2016 Australian Open Tennis Championships

[don_budge]

Wake Up and Go to Sleep...

Djokovic up 4-1 in fifth set. Simon with uncanny ability to play at level of opponent and gives players issues. Djokovic does not seem himself tonight, but credit to the wily Gilles Simon for forcing it.

Berdych up two sets to one but down a break in the 4th set to Bautista Agut. Maybe going 5 in that one.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Do you realize what time it is? I believe that it is 3:30 in Miami. Here listen to this while your are watching Berdych…he looks like he is going the distance
tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs8y3kneqrs

The great news regarding the Simon/Djokovic deal is Novak is wasting precious energy and hopefully it soften him up for Nishikori in the next round. Nishikori fresh off of a straight shellacking of the "Baby Bull" of France…Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But that doesn't phase Djokovic…he has all of the tricks of the trade. He may just be sandbagging against Simon for the exercise. He's a wily cat.

It looks to me as if your boy might have his work cut out for him. Hopefully he pulls it out. Destiny calls…a quarterfinal appearance against the Swiss Maestro?

Now it is Simon's turn…the bell tolls for him. One last chance to break the Djokovic serve to stay in the match at 5-3 in the fifth.

Not to be…Djokovic serves it out at love. Djokovic was heard to say in the locker room…"the news of my death were vastly premature".

[don_budge]

Carla Suarez Navarro…

I like Carla Suarez Navarro. She plays a sweet looking one handed backhand and seamlessly switches between underspin and topspin…whatever the situation calls for. She defeated a game little fighter from down under…Darla Gavrilova. Darla had Carla down a set and then some but Navarro never lost sight of the prize and merely switched from "A" game to "B" game. She started hitting the angles and drawing the feisty little Aussie off of the court and finishing the points very efficiently. She never lost her nerve or her poise.

Next for Carla is Agnieszka Radwanska. Come on Carla! You can do it!

[don_budge]

Roger Federer vs. David Goffin

Roger Federer in straight sets. A surgical strike leaving nothing to doubt. David Goffin looked very ordinary…he was bullied around the court. It was over before it started. It was a quick match. 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. The less time spent on the court the better.

Going forwards…he is staring down Thomas Berdych. Maybe he can make quick work of Berdych too. One more win then it is the match of the tournament.

What can Ivan Ljubicic bring to the mix? I'll tell you one thing…he's gone down the line with his backhand more than I've seen ever. I've been suggesting as much since the last loss to Fafa Nadal in the French Open. He has driven it down the line very effectively. Roger also came in on a couple of exquisite down the line slices and then had only to look for the down the line pass. It's by the book Roger…and you know what the book is. That's right…it's Tilden.

[stotty]

Djokovic, Simon...and Courier

When I came downstairs this morning and switched on the TV, Djokovic was 2-1 up and 0-40 in the fifth with Simon serving. Ten minutes later Djokovic was 5-1. I went out and made breakfast and when I returned Djokovic was 5-3 and 40 love up. It all looked like business as usual.

I did later see the highlights however. Simon is a tricky customer. As Klacr says he has often taken the best right to the brink. I noticed watching the highlights, Simon just hit incessantly to a length down the middle. He doesn’t have much pace for Djokovic to feed off so it ended up a real rallying affair, with Simon relying on consistency and good court coverage. Simon must have been getting tired at the end. He did a lot of running.

Djokovic’s forehand just wasn’t firing in the middle of that match. He even started opting for backhands on central balls.

Simon’s tactics were boring as hell, but he did frustrate Djokovic. I have seen Simon in the past at Wimbledon. He is considerably underpowered compared to most on the tour. He relies on consistency and movement. I also found physically disadvantaged in a way. He is so skinny, with a physique more like an adolescent than a man. Still, he has succeeded in making a fine living from tennis.

I have decided I dislike Jim Courier. I wonder if he is a nasty piece of work. His post match interviews are uncomfortable to watch at times. He likes to trip players up with his questions and looks for chances to embarrass players. Federer often looks uneasy when being interviewed by him. I am not sure what Courier is all about with his interviewing technique and why he likes seeing players dangling on a string and feeling uneasy.

