Roger Federer’s record breaking 15th Grand Slam Championship came down to what may have been the toughest match he’s ever won. Though his game was not as sharp as it was four years ago when he dismissed Andy Roddick in straight sets, this version of Roddick is not the same either. In 2005, Federer possessed a seemingly error free game. He used this to demoralize opponents, daring them to bring their best against him, and always having a reply that challenged them to do one better.
But they couldn’t, he was just too good back then. These days, at 27, Federer must work hard to beat the best: Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic. They’ve all shown that they have the skill set to take him on now. The one separating aspect that Federer possesses more than any other tennis player is the factor that allowed him to beat Roddick for his sixth Wimbledon title, his incredible mental strength.
Federer has always had the ability to stick around, to play his best when everything is on the line. In a sport where one man will so often defeat himself, as did Robin Soderling in the French Open final against him, Federer never will. He forces his opponents to either outdo him or suffer the fate of so many others who have faced him – to be dismissed.
For Andy Roddick, who has worked so hard over the last year to make over his game, the reward is that he has put himself back into the top tier of tennis stars. His semi-final match against Murray and the final against Federer showcased a fitter, all-rounded player that we’ve never seen before – one who could go toe-to-toe with the best on the baseline, and one who could hit passing shots and deep, penetrating backhands. And he walked around the court with an air of self belief, not dwelling on past points, or forcing arguments with the umpire. When calls went against him, he accepted it and quickly moved on to trying to win the next point.
Unfortunately for Roddick, he was playing Roger Federer, who, up 15-14 in the fifth and final set – having played the equivalent of seven sets – was incredibly able to maintain the same relentless pressure that he started with four hours earlier. And in the end, Roddick couldn’t find the solution, leaving Federer to claim the title once again.
Showing posts with label Pete Sampras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pete Sampras. Show all posts
In just three days, top seeded Rafael Nadal will don his familiar white bandana, and upon hearing his name announced, he will approach center court and graciously shake the umpire’s and his opponent’s hand, wishing him good luck with heartfelt sincerity. Then the show begins: he starts hopping up and down, preparing his body for action like a boxer, his lips curl and on his face he wears a snarl. And his eyes go blank as his mind disappears into a deep focus. He sprints to his end of the court, and with the first point of the first match, he begins the quest to defend his 2008 Wimbledon title.
And he will come out flying. Why? Because in Rafa’s world, every point is played as if it were the most crucial point of the match. Cynthia Gormely, writer for the New York Times has written an article on Nadal’s ascent to number one, and through her research she speaks with a number of people close to Nadal, including the only man who has ever coached him, his uncle Toni. In explanation of his unyielding
ferocity, he says,
“From the time Rafael was little, he’d win that first point of the match, which nobody ever pays much attention to, and he’d yell, ‘Vamos!’ All pumped up. Let’s go! And you play like you train. As he grew up, he got used to training as though each point were the last one.”
Throughout Nadal’s life, uncle Toni has been much more than just his tennis coach, he has been a mentor, not only a consultant for matters of sport, but of how to live life the right way, how to be a good person. Toni doesn’t have rules that must be obeyed, he has simply let Rafa learn the correct way to conduct himself. Asked if he has ever instructed Nadal not to smash and break a tennis racket during a match, Toni responds,
“He knows he can’t throw a racket. He just knows. As far as I’m concerned, it’s shameful when he orders a meal and doesn’t finish it. Understand? Same thing with rackets. These rackets cost money.” Such strong character and values, Toni believes, will foster the ability to be the best. “If that player is brought up courteous, brought up as a respectful person, he’s got a better chance to reach the championship… because it’s going to be easier for him to accomplish the hard work.”
Uncle Toni began this process with Nadal 20 years ago, when the young lad was only 3, but don’t be fooled into thinking that any three year old given a racket and life lessons can achieve such greatness. Toni had no preconceived designs on creating a champion out of Rafa.
“He was at the club one day, and I handed him a racket, we had some little ones, and then tossed a ball at him.” Upon seeing the ball impressively returned over the net, Toni thought to himself, “ ‘O.K., this is not normal.’ His feet, especially, the way he’d move himself into good hitting position when I tossed balls at him. This is a rare thing in a child.”
Tennis was not Nadal’s only sport growing up – in fact, it was soccer that was his primary passion, and it was perhaps in soccer where the first signs of his fighting instinct were first seen. Another of Nadal’s uncles, his father’s youngest brother, Miguel Angel, played soccer for the Spanish national team, and he recalls how Nadal used to play the game of “keep away” or “pig in the middle”: “He liked being the middle. We’d all do our tricky maneuvers to try to get the ball past him. Any one of a hundred little kids, you do those kinds of moves on him, he’ll start crying. But Rafa, no. He’d keep fighting to get the ball.”
