It’s basically the exact same story. Given their respective rankings and the disparity in their ages it would appear that all thing being equal that Novak should probably dominate any given match. He normally does too...their past head to head is 10-1 to Novak. But if you swing the conditions around...such as a quicker lower bouncing surface and maybe more importantly the fact that Novak did not play a single competitive match on grass in the leadup to Wimbledon...you get what you saw. An apparently very entertaining tennis match of contrasting styles but in the end it was not enough to tip the scales...the superior player won.

So grips are ultimately important...it is a question of what are you trying to design as a coach. Will you allow your student to grow as a weed or will you design it as the hybrid seeds of grass that they are using at Wimbledon? It’s a valid question. One to think carefully about. If you have any sense of history...and/or the spin of the ball.

So don't get overly excited by these very preliminary matches...in the big picture of this tournament they will be rendered very incidental before this is all over.

[don_budge]

Very interesting day at The Championships...

Some tremendous early round action...second round matches coming up today.

http://www.drakulastream.eu/tennis-live-streaming-video.html

Interesting match ups:

Andy Murray vs. Blaz Rola. Has there ever been a defending champion from Great Britain that produces such a low, dull resonating snore from the educated audience. He is really boring...all of the way to the interview room. Look for the grimaces and clutching at the imaginary injuries if he gets in any sort of trouble. This sort of stuff is usually saved for later rounds.

Bernard Tomic vs. Tomas Berdych. Last year these two had a pretty nice battle here on the lawn in which Berdych prevailed in four tough sets. Tomic went just a bit soft at the end of the match and rolled over for the coup de gras. Did Bernard learn anything from this match? This is how it works...lose and learn. We shall see if he is engaged in the process or is he just showing up for the spotlight.

Andrey Kuznetsov vs. David Ferrer. More boring than even Murray...but just as mentally tough. A tough combination to beat...actually.

Grigor Dimitrov vs. Luke Saville. I like how Grigor has capitalized on his win in Stockholm earlier in the year. I like how klacr began to highlight him on the forum...which made him a player to watch and monitor here. His opponent pounded Dominic "The Dominator" Thiem into submission in the first round. Is he serious?

Sam Querrey and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. This is also an interesting match up as Tsonga does not appear to have his head in the game as of late. He's French you know...they have better things to do sometimes. Hanging out in cafes...talking French. Women, wine and song. That sort of thing. Partaking of the Parisian Hour. Fun stuff.

The rest of them...just foreplay.

Yep...two very entertaining matches indeed. Interesting elements of technique as it contributes to tactical acumen. Something to think about for the powers that be as they contemplate their next feats of engineering. Calculations...how can they go wrong with all the latest and greatest of mankind technology? Trust me...they will find a way.

But anyways...I watched the rest of it. The rest of my list of interesting second round matches. What an interesting day it was. I could only imagine the day that Stotty was having either perched there in row P or perusing the grounds...watching the goings ons. Maybe a little bird watching as well?

Andy Murray blew through his opponent with barely a twinge. Barely a grimace. Tomas Berdych stayed tough on the enigmatic Bernard Tomic and merely had to wait and get to the culmination point where Bernard would go belly up and get soft on him. He did...that point occurred immediately after the third set tie-break when Tomic decided that he had enough. It was the quickest deciding set I have ever seen...or not seen. I turned from the match and it was over.

I watched Andrey Kuznetsov and David Ferrer hammer it out...not a bad match considering it was Ferrer that was playing. Perhaps it was the fact that he lost to a lesser rated opponent that made it so compelling. Kuznetsov really gutted this one out and deserves to play at least one more round. You cannot seriously fault Ferrer...the guy really knows how to get the most out of what he is dealt with.

Grigor Dimitrov? He's growing up. He is beefed up. He has upped his game a solid notch since the Stockholm Open...physically, mentally and emotionally. He took out a nice solid player in Luke Saville in three routine sets. No muss...no fuss. This is the kind of performance that you must be able to bank on in the early rounds of Slams. Conserve on fuel... conserve on energy. Get it over and done with without making it sloppy. This is exactly what he did...without any indication that he intended on going to the net.

Sam Querry and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? Tsonga couldn't quite make up his mind. He slept it over last night and we shall see if he is serious enough to extend his Wimbledon tournament another round. Two big guys with big serves hammering it out from the baseline.

Todays matches will have a tough time living up to yesterdays. I watched a lot of tennis yesterday. Enough to realize that nothing has really changed...but then again people are starting to think about it. Before there is any action...it begins with an idea.

[don_budge]

Today's second round matches of interest...

Compared to yesterday there isn't a lot to choose from. Is the bottom half of the draw less interesting than the top half? Could it be?

Rafael Nadal vs. Lukas Rosol. It seems like only yesterday that Rosol made the headlines by taking out Nadal in the first round of The Championships but in reality it has been two full years. Nadal has opted for the early exit two years in a row but he has an unbelievable draw this year. Look for him to seriously want to stay around for a while.