[klacr]

Do you realize what time it is? I believe that it is 3:30 in Miami. Here listen to this while your are watching Berdych…he looks like he is going the distance
tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs8y3kneqrs

The great news regarding the Simon/Djokovic deal is Novak is wasting precious energy and hopefully it soften him up for Nishikori in the next round. Nishikori fresh off of a straight shellacking of the "Baby Bull" of France…Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But that doesn't phase Djokovic…he has all of the tricks of the trade. He may just be sandbagging against Simon for the exercise. He's a wily cat.

It looks to me as if your boy might have his work cut out for him. Hopefully he pulls it out. Destiny calls…a quarterfinal appearance against the Swiss Maestro?

Now it is Simon's turn…the bell tolls for him. One last chance to break the Djokovic serve to stay in the match at 5-3 in the fifth.

Not to be…Djokovic serves it out at love. Djokovic was heard to say in the locker room…"the news of my death were vastly premature".

I was up at 3am. Had to get ready for early day at work. No big deal. I'm a morning person so it's not an issue, ever.

Not a huge Pearl Jam fan, but I can appreciate it. Rolling Stones, The Police and those boys from Basildon Depeche Mode are at the top of my list.

You'll be happy to know that Berdych made his way to the net 40+ times in the match. He may not have the most ideal transition game or technically perfect volleys, but he is willing to come in and well, that's a start. He won 34 forays to the net out of 46 attempts. That's 74 %. What was also interesting is that this match was a Simpson's paradox. Bautista Agut actually won more points than Berdych, but still lost. 144 to 140.

Djokovic match...what can I say. He's stubborn. The best way to beat a player like Simon is court positioning. Djokovic was content to stay back and rally. Not step into baseline or step through on that backhand. Know where your strengths lie. Court positioning is something Djokovic does better than anyone else, that is his biggest strength, but he was content playing with Simon, not dictating and exploiting. If Djokovic played that way against Murray or Nadal, he would have lost.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Roger Federer versus Thomas Berdych…2016 Australian Open quarterfinals

No apologies necessary. Federer is my 2nd favorite. Being a Berdych fan, I'm used to being the lone wolf. It's easy to root for Roger. No hard feelings there. Trust me, I get it.

May the best player win.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I'm not sorry a bit…but you knew that. For you klacr it's a win/win. Berdych has a shot…it's no foregone conclusion. Trust me…Federer is not treating it as such. Roger versus Thomas has it at 15 to 6 head to head. But the devil is in the details.

Federer has won the last four but the last time that Berdych won was on a outdoor hard court in Dubai 2013. The meeting before that Berdych prevailed at the U. S. Open quarterfinals on outdoor hard courts in four sets. Berdych beat him one other time outdoors on hard courts besides his win over Federer in 2010 at Wimbledon. He can get it done on the big stage against the Swiss Maestro as well.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/fedex-head-2-head/tomas-berdych-vs-roger-federer/BA47/F324

These guys have a history. Roger Federer may have the hotter hand but once the coin toss is called and they begin to warmup they are going to play it out. Technically it's anybodies game. I like Federer's chances but if I was him I would nail up Berdych's coffin one nail at a time and not get too far ahead of myself. I know Federer isn't. He remembers what it is like to be on the losing end to Berdych and he doesn't like it one little bit.

I hope Roger mows him down and it isn't because I don't like Berdych. It's only because Federer is the last remaining link to tennis as it should be played and Berdych isn't.

[don_budge]

Ken Rosewall…Classic Tennis Player

Read a bit about Ken Rosewall in this article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/sports/tennis/roger-federer-is-aging-gracefully-but-australian-ken-rosewall-set-the-standard.html?WT.mc_id=2016-JANUARY-OTB-INTL_AUD_DEV-0101-0131&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=IntlAudDev&_r=0

A couple of comments from the veterans about the modern game compared to the classic game.

"The differences are a matter of technology — wooden rackets with smaller heads versus today’s highly evolved models — as well as a matter of playing surface.

“Muscles to this day couldn’t hit a topspin backhand,” Stolle said, adding: “All the guys in our generation were brought up on grass courts, so that made us all what we called in those days low-ball hitters. As a low-ball hitter, you got down there, and the topspin just wasn’t there. But you know full well, the boys today, if they were going to use those wooden rackets, they wouldn’t be able to flick the ball around like that. Someone like Rafa Nadal couldn’t play that way.”"