Combining a killer instinct, strong character values, and perhaps an even more impressive skill-set is what makes up the magnificent game that Rafael Nadal displays on court today. And make no mistake, his game is just as overwhelming as his will. According to Gormely’s article, three years ago a San Francisco based tennis researcher, John Yandell, conducted a number of tests on different players to determine how much ball spin they generate off the face of their rackets. Speaking about Nadal’s forehand, he said,
“We’ve measured the spin rates on the forehands of quite a few of the top players, including Nadal, (Roger) Federer, (Pete) Sampras and Andre Agassi. The first guys we did were Sampras and Agassi. They were hitting forehands that in general were spinning about 1,800 to 1,900 revolutions per minute. Federer is hitting with an amazing amount of spin, too, right? 2,700 revolutions per minute. Well, we measured one forehand Nadal hit at 4,900. His average was 3,200.”
All of this spin translates directly into why Nadal has established himself as the greatest clay-court tennis player of all time. On the sport’s grippiest surface, where the bounce off a spinning ball is exaggerated immensely, a cross-court forehand drive from Nadal bounds off the ground with a higher trajectory than that with which it landed, ending up well above the strike zone of most right-hander’s backhands. Not only are opponents pinned far behind the baseline in the mere attempt to return this shot, it is almost futile to try to generate any sort of power or direction off it, which usually results in a short backhand return. It is this high spin forehand that can set up a point in one shot, as Nadal can switch instantly to the offensive even if he just hit five defensive shots in a row. Now imagine you’re Roger Federer, stationed well behind the baseline, expecting that forehand to come hurtling, and Rafa hits a slice or a drop shot. Because of where you were standing to combat that forehand, you have to sprint an extra five feet just to get to the ball near the net, which, due to the grippy clay, has not travelled towards you at all, and has bounced only two inches off the ground.
Although historically the slickest surface in tennis, the grass courts at Wimbledon have been changed in the last seven years or so. These days, the strength and density of the grass is so robust that players say it is second to only in clay in terms of grip. A fact that surely played into Federer’s 2008 demise at the hands of Nadal. Although he won all his five Wimbledon championships on the newly slowed court, he was not ready to battle Nadal, who had finally learnt how to play on the speedy hard courts, making the medium speed Wimbledon a natural transition to take the defending champion’s crown.
Upon receiving his winner’s trophy at the 2009 Australian Open, the last time Federer and Nadal faced off in a Grand Slam match, Nadal said to his opponent, “You are a great champion. You are one of the best of history.” Such soft spoken appreciation for Federer’s reign came mere moments after a performance that would later reduce Federer to tears.
Following a surprising early exit from the French Open, mere weeks ago, Nadal has some uncertainty heading into Wimbledon. Recently diagnosed with tendonitis in both knees, he announced that he would be resting them in order to make himself ready to defend his title.
And with that the fiery pitt-bull with the line-backer’s build prepares for the upcoming fortnight. According to French tennis commentator Phillippe Bouin,
“Every tennis lover would like, someday, to play like Federer, but every man wants to be Rafael Nadal. Which is different.”
While most men understand that they will never be able to command the court like Nadal, striving to be as good a person is just as tall an order.
Note: All quotes from Uncle Toni, Miguel Angel, John Yandell, and Phillippe Bouin were taken directly from Cynthia Gormely’s article. The assertions and viewpoints voiced here are inspired by her piece, but not necessarily shared by her. If you would like to read her article, click here.
And he will come out flying. Why? Because in Rafa’s world, every point is played as if it were the most crucial point of the match. Cynthia Gormely, writer for the New York Times has written an article on Nadal’s ascent to number one, and through her research she speaks with a number of people close to Nadal, including the only man who has ever coached him, his uncle Toni. In explanation of his unyielding
ferocity, he says,“From the time Rafael was little, he’d win that first point of the match, which nobody ever pays much attention to, and he’d yell, ‘Vamos!’ All pumped up. Let’s go! And you play like you train. As he grew up, he got used to training as though each point were the last one.”
Throughout Nadal’s life, uncle Toni has been much more than just his tennis coach, he has been a mentor, not only a consultant for matters of sport, but of how to live life the right way, how to be a good person. Toni doesn’t have rules that must be obeyed, he has simply let Rafa learn the correct way to conduct himself. Asked if he has ever instructed Nadal not to smash and break a tennis racket during a match, Toni responds,
“He knows he can’t throw a racket. He just knows. As far as I’m concerned, it’s shameful when he orders a meal and doesn’t finish it. Understand? Same thing with rackets. These rackets cost money.” Such strong character and values, Toni believes, will foster the ability to be the best. “If that player is brought up courteous, brought up as a respectful person, he’s got a better chance to reach the championship… because it’s going to be easier for him to accomplish the hard work.”