You know...come to think of it...it is the revenge motive in play today. Nadal probably still smarts from that match. No matter how much it meant to him back then. Who knows...maybe he was in a hurry to get home for some strange reason. But today...he wants to make Rosol wish that his mother never had him. Looking at Nadal in the warmup right now...he looks like he wants to put a real hurt on Rosol. Rosol's current ranking...#56. Rosol on the other hand almost looks a little shy...almost embarrassed to be in this situation. This could be very interesting. Beyond the technique, the tactics...is the human psyche. Everyone reacts differently to different challenges. Let's see what happens in the fish bowl today...the petrie dish.


Roger Federer vs. Anybody. Still the most compelling player in terms of all around appeal...he is losing some of his luster. Still hopes are always high for "The Swiss Maestro" especially around Wimbledon time. One last time for old times...sang .38 Special some years ago.

One Time for the Old Times... .38 Special

http://vimeo.com/55344980

[stotty]

Wimbledon doubles...and the great Fognini

It’s dead. It might have a feint pulse but it is definitely on life support.

Soon there won't be a pulse, nothing. Why? I will tell you why:

Yesterday I witnessed something I thought I never would. At midday there were around 10 matches of men's doubles being played. In 90% of those matches all four men served and stayed back...yes, stayed back and rallied...on their first serves....ON GRASS! That's extraordinary. Dominic Theim, Rosol, even Dustin all retreat behind the baseline after serving. These are players with thunderbolt deliveries too.

A core way players learned the craft of volleying used to be through doubles. That's now gone. Now you tell me how young players can develop into good volleyers once a core route like that has been removed?

Stepanek showed easily there is scope for players to get to the net, but no one is going to be able to develop those skills anymore.

The highlight of the day yesterday was Fognini. I doubt anyone has hit the ball sweeter than that man. He has variety and immense skill. Sure, he's a naughty boy, but everyone loves him...he gets away with. His court was mobbed with spectators trying to get a peek. He has real movie star presence.

Oddly, Fognini's brilliance is achieved by having a weak serve. He has to use all his immense talent to make up for that one weakness. He truly is the best shotmaker in the game today. His cavalier-don't-give-a-damn attitude means he will try anything, anytime. You have to see him live to appreciate such a player...to get a sense of his timing and ball control. He's out on his own. He really is.

[don_budge]

Searing comments...

Soon there won't be a pulse, nothing. Why? I will tell you why:

Yesterday I witnessed something I thought I never would. At midday there were around 10 matches of men's doubles being played. In 90% of those matches all four men served and stayed back...yes, stayed back and rallied...on their first serves....ON GRASS! That's extraordinary. Dominic Theim, Rosol, even Dustin all retreat behind the baseline after serving. These are players with thunderbolt deliveries too.

A core way players learned the craft of volleying used to be through doubles. That's now gone. Now you tell me how young players can develop into good volleyers once a core route like that has been removed?

Stepanek showed easily there is scope for players to get to the net, but no one is going to be able to develop those skills anymore.

I saw it coming thirty five years ago. I screamed bloody murder. The only thing that I can say is that is totally and completely fucked up.

[GeoffWilliams]

The makers advances in equipment is only part of that by product. The other part is the hard hitting technique advances. Enlarging the sweet spots, and frames, increasing the structural strengths, co poly strings, lightening the frames, have all had some positive effects vs. the death of volleying. The mortals can have more fun playing and watching longer rallies. We make up 99.99999999 % of the players on earth. The freakishly talented pros don't care about wooden frames either, or volleying skills that much. They don't have to volley any more to win. Advanced materials science is just starting. Frames are made with braided graphite/ceramic/basalt/etc lay ups rolled onto a thin long bar on heated tables, to make the lay up more pliable, about 62" long, and reinforced at high stress points, and then placed into a metal mold. Compressed air is then pumped into the rolled up lay up inside the mold as the mold is heated to 350 degree for about 15 minutes making the lay up expand into the mold. The frames are then placed into a drill in their center, which drills out the grommet holes very quickly like a robot should.

Normal players will never be as advanced and precise as the science of making frames, and neither are the pros. It took 42 separate steps to make a Jack Kramer signature frame. He received endorsement money for 27 years, and no one in any sport comes close to his record!

The makers don't receive the credit for their advances, but without them, no one would be playing at all. Thanks to the makers and bring it on. I'd like to see force field string beds. I'd like to see immediate feed back on rpms/mph for players. I'd like to have voice control over my strings and frame. I'd like to see string that would produce 5500 rpms on command.

[gzhpcu]

Well, Giles Muller is playing serve and volley against Federer on his first serves...

[stotty]

Well, Giles Muller is playing serve and volley against Federer on his first serves...

Giles is 31 so he could be one of the last to have an idea...and turn out the lights when he goes.

I'm sorry, but having a birds-eye view of the mens doubles on Wednesday told me everything. If young players aren't serve and volleying in doubles, it spells the end. Furthermore, they have little idea where to position themselves in doubles. It's really amateur stuff.

They can all put away shoulder-high gimme balls, but what they cannot do is play lower balls that require any kind of dexterity and skill. They lack practice at it. Good doubles is perfect for volley practice. Ask McEnroe.

Players have never had better equipment at their disposal for volleying. The modern rackets lend themselves really well to the task.

All the commentators and pundits are duping themselves that serve and volley
is no longer viable...wrong...so wrong. It's very viable IF you have the skills to do it.