From Rosewall to stroke…

"Rosewall believes the player whose game might translate the best is the young Australian Bernard Tomic, a talented iconoclast with remarkable touch who is not averse to hitting sliced forehands if the occasion warrants it."

The professionals these days wouldn't get away with their "modern" technique under the prehistoric conditions. I say prehistoric because of the massive drive to eliminate the history of the past in order to glamorize the present. Don't think it's happening? Notice how the article slips in the word "evolved" instead of the word "engineered". It's subtle…but the bogey is in play at all times.

[stotty]

Interesting post above from don_budge...more on this later.

Murray 3-2 up in the first. Murray has exposed Tomic's movement already but Tomic has responded quite well. Tomic pushes the ball around with very little pace. It's quite fascinating to watch this going on live.

You just feel the game has become all about movement these days...and Tomic is well behind Murray in this department.

Hopefully I will get the first set in before going to work...

[klacr]

Raonic took out Wawrinka in 5 sets. A bit surprising but Raonic has looked quite good in 2016. Has a new coach, Carlos Moya in his corner, Playing purposeful and dictating tennis. Wish he got to the net even more.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

To the Net!

Raonic took out Wawrinka in 5 sets. A bit surprising but Raonic has looked quite good in 2016. Has a new coach, Carlos Moya in his corner, Playing purposeful and dictating tennis. Wish he got to the net even more.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Did you see the match? He was consistently serving and volleying on the first serve. He looked quite good doing it and it took Wawrinka out of his rhythm. It's funny watching him do it now. I remember years ago John posted Raonic's serve and I was advocating that he serve and volley. But then I have been advocating this sort of play from day one.

The logical thing to do for Wawrinka would be to counter with serve and volley tactics of his own…but he hasn't even considered this as a consistent tactic. He only uses it on match point.

[curiosity]

Ferrer over Isner in straight sets. Just wow.

[tennis_chiro]

Did you see the match? He was consistently serving and volleying on the first serve. He looked quite good doing it and it took Wawrinka out of his rhythm. It's funny watching him do it now. I remember years ago John posted Raonic's serve and I was advocating that he serve and volley. But then I have been advocating this sort of play from day one.

The logical thing to do for Wawrinka would be to counter with serve and volley tactics of his own…but he hasn't even considered this as a consistent tactic. He only uses it on match point.

I watched quite a bit of the match. It's the first time in a long time that I've had a good look at Raonic. He always seemed a little too laconic in his movement for me. Yes, the serve was great, but his statistics on return of serve and breaking serve were right there with Isner, well away from where it needed to be for him to have any real chance to penetrate the top 5 (and yet he reached 4 last spring).

But last night, I saw a different Raonic than I had seen before. He had a real spring to his step and the serve seemed even bigger than I remembered. He was routinely hitting 140 mph first serves when he needed them and the 130 mph second serves were, of course, ridiculous.

There is a certain rhythm to the proper execution of serve and volley tennis that is mostly lost on today's players. You simply can't develop that rhythm unless you make the move 1000's of times and today's occasional serve-and-volleyers simply never perform the necessary reps. But I saw that rhythm in Raonic's movement last night and a level of spring that I had previously felt was sadly lacking. On top of that, he was hitting his groundstokes and even his backhand with authority, including when he had to move to the ball.

I remember reading when Ljubicic took over coaching how they were talking about how much strength and fitness and I assume mobility and flexibility training they were doing with him; and how he was getting so strong. Sometimes it takes a lot longer for that kind of work to manifest itself in comfortable, improved movement on the court. Perhaps Ljubicic should have hung in there a little longer. We all know Raonic is a big man, but he always has appeared a little too gangly, apparently much slighter than Berdych for example. But the fact is, Raonic is listed at 217, 17 lbs more than Berdych (19 less than Isner and 17 more than the taller Janowicz). I wonder what those statistics really mean. I only have the 2012 ATP media guide for comparison, but he was listed at 22 lbs less at that point! He still looks a little bit like Daddy Longlegs, but he must be awfully strong and his movement and ball striking seem to bear that out. On top of that, his technique on his low volleys was reminiscent of another age. He was carving low backhand volleys into the corners with a level of ease and control that I haven't seen from anyone in a long time. The additional strength may be giving him the explosiveness that I saw lacking in what I thought was "laconic" movement.