Uncle Toni began this process with Nadal 20 years ago, when the young lad was only 3, but don’t be fooled into thinking that any three year old given a racket and life lessons can achieve such greatness. Toni had no preconceived designs on creating a champion out of Rafa.
“He was at the club one day, and I handed him a racket, we had some little ones, and then tossed a ball at him.” Upon seeing the ball impressively returned over the net, Toni thought to himself, “ ‘O.K., this is not normal.’ His feet, especially, the way he’d move himself into good hitting position when I tossed balls at him. This is a rare thing in a child.”
Tennis was not Nadal’s only sport growing up – in fact, it was soccer that was his primary passion, and it was perhaps in soccer where the first signs of his fighting instinct were first seen. Another of Nadal’s uncles, his father’s youngest brother, Miguel Angel, played soccer for the Spanish national team, and he recalls how Nadal used to play the game of “keep away” or “pig in the middle”: “He liked being the middle. We’d all do our tricky maneuvers to try to get the ball past him. Any one of a hundred little kids, you do those kinds of moves on him, he’ll start crying. But Rafa, no. He’d keep fighting to get the ball.”
Combining a killer instinct, strong character values, and perhaps an even more impressive skill-set is what makes up the magnificent game that Rafael Nadal displays on court today. And make no mistake, his game is just as overwhelming as his will. According to Gormely’s article, three years ago a San Francisco based tennis researcher, John Yandell, conducted a number of tests on different players to determine how much ball spin they generate off the face of their rackets. Speaking about Nadal’s forehand, he said,
“We’ve measured the spin rates on the forehands of quite a few of the top players, including Nadal, (Roger) Federer, (Pete) Sampras and Andre Agassi. The first guys we did were Sampras and Agassi. They were hitting forehands that in general were spinning about 1,800 to 1,900 revolutions per minute. Federer is hitting with an amazing amount of spin, too, right? 2,700 revolutions per minute. Well, we measured one forehand Nadal hit at 4,900. His average was 3,200.”
All of this spin translates directly into why Nadal has established himself as the greatest clay-court tennis player of all time. On the sport’s grippiest surface, where the bounce off a spinning ball is exaggerated immensely, a cross-court forehand drive from Nadal bounds off the ground with a higher trajectory than that with which it landed, ending up well above the strike zone of most right-hander’s backhands. Not only are opponents pinned far behind the baseline in the mere attempt to return this shot, it is almost futile to try to generate any sort of power or direction off it, which usually results in a short backhand return. It is this high spin forehand that can set up a point in one shot, as Nadal can switch instantly to the offensive even if he just hit five defensive shots in a row. Now imagine you’re Roger Federer, stationed well behind the baseline, expecting that forehand to come hurtling, and Rafa hits a slice or a drop shot. Because of where you were standing to combat that forehand, you have to sprint an extra five feet just to get to the ball near the net, which, due to the grippy clay, has not travelled towards you at all, and has bounced only two inches off the ground.
Although historically the slickest surface in tennis, the grass courts at Wimbledon have been changed in the last seven years or so. These days, the strength and density of the grass is so robust that players say it is second to only in clay in terms of grip. A fact that surely played into Federer’s 2008 demise at the hands of Nadal. Although he won all his five Wimbledon championships on the newly slowed court, he was not ready to battle Nadal, who had finally learnt how to play on the speedy hard courts, making the medium speed Wimbledon a natural transition to take the defending champion’s crown.
Upon receiving his winner’s trophy at the 2009 Australian Open, the last time Federer and Nadal faced off in a Grand Slam match, Nadal said to his opponent, “You are a great champion. You are one of the best of history.” Such soft spoken appreciation for Federer’s reign came mere moments after a performance that would later reduce Federer to tears.
Following a surprising early exit from the French Open, mere weeks ago, Nadal has some uncertainty heading into Wimbledon. Recently diagnosed with tendonitis in both knees, he announced that he would be resting them in order to make himself ready to defend his title.
And with that the fiery pitt-bull with the line-backer’s build prepares for the upcoming fortnight. According to French tennis commentator Phillippe Bouin,
“Every tennis lover would like, someday, to play like Federer, but every man wants to be Rafael Nadal. Which is different.”
While most men understand that they will never be able to command the court like Nadal, striving to be as good a person is just as tall an order.
Note: All quotes from Uncle Toni, Miguel Angel, John Yandell, and Phillippe Bouin were taken directly from Cynthia Gormely’s article. The assertions and viewpoints voiced here are inspired by her piece, but not necessarily shared by her. If you would like to read her article, click here.
Image: Courtesy http://www.sportydesktops.com/
One day after winning his 14th Grand Slam title at the French Open, Roger Federer was asked by Dick Enberg, “How has Rafa (Rafael Nadal) helped you to be better?”
