2015 Wimbledon Championships…ATP 2000…London, Great Britain

[klacr]

Sure, we all get this. Dustin played well. But Dustin didn't throw anything at Nadal that hasn't been thrown at Nadal before and which Nadal hasn't comfortably coped with in the past. He can almost expect players to throw everything and the kitchen sink at him, it's normal.

Nadal gave Dustin plenty of opportunities on a plate. Nadal was absolutely rank by his standards. He's vulnerable right now on all surfaces...even clay.

Nadal did give Brown plenty of chances and opportuities. But Brown stepped up, in the biggest match of his life, at centre court of Wimbledon, and handled the pressure superbly. How many players could handle themselves like that in the holy temple of tennis.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

And now Kyrgios beats Raonic! Interesting wimbledon this year!

[klacr]

two of the four Men's semifinalists from last year are out.

Gasquet d. Dimitrov
Kyrgios d. Raonic.

Kyrgios will face Gasquet in 4th round. Last year, Kyrgios saved 9 match points and came back from two sets to love down to win against Gasquet

Wawrinka looked good as well. Has not lost a set yet. He and Verdasco were absolutely slugging the ball.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Four players are looking ominous: Federer, Wawrinka, Murray and Djokovic. All four look comfortable. You have to believe one of them will win the event and no other player can wreck the party.

Can anyone see a party wrecker on the horizon?

[don_budge]

Taking Shape…The Draw Sheet of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships

Four players are looking ominous: Federer, Wawrinka, Murray and Djokovic. All four look comfortable. You have to believe one of them will win the event and no other player can wreck the party.

Can anyone see a party wrecker on the horizon?

Any one see a sleeper in the draw? Let's finish the third round and reconvene. There are plenty of potential wreckers out there…waiting for an opportunity. After completion of the Cilic/Isner match we may catch a glimpse of a potential "Sleeper"…as Cilic turned out to be in last year's U. S. Open.

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf

I watched Gasquet, Kyrgios, Djokovic and Wawrinka yesterday. Gasquet and Dimitrov was particularly interesting. The Gasquet and Kyrgios match is looming large. All good stuff. Some good stuff coming up today. Interesting stuff.

Looking comfortable is a big part of it. Anytime you ask a golfer how he felt after playing a great round he will tell you…"I felt comfortable over the ball today". These guys are trying like hell to play themselves into their comfort zones. It's all about getting into position and believe me…they are all jockeying for position now.

I am really curious as to how "Downtown" Dustin Brown reacts to his big win over Fafa Nadal. Is he ready to up the ante? Or is he satisfied with his fifteen minutes of fame? How about Tsonga/Karlovic? Can Tsonga avoid making costly forehand errors when they matter most? These two met once before in the round of 32 at Wimbledon. Guess who won? Ivo Karlovic by 76 67 75 76.

Seppi/Murray? Seppi has been showing some signs of stepping up to the big boys, but if Murray manhandles him it will be a surefire indicator Andy means business. "The Amazing" Mr. Monfils and Gilles Simon? Which French monsieur has the upper hand? Roger Federer? Any questions?

Match of the day…no doubt about it. "Downtown" versus Victor Troicki. I would love to see Brown versus Murray in a couple of more rounds. It's probably too much to hope for.

[stroke]

Dustin's super quick service motion is very interesting. Somewhat like Dogopolov, and an old Wimbledon winner, Goran.

[gzhpcu]

Dustin hit an incredibly short drop shot returning serve against Troicki! Never saw that before. His matches are incredibly entertaining.

[don_budge]

The Brown Service Motion...

Dustin's super quick service motion is very interesting. Somewhat like Dogopolov, and an old Wimbledon winner, Goran.

Funny that you say so. I was looking at his motion from another perspective. It looks to me as if it is a more classic motion from the past when serve and volley was the staple of the game.

Whenever the conversation comes to leaping for serves or the "kickback" phenomena I always refer to the way that the game is currently being played. Hit the big serve and retreat behind the baseline. Brown's delivery is designed to propel him to the net so he doesn't leave the ground. Interesting observation…stroke.