In other words, I saw a lot more than a Raonic who was going to the net a little more. If he comes through with that kind of play against Monfils, he's showing me he is ready to take his place among the top three or four players in the world, at least on hard courts and grass.

Anybody else see this stark difference?

don

[stotty]

Interesting post above from don_budge...more on this later.

Murray 3-2 up in the first. Murray has exposed Tomic's movement already but Tomic has responded quite well. Tomic pushes the ball around with very little pace. It's quite fascinating to watch this going on live.

You just feel the game has become all about movement these days...and Tomic is well behind Murray in this department.

Hopefully I will get the first set in before going to work...

I was a little disappointed in Tomic today. I was hoping for more. He is good at the type of game he plays but I can't help feeling it is the wrong game for him. If you don't move well, then you must hit the ball hard, otherwise there will come a time in rallies where you will get too stretched out to cope. This happened numerous times in their contest. Murray moves so well he made Tomic seem slow.

Tomic does have power, he just doesn't use it enough. Going forward from here, he simply has to improve his footwork.

[klacr]

Did you see the match? He was consistently serving and volleying on the first serve. He looked quite good doing it and it took Wawrinka out of his rhythm. It's funny watching him do it now. I remember years ago John posted Raonic's serve and I was advocating that he serve and volley. But then I have been advocating this sort of play from day one.

The logical thing to do for Wawrinka would be to counter with serve and volley tactics of his own…but he hasn't even considered this as a consistent tactic. He only uses it on match point.

I saw the match. Yes, he serve+volleyed on first serves in the first set. That's fantastic. I was talking about his game as a whole. Not just on the serve. In return games and in extended rallies. He played great.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

tennis_chiro on Raonic…forwards movement for "High Pockets"

But last night, I saw a different Raonic than I had seen before. He had a real spring to his step and the serve seemed even bigger than I remembered. He was routinely hitting 140 mph first serves when he needed them and the 130 mph second serves were, of course, ridiculous.

He still looks a little bit like Daddy Longlegs, but he must be awfully strong and his movement and ball striking seem to bear that out.

Anybody else see this stark difference?

don

As the serve goes so does the rest of the game. This used to be the measure of a good tennis player way back when…when serve and volley and all court tactics were the paradigm. Milos has always had the big serve and he has always had the potential to have a GREAT serve. The thing was that he never capitalized on this great strength of his until now.

I have called Raonic "High Pockets" in the past on account of his extremely long lower body. The most efficient manner for a player of this size to move on the tennis court is forwards. I remember blaming some of his injury problems with his hips on the fact that he was playing the "wrong" game. The wear and tear on his long frame going side to side with the constant changing of direction with high centre of gravity…it's inevitable. Grinding with the small agile guys is going to result in a lot of pain not to mention results that do not match the potential.

Milos had more motion going forwards in that match with Wawrinka than I have ever seen him play. Since the thrust of his game yesterday was to go forwards he dealt with short balls with a preordained idea and was therefore anticipating what he was going to do before it happened. Milos has always struck me in the past as being a player stuck in the wrong paradigm of the modern game…he has been limiting himself attempting to grind it out with the endless baseliners in the game today. A typical big guy playing the wrong game. Thomas Berdych and Jo Wilfred Tsonga are just a couple of others that come to mind. Yesterday was the very first time that I saw Raonic going forwards on a consistent basis. He was serving and volleying on the first ball consistently and he was looking for the first opportunity to go forwards on his second ball. I believe that he was crowding the baseline as a result of his tactics which in turn allows him to play more aggressively tactically and which in turn makes him more difficult to tactically manoeuvre for his opponent.

His down the line slice backhand was very effective and the commentatoes were commenting on this fact also. Personally I felt a real sense of redemption watching him play that way. Your observation about the thousands of repetitions is interesting. What if this fellow had been doing this since the first time that John displayed his serve on the forum from Indian Wells a number of years ago?

With his momentum going forwards and his serving aggressively with his aggressive movement to the net…his whole game picked up a notch or two. It's a synergistic effect. This is the effect that I would be looking for in him as a coach. Wawrinka actually played really well and fought to the end but he was overwhelmed by the one sided serving. Wawrinka's service motion became a bit tentative at times as it is not the silky smooth delivery that will go hitch free forever…like the other Swiss guy.

Thanks for the post tennis_chiro…spot on as usual.