Federer Tour Portrait: Thoughts on Seeing Fed Live

[jimlosaltos]

When I discussed this December’s TPN Tour Portrait I shot of Federer with John, it struck me that there was a story behind each photo. So, we agreed to share a corner of those impressions. I hope you find them interesting and share some of your own.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/tourportraits/jim_fawcette/more_roger/

It’s so different seeing pro tennis in person than on TV. Each viewpoint has its advantages. But after watching so many matches on TV, when seeing Fed in the Indian Wells final, where he narrowly lost a great match to Dominic Thiem, what first struck me was Federer’s movement – his reflexes, quickness, and athleticism – then at 37 yo.

In the lead photo, you see Fed hitting a great, athletic overhead. What you don’t see is how fast it happened. After a good approach shot to Thiem’s backhand corner, Fed was tight on the net, near his right sideline when Thiem hit a wicked topspin lob. Could have been an outright winner. Fed instantly shuffled and leapt diagonally backwards. He was staring straight into a bright, desert sun peering just over the stadium room (look at the shadows on his face). But Fed didn’t just hit the overhead. Instead of bunting it back to its origin, the easiest target, he sliced it cross court to the open forehand corner.


Degree of difficulty: Spinal Tap turn the dial to 11.

[jimlosaltos]

Then, there’s this forehand taken right off the baseline. On TV, this looks routine. In person, you appreciate that Fed took a bazooka from Thiem, right on the baseline and didn’t back up a step. His front foot is inside the court. And he didn’t just block a floater back, he hit a deep, firm shot to the baseline.

[jimlosaltos]

While Fed is rightfully known for his shot-making abilities, look at these photos of Fed on defense. Thiem was just obliterating the ball. He hits arguably the biggest groundstrokes combined from forehand and backhand on tour. And he often had Fed flying back and forth around the logo. Here, you see him preparing to hit the Spanish squash shot as he zooms to his forehand corner, followed by a more offensive topspin shot also on the dead run. In the third photo, he’s on the dead run in the other direction, hitting that severely-cut backhand. Look at the stare.

[jimlosaltos]

More defense: Thiem had Fed on a string. Fed skids to a stop at the net to get a drop shot, only to have Thiem lob him. Fed sprints back to the logo to hit a tweener, turns and sprints back to the net again. {But Thiem won this critical point!}

[jimlosaltos]

Then, in a split second, Fed can go from defense to offense, leaping inside the court to hit this inside-in forehand.

[jimlosaltos]

By the way, how many different forehands does Fed have? This is a totally different swing, wide open, chest facing the net, leaping to hit a reverse forehand.

[jimlosaltos]

Let me toss in one last photo from Indian Wells -- but back in 2013. A perhaps underappreciated aspect of Fed’s career, is how he plays hurt, showing up when many of his peers would withdraw. This was a night, quarterfinal match vs Rafa. The main stadium was SRO. Fed’s back was so bad, somebody must have tied his Nike’s for him, he needed ball kids to pick up his water bottles, he couldn’t bend over. But Fed showed up, rather than leave a full stadium disappointed, taking a straight set loss of strange shot selections, but still trying to compete. I remember sitting up in the nose bleeds {thus the photo angle} and John walking by me to shoot video from even further up. At the net, Rafa hugged him and reportedly asked, “How’s your back?” Fed, “Not too good.” But he didn’t let his fans down. Has he ever?

[jimlosaltos]

Photogeek stuff for the subset who care. Taken with a new Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera with a 300 mm f 2.8 lens. Since that telephoto lens was designed for the 50 year old F-mount, it required an FTZ adapter to use on the Z7. While the Z7’s autofocus has gotten some criticism from reviewers, I found it equivalent to, different but equivalent in performance to that of the D850. The final overhead photo of Fed serving was taken with, I believe it was, a D7100 with a 70-200 mm f 2.8.

[johnyandell]

Good thoughts Jim!

[doctorhl]

Jim: Two difficult camera slo mo video shots I would love you to capture. I have observed them live, but never on film. 1. A front view of the ball when the speed/ rotation is right and it skids and stays low by an opponent hitting a Federer “knife” type backhand slice. It would take a pretty low camera angle to capture it. 2. A behind the baseline view showing the “windup to ball contact”of the opponent and at the same time showing when the subject split steps and then rises for movement in anticipation of the opponent’s hit. It would require a low camera angle behind the baseline to capture the subject’s legs and the opponent’s total body at the same time( provided the net doesn’t obscure too much).

[jimlosaltos]

Jim: Two difficult camera slo mo video shots I would love you to capture. I have observed them live, but never on film. 1. A front view of the ball when the speed/ rotation is right and it skids and stays low by an opponent hitting a Federer “knife” type backhand slice. It would take a pretty low camera angle to capture it. 2. A behind the baseline view showing the “windup to ball contact”of the opponent and at the same time showing when the subject split steps and then rises for movement in anticipation of the opponent’s hit. It would require a low camera angle behind the baseline to capture the subject’s legs and the opponent’s total body at the same time( provided the net doesn’t obscure too much).

Sounds interesting doctorhl, but more likely a project to talk John into doing. I usually photograph from the stands as a fan, while John can get his slow motion cameras on court. I do some video from time to time, but at smaller events where I can get closer, but Fed doesn't play

Ignoring time and effort (for a moment), there are a number of "combo" videos I'd love to see that might be insightful. Action-and-reaction or close-up-detail and broad view (action of serve, as one example).

Thanks for your thoughts !

[johnyandell]

Here is some footage that may help:

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...00fps.mp4&new=

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...00fps.mp4&new=

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...00fps.mp4&new=

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...00fps.mp4&new=

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Novak_Djokovic_2015_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Backhand/ND_BH_Slice&stroke=ND%20BH%20z%20Slice%20Wide%20CourtLevelFront1%20500fps.mp4&new=

[doctorhl]

Thanks John! Absolutely great views.. It would probably take a lab situation to capture the ball skidding after ground contact on a knife slice. The same is true in capturing when a person decides to split step and then rise up and deweight to take the first step, especially on volleys(talking more about service returns or doubles net play I guess). Most club players are trying to read opponent ball direction after it leaves opponent’s racket, so they split step too late and they are a little on their heels at opponent’s ball contact. I contend that the great anticipaters split step earlier and TIME their “read” and commitment to ball direction as they leg extend and deweight, after the split step. But we are talking about capturing both players at the same time in just a few frames to verify this. Some of your video capture of Federer’s extreme leg extension from the end of the split step to the end of deweighting leg extensions takes up several frames even at ultra high speed( especially on service returns). I just can’t see the other opponent to know when Federer subconsciously initiates all of this. I feel that this movement timing has something to do with his incredible ability to read and get an early step on the opponent’s shot direction.

[johnyandell]

Look in the one-handed backhand first article. There is a clip in there that shows the timing of Fed's split.