Federer replied, “I don’t know how much. I think with our rivalry, he is a left hander and I am a right hander, whereas with Pete and Andre, they were both righties… But I think I have actually helped the other players more than they have helped me because I have put tennis in a different league, you know, in a different level… they had to play catch-up and that made them maybe work even harder to become better players and better athletes.”
Ever since losing his #1 ranking to Nadal after Wimbledon last year, Federer has shown a lot of bitterness towards his rival, and this complete disregard of the Spaniard’s talent is another example. Federer is claiming that his lack of success against Rafa is due to the hand in which Nadal holds his racquet. Surely credit should be given to the Nadal’s mental toughness – his ability to play his best when everything is on the line. It is a trait necessary to be a champion, as Federer well knows, and it would be nice if he could acknowledge it in others. And what about Nadal’s superior fitness and speed? Does it deserve no mention?
Federer is always very quick to compliment himself, attributing the successes of others to his own game in the above quote. Considering that his one win at the French Open came against a weak set of opponents, perhaps he should show some restraint with the self praise.
When it comes to handling success and praise, Federer should look no further than the consummate professional, Tiger Woods.
When asked about his competition, Tiger has said, “These guys are the best in the world. I’m very lucky to have that opportunity to try to compete against the best in the world. That’s a rush.”
And on his presence, “I don’t even know if I have an aura, man. I just try to win.”
That is how a champion should carry himself.
Roger Federer has finally won the French Open, the one Grand Slam tournament title that had eluded him for so many years. In doing so, he also achieved a total of 14 Majors, which ties the all-time record held by tennis legend, Pete Sampras. With all the class Federer has shown over playing career, perhaps humility is one trait he has not quite mastered, as he had these words to say in his post match interview with John McEnroe:
“Now the question is, am I the greatest of all time? We don’t know, but I definitely have many things going for me because I’ve now finally won in all four Grand Slams.”
If Federer is indeed to be considered the best player to ever play the game of tennis, it would be nice if he realized that such a title is not self appointed. He should simply worry about winning, and let the resume speak for itself.
The question should be asked though, does this French Open win mean as much as it could have had he gone through Rafael Nadal to reach it? Unlike the sport of golf, where one man plays against an entire field of professionals to win a tournament, tennis is a sport of head-to-head matchups. Federer played seven matches over a two week span, six of which were against players ranked out of the top 10 in the world. There are three men on the ATP who have shown that they can beat Federer consistently: third seeded Andy Murray, fourth seeded Novak Djokovic, and of course the world number one, Rafael Nadal, and he did not have to face any one of them en route to the 2009 French Open title. Instead his toughest opponents were unseeded 31 year old, Tommy Haas, and the 21 year old underachiever Juan Martin Del Potro, who each stretched him to the limit in grueling five setters. Both were gutsy victories by Federer, but both matches were ones in which Federer was considered an overwhelming favorite.
At the end of the day, Federer’s consistency over the years has brought him to this peak, and one can take nothing away from his victories. However, this win would have meant a lot more were it over the insurmountable Rafael Nadal – the man who caused Roger to weep openly in defeat at the Australian Open earlier in 2009; the one opponent who holds a winning record against Federer in Grand Slam matches, with 6 wins and 2 losses. If Federer cannot beat the best of his generation like the great ones before him have, is he truly the best ever?
“Now the question is, am I the greatest of all time? We don’t know, but I definitely have many things going for me because I’ve now finally won in all four Grand Slams.”
If Federer is indeed to be considered the best player to ever play the game of tennis, it would be nice if he realized that such a title is not self appointed. He should simply worry about winning, and let the resume speak for itself.
The question should be asked though, does this French Open win mean as much as it could have had he gone through Rafael Nadal to reach it? Unlike the sport of golf, where one man plays against an entire field of professionals to win a tournament, tennis is a sport of head-to-head matchups. Federer played seven matches over a two week span, six of which were against players ranked out of the top 10 in the world. There are three men on the ATP who have shown that they can beat Federer consistently: third seeded Andy Murray, fourth seeded Novak Djokovic, and of course the world number one, Rafael Nadal, and he did not have to face any one of them en route to the 2009 French Open title. Instead his toughest opponents were unseeded 31 year old, Tommy Haas, and the 21 year old underachiever Juan Martin Del Potro, who each stretched him to the limit in grueling five setters. Both were gutsy victories by Federer, but both matches were ones in which Federer was considered an overwhelming favorite.
At the end of the day, Federer’s consistency over the years has brought him to this peak, and one can take nothing away from his victories. However, this win would have meant a lot more were it over the insurmountable Rafael Nadal – the man who caused Roger to weep openly in defeat at the Australian Open earlier in 2009; the one opponent who holds a winning record against Federer in Grand Slam matches, with 6 wins and 2 losses. If Federer cannot beat the best of his generation like the great ones before him have, is he truly the best ever?
Photo: Courtesy Reuters
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