Dustin hit an incredibly short drop shot returning serve against Troicki! Never saw that before. His matches are incredibly entertaining.

I use this shot all of the time on clay. But I don't think I have ever seen a drop shot spin so much on grass that it spins back and drops on the original side of the net. This must be testimony to the texture of the grass as well. More velcro than slick.

Dustin has shown that tactically he is going to use the forecourt as often as possible. He is bringing his opponent forwards and forcing him to hit up whenever possible. He has made some mistakes in doing so but he sticks with it. If he made some more solid deep volleys a bit more often it might be wise…but who can argue. He is holding his own here and he has just broken serve.

[klacr]

Dustin has shown that tactically he is going to use the forecourt as often as possible. He is bringing his opponent forwards and forcing him to hit up whenever possible. He has made some mistakes in doing so but he sticks with it. If he made some more solid deep volleys a bit more often it might be wise…but who can argue. He is holding his own here and he has just broken serve.

Good observation. I noticed that as well and it's a tactic I use and encourage often. And why not? I want my opponent to beat me from a place that they are not comfortable in and a place I feel at home. They can't play the net nor do they possess the shots or mentality, I thrive up there. Welcome to my lion's den.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Just another Manic Monday

This post has been dead the last 48 hours

C'MON!!!!!
It's Manic Monday! All Round of 16 matches are being played. The 2nd week of majors are where things get juicy. The normal cast of characters are there. Djokovic, Federer, Berdych...

Nadal is out and Vasek Pospisil has taken full advantage of that section. Coming back from two sets to love down against Viktor Troicki. Pospisil is an accomplished doubles player and likes to use the occasional serve and volley in his singles play. Most players I have a hard time watching, Pospisil keeps my interest longer than most.

But C'mon...It's Manic Monday...Wimbledon is getting interesting.

Now if they only brought back the mixture of 70% Perennial Rye and 30% Creeping Red Fescue...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

Most people got bored with serve/missed return/missed volley points.

[klacr]

Those people clearly don't know or understand tennis then. And that's ok. Apologies if my love for the game and it's most prestigious event exceeds most.

Djokovic in a 5th set with Kevin Anderson. Match suspended due to darkness. Resumes tomorrow.

Quarterfinals are...
Djokovic/Anderson vs. Cilic
Wawrinka vs. Gasquet (One Handed Backhand fans take note)
Murray vs. Pospisil
Federer vs. Simon

Here we go...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Those people clearly don't know or understand tennis then. And that's ok. Apologies if my love for the game and it's most prestigious event exceeds most.

Djokovic in a 5th set with Kevin Anderson. Match suspended due to darkness. Resumes tomorrow.

Quarterfinals are...
Djokovic/Anderson vs. Cilic
Wawrinka vs. Gasquet (One Handed Backhand fans take note)
Murray vs. Pospisil
Federer vs. Simon

Here we go...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Yes, an eventful day at Wimbledon.

The problem is Stotty is burnt out. Eight hours in the hot sun...I'm sunk. You know how it is, as a fellow coach.

Saw Kyrgios's antics. If being a personality is acting like an ass, I'll settle for robots any day. In my country we call a guy like that a "paper hat". I hope he watches himself on the highlights and cringes.

I will post tomorrow. I'm too drained to type right now. Now...where is that ice cold beer....

[klacr]

Yes, an eventful day at Wimbledon.

The problem is Stotty is burnt out. Eight hours in the hot sun...I'm sunk. You know how it is, as a fellow coach.

Saw Kyrgios's antics. If being a personality is acting like an ass, I'll settle for robots any day. In my country we call a guy like that a "paper hat". I hope he watches himself on the highlights and cringes.

I will post tomorrow. I'm too drained to type right now. Now...where is that ice cold beer....

Hang in there stotty! Those 8 hours on court may be tough but you're making an impact in a student's life. Sometimes more impact than you'll ever know.

