2017 Amro World Tennis Tournament...ATP 500...Rotterdam, Netherlands

[don_budge]

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/rotterdam/407/draws

Hmmm...no Roger Federer but let's just take a wait and see attitude. For starters we have a couple of very interesting matchups. Two Zverev brothers (Russian by birth) and a couple of one handed backhands. Grigor Dimitrov versus Mischa Zverev and Dominic Thiem versus Alexandr Zverev...the 19 year old sensation Next Generation.

Dimitrov seems to be rejuvenated after a strong showing Down Under and Thiem is struggling to show himself deserving of a top ten berth in the rankings. Mischa Zverev is currently ranked #34 and had a fantastic showing at the 2017 Australian where he took down the first seed Andy Murray. Zverev has been looking dangerous for a couple of months now and he needs to show some consistency here. A win over the rejuvenated Dimitrov will certainly set the tongues wagging. Little Bro Alexandr on the other hand is now ranked #18 in the world and deservedly so. His performance of the past several to six months has been consistently rising. His five set loss to Rafael Nadal was within his grasp and he just let it slip away. It's sort of hard to see Dominic Thiem taking anything away from the younger Zverev and Dimitrov may have some all court play answers for the net intruder in Mischa Zverev.

Otherwise another first round one handed backhand player is Richard Gasquet who plays Viktor Troicki. Tomas Berdych already through to the second round with a win over qualifier Marius Copil.

I'm making a point to watch the Zverev brothers...and company. Is it possible that the most interesting matches of the tournament will be played in the first round?

[klacr]

Thanks don_budge for bringing this tourney to light.

Absurd 1st round match between Thiem and Alexander Zverev. Thiem won in 3 sets over a slightly lethargic/hungover Zverev after his Montpellier win. Rotterdam is one of my favorite events. Fast indoor court, Krajicek is the tournament director, Berdych has had some success there, and its in an awesome city.

You make money in Rotterdam
You spend money in Amsterdam
You talk about money in the Hague.

Mischa Zverev went three sets with Dimitrov today. Great to watch opponents have to figure out the serve and volley game. You can see they are uncomfortable. Dimitrov is skilled enough with an all court game to counter, he also happens to be riding high on confidence having a fantastic season and winning a title in Sofia, Bulgaria last week.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

2017 Amro World Tennis Tournament...ATP 500...Rotterdam, Netherlands...First Round

Thanks don_budge for bringing this tourney to light.

Absurd 1st round match between Thiem and Alexander Zverev. Thiem won in 3 sets over a slightly lethargic/hungover Zverev after his Montpellier win. Rotterdam is one of my favorite events. Fast indoor court, Krajicek is the tournament director, Berdych has had some success there, and its in an awesome city.

Mischa Zverev went three sets with Dimitrov today. Great to watch opponents have to figure out the serve and volley game. You can see they are uncomfortable. Dimitrov is skilled enough with an all court game to counter, he also happens to be riding high on confidence having a fantastic season and winning a title in Sofia, Bulgaria last week.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I watched a bit of both matches. Four top professional tennis players. Dominic Thiem #8, Grigor Dimitrov #12, Alexander Zverev #18 and Mischa Zverev #34. A couple of great one handed backhands in Thiem and Dimitrov to boot. Alexander Zverev one of the most talented players of the "Next Generation" crop and his brother Mischa who is getting a lot of attention for playing a brand of tennis that hasn't been seen in some time. Going to the net at every reasonable opportunity. Both matches were close...both three setters.

But something is missing. Something essential to watching tennis. It's terribly boring. It's mediocre...that is what it is. It's either mediocre or boring these days or both. When Djokovic is playing Murray...it may be excellent in a sense but it is still boring. Why is it that Roger Federer is so compelling that one can watch an entire match of his without missing a point whereas when you are watching his "clone" Grigor Dimitrov it is not nearly the same thing.

Mischa is causing a bit of a stir. The announcers were astounded that he plays the style of play he does. What is so astounding about it? This is the way that tennis was meant to be played. It is the way that I teach it. Yet to play serve and volley nowadays is so completely unheard of the announcers acted like they had invented something. Something like a wheel. Dimitrov was kept off balance just as Murray was off balance at the Australian Open. The problem is Mischa Zverev is not such a high quality player that he can sustain a level high enough to keep enough pressure on his opponent long enough to seal the deal. He has bursts of good play and this is followed by sustained levels of mediocre play. In the end...Dimitrov did have some all court play answers for the elder Zverev. He was forced into playing a bit of attacking tennis as well. Of course he was able to do it because elder Zverev lacks the same sort of answers that his opponents do when he is attacking. The play against a net player is pretty mediocre these days.

The serve of Mischa is worth taking a look at. His left handed delivery is the vehicle that he tries to get to the net behind and its pretty good. But pretty good is not good enough as the returners are going to catch on the rhythm and then he is going to have a really tough time of it. Is it a pin point or is it a moving platform? I guess that it is a pin point and I think that it costs him somewhat. Not necessarily because it is a pinpoint...but he doesn't seem to get enough push off of the back foot that will give his serve a bit of a booster and at the same time propel him towards the net at warp speed. He doesn't seem to clip the lines often enough. The serve is pretty darned good...but it isn't the weapon that it needs to be. He must be devastating his opponent with the first one and just giving them a bit of hell with the second. He doesn't necessarily do either. It's a pretty good motion so what is it that separates his serve from that of say...Roger Federer?

Dominic Thiem did reap some benefit from "a slightly lethargic/hungover" Alexander Zverev. The first set was over before it was started. What did Zverev take the set by? It was 6-3. I watched up until it was 4-0 to Zverev and it didn't look like Thiem anything that could hurt Zverev. But I think that klacr is right...he was handicapped by his performance of last week where he won at Montpellier. I think he won the doubles with his brother as well. I think his playing doubles with his brother is a great thing as it will force him into the forecourt and hopefully it will rub off on his singles game. He's a big kid...but he looks awfully awkward at the net. I saw him hit some really tentative volleys not to mention approach shots. You see...much of his game is very mediocre. It isn't that interesting to watch.

Ironically these may have been two of the most interesting matches of the tournament. We'll give it a chance and see how it plays out. I watched a bit of Hasse and Goffin...but the results were the same. Pretty mediocre performance all in all. One dimensional tennis and when the players get out of their comfort zones they are rather awkward looking...awkward playing. It's interesting how whole facets of the game of tennis have been engineered out of the equation...isn't it?

Tomas Berdych over Richard Gasquet in the second round 7-6, 6-1.

[hockeyscout]

Don_Budge ... look at you direct messages. We've got to watch a few matches together soon via skype - screen share. Interested in what you see. Nice post.

[don_budge]

Don_Budge ... look at you direct messages. We've got to watch a few matches together soon via skype - screen share. Interested in what you see. Nice post.

Got it hockeyscout. Deep in thought...fascinating message.