Wild day in SW19 for sure. Berdych was an absolute disappointment.

Kyrgios as well for other reasons. Gasquet was solid and only did what he needed to do.

Djokovic in battle with South African and Delray Beach resident Kevin Anderson. I see Kevin often putting in hard yards on the beach in Delray. I'm doing my runs and he's doing his. He's in the 4th round of Wimbledon and in 5 sets with Djokovic...and I'm just writing about it. Kevin is a super nice guy and happy for his successes on tour.

Federer cruised. Bautista Agut is a good match up for Fed and the swiss maestro played accordingly.

Wawrinka overpowered Goffin. But what a nifty player David Goffin is.

Murray chopped down the tree that is Ivo Karlovic.

In other news....and news that I predicted weeks, possibly months ago, Dimitrov and coach Roger Rasheed have decided to part ways. It was Dimitrov that pulled the trigger. Didn't wanna put in the hard yards in the gym anymore with Rasheed. Needs a new voice and new ideas. Sadly, if those ideas don't include "stop sucking of your mgmt's teet and stop living like a grand slam champion" then I doubt it will have any effect.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

2015 quarterfinals Wimbledon…Rye and Fescue no more

This post has been dead the last 48 hours

C'MON!!!!!

Now if they only brought back the mixture of 70% Perennial Rye and 30% Creeping Red Fescue...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Those people clearly don't know or understand tennis then. And that's ok. Apologies if my love for the game and it's most prestigious event exceeds most.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

The problem is Stotty is burnt out. Eight hours in the hot sun...I'm sunk. You know how it is, as a fellow coach.

Saw Kyrgios's antics. If being a personality is acting like an ass, I'll settle for robots any day.

Clearly…a lot of people just don't understand period. They don't understand the game as it is…they don't understand the game as it was and they sure as hell have no idea where the game is headed. But that's ok…ignorance is bliss. Tennis serves as a splendid metaphor for life if you truly understand both…tennis and life. Its the irony of the game…its the irony of life.

Just for example there was the Fourth of July celebration…Independence Day! Nobody understands what this originally meant either. Independence or Freedom being a thing of the past. Now it is all shock and awe…fireworks to numb the mind. It is a dumbed down audience…in every respect. Who has the time to ask the question…why? Americans might find it hard to understand that around the world nobody gives a shit about the Fourth of July other that it is just another day of trying to feed the family. I mentioned this to my Father just the other day. There will be hell to pay when the people wake up and realize that their freedom is gone and a thing of the past and that their politicians will no longer be able to say, "they hate us for our freedom". It was a great excuse while it lasted. A good catch phrase. Like a promotional phrase…for war. More fireworks! Shock and awe! Yippee!

Another thing that few people understand is the daily grind of being a tennis teacher or coach. To connect with your students week in and week out is a feat in and of itself. Every one of them is different and trying to manage the whole circus is one huge juggling act. Throw in the parents and obligatory administration and its a recipe for…fatigue. Being on your feet that long is a grind in itself…bring on the rest and I can understand how one might be longing for a beer or some sort of sedative.

But we are smack dab in the middle of Wimbledon and she rarely disappoints at this stage of the tournament. Hard to imagine a time in history when three of the four Grand Slams were played on grass and it is almost comical the way that the game is being played these days at the highest level where the top players in the world are unable to adapt to the conditions other than to play some suped up version of their normal clay court or hard court game. Only Roger Federer is playing the grass as it was meant to be played…or at least attempting to. The grass is vastly engineered as has been the mind set of the tennis player. To go to the net is unorthodox in an age where the orthodox is only a paradox of the truth. Tennis imitating life…once again.

Novak Djokovic/Kevin Anderson versus Marin Cilic…inconclusive at this point. But once again Cilic is jockeying for the position of "The Sleeper". Djokovic doesn't look to be himself…he appears to be hindered somewhat. It could be mental fatigue as he cited going home after the French to recharge his batteries. His lack of grass court play is going to tell now and he is not going to make it through…if he gets by Anderson he has to subdue Cilic and possibly Wawrinka although it would make his life easier if it was Gasquet. Anderson was putting a lot of pressure on the slippery Serb yesterday but couldn't quite nail him down. On the other hand…the prospect of a rematch with Cilic and Djokovic could prove to be really interesting and it is one that Cilic is maybe longing for. He ran out of gas in the fifth set against Djokovic last year…it would be interesting to see if he learned his lesson.

Stanislas Wawrinka versus Richard Gasquet…one can already imagine some of the backhand exchanges. I find myself pulling for Gasquet for some reason. There is nothing to dislike about Wawrinka but Gasquet's performance in taking out the "Jerk from Down Under" makes him my pick. Kyrgios is enough in himself but with his fans making all of the unnecessary and uncouth noise throughout the whole match is way beyond the lines of sportsmanship. It would be Kyrgios' responsibility to ask them to cease and desist and I'm afraid that if it was me playing against him/them that I would find my way up to them threatening to silence them myself. I'm sure that this sort of "howling monkey" behavior is amusing to some of the lower primates but I find it totally obnoxious. Stan is hitting it big as usual and appears to be in fine form. I watched him against both Verdasco and Goffin. But it appears to me that Gasquet has just a bit of nuance to him…the kind of nuance that can keep the big hitter off balance yet able to bring it himself…he hit a couple of huge winners in the deciding tie-break. They are 1-1 head to head with Wawrinka winning a 2013 match at Roland Garros in five tough sets. It's difficult to imaging Wawrinka losing in this situation…let's pay careful attention to his service motion and all of the possible implications it may have on this match. Gasquet's motion is quite a contrast…less energy used. Perhaps more efficient in the end? What an interesting and compelling match this should prove to be.

Andy Murray versus Vesely Pospisil…its all about Andy. The faces…the howling monkey face. He's really a piece of work. But he can play and he has the same sort of disruptive game that works on grass and what is more he has hired yet another Swede to his team. Jonas Björkman. Murray's performance against Ivo Karlovic was pretty solid. Emotionally though…he is wrapped pretty tight and he is prone to a bit of wilting under extreme pressure. But he sure has come a long ways. It used to be that it was pretty much guaranteed he would cave in but as it is now it appears that only Djokovic and Federer can keep and sustain the kind of pressure on him that causes him to wilt. Pospisil for his part has been softened up by three five set marathons and the doubles. Easy pickings for Andy Murray one would suppose.

Roger Federer versus Gilles Simon…one match at a time, Maestro. One point at a time, Roger. But nobody has to tell this man anything about keeping score. He knows the score and he knows exactly where he is in this tournament. There is only one question now and that is in the legs. Can he keep the energy up? As it turns out it is a great draw and he is through with only the loss of one set. Now he has a bit of a mystery coming up in his next round…a bit of enigma. Which Gilles Simon is going to show up? Gilles has to be feeling a bit uncertain of where he is at this point in the tournament. A centre court match with "The Living Proof" of tennis and the modern era. Can he raise his psyche to the level of the task? He can for sure…if Federer gives him any breathing room whatsoever. Federer has to come out spanking and not let up. He knows this and I have come to expect this of him in this circumstance. You won't see any half hearted loss in this match…its all on the table for him. He has his teeth into the tournament and he cannot wait to get them into the jugular of Simon. Federer has not lost his serve in the last one hundred plus service games. What does that say about his service motion? He's hitting all of the positions? It's grass court tennis and the name of the game is to…HOLD YOUR SERVE!

Simon dismantling of Tomas Berdych is a bit surprising but not wholly. Berdych makes my case for him every time he loses one of these big matches. His game does not match his body type or his potential for that matter. He is only playing the junior game…and for whatever reason he never grew out of it. His serve is really underdeveloped and he doesn't have the game to go forwards and to be aggressive. He is not alone in this regard…he is playing true to form with regard to the modern game of tennis where the rye and the fescue more resemble the clay and the asphalt than they do the old grass of years gone by. You be the judge…I have made my case. As you know.