Murray, Long Live The (New) King
by Marco Di Nardo
anyone else on Tour.
Monday, November 7, 2016. The day that Andy Murray became the 26th player to
At the beginning of 2009, Murray was
hold the world number one ranking. It is certainly a day that the Brit will never forget. For a decade, he has been near the top of men’s tennis, beating the best players in the world and winning important tournaments, even Slams, but he was never able to overcome that final hurdle and become the top player himself. That is, until now. It all started in the second half of 2008, when a young Andy surprised the tennis world by reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. He did so by beating the likes of Richard Gasquet in the second round, coming back from two sets and a break down to eventually score the most important win of his career up to that point. From that point onwards, Murray has been a consistent presence near the top of the ATP Tour. Within just a few months of Wimbledon he would win his first Masters 1000 title, in Cincinnati, and also reach his first Slam final at the US Open. He also went on to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, and defeated Andy Roddick, Gilles Simon and Roger Federer in the round robin stage, qualifying for the semi-finals without losing a match. In the semi-finals, however, exhausted by the exploits of the previous months, he lost to Nikolay Davydenko. But he still ended the year ranked number four in the world, and was on an upward trajectory unmatched by
considered by many to be the favorite to win the Australian Open. At the World Tennis Championship, an exhibition event held before the start of the season, Murray beat Federer in the semi-finals and then Nadal in the final. He followed that by beating Federer again in Doha and winning the title there, overcoming Roddick in the final. All of this added to the narrative that he would win the Australian Open, and as the tournament started it was one of the main storylines of the fortnight. But Murray’s dream of Slam glory would be cut very short at the hands of a Spaniard – and not Rafael Nadal, for a change. Fernando Verdasco, for the first time playing the sort of tennis he would become famous for over the next two years, unleashed one of the most powerful performances ever seen Down Under, soundly defeating the Scot in the fourth round. The year which should have seen him rise to the very top of the sport quickly turned into a nightmare, as Murray did not reach a single Slam final the entire season. Yet despite his poor showing at Slams, and thanks to underperformance by some of his rivals, he reached the number 3 spot in August of 2009. He would soon fall back to 4, but his brief stint in the Top 3 no doubt provided him with confidence and motivation for the rest of the year, as well as the following season.
After not reaching a Slam final in 2009, Murray was determined to right that wrong in
by far the worst. With home crowds rabidly cheering him on and watching his every
2010. Indeed, he did not just want to reach the final, but win the whole event. It was
move, Murray hardly had room to breathe. Yet despite this, he reached the final at
quickly to become an obsession for him, one which would haunt him for quite some time.
SW19 in 2012, where once again he faced off against Roger Federer. Finally, after
Things started well enough, as the Scot
many years of constant failure, Murray won a
raced to the Australian Open final where he would meet his old rival Roger Federer.
set in a Slam final. It was the first set, as well, and the crowd started believing that the
Murray had often bested the Swiss in their contests, and had good reason to believe he
curse had run its course. Unfortunately, nobody had told Federer how the script was
would finally win his first Slam this time. As it turned out, however, Federer was by far the better player on the day, easily squashing Murray’s Slam hopes.
supposed to play out, for the Swiss was brutal over the next three sets, silently and confidently dismantling Murray’s game. He won his seventh title a few hours later.
A year later he was in the same place,
What happened next is a great testament to
against a different opponent (Djokovic), but once again experienced the same results. Worse than having lost three straight Slam finals was that he had not even won a single set in any of those matches. With each failure the pressure and self-doubt built up in the Scot. He was already suffering under the weight of an entire nation’s expectations: the last British tennis player to win a Grand Slam had been Fred Perry in 1936. He did not deal well with the pressure. One need only look at his other results for proof of that: between 2008 and 2011 he won at least two Masters 1000 titles every year, and was one of the most consistent players in that demanding tournament category. Yet when it came to the sport’s biggest stage, he could not beat the same players who he dispatched of in lesser tournaments.
Murray’s mental strength. Obviously devastated by the Wimbledon loss, he returned to SW19 a few weeks later for the summer Olympics. Focused and fierce, it was as if the last month had not happened at
Of all the places where he felt the most pressure to win, of course, Wimbledon was
all. In the semi-finals, Murray beat Novak Djokovic, a player against whom he had
But while the US Open was a nice win, Murray still wanted one prize above all else:
been struggling in recent years. In the final, it was Federer again. But unlike the last time
Wimbledon. Now no longer afraid of the big occasion, he again reached the final in 2013,
they met, Murray would not be beaten back. Federer, exhausted from his marathon semi-
and again played against Djokovic for the trophy. As at Flushing Meadows the previous
final against Juan Martin Del Potro, could
year, it was Murray whose nerves held out
only stand by and watch as a determined Murray seized control of the match and the
the longest.
gold medal.
What was left to do after that? Murray himself seemed to be unsure. He seemed
It was a shot of confidence that would, just a few months later, see Murray back in yet another Slam final. It was the US Open, and he would finally break free of the “eternal loser� image once and for all. Up against Novak Djokovic in the championship round,
listless in the months following Wimbledon, and suffered a surprise loss to Stanislas Wawrinka at the US Open. He admitted his motivation had been low, and soon underwent back surgery, adding physical pain to his mental uncertainty. Murray only
he finally broke through. It took a mammoth five-set encounter, in which both players suffered from leg cramps, but he ultimately came out on top.
returned to the court in 2014, but struggled to regain his former form. He did not reach any Slam finals that year, reaching only one semi-final at Roland Garros and no Masters 1000 finals. He ended the year ranked 6 in the world, qualifying for ATP World Tour Finals but suffering a humiliating 0-6, 1-6 loss to Roger Federer at the event. Able to enjoy a full program of training in the off-season, 2015 started better for the Scot. He reached the Australian Open final, where he lost to Djokovic again. But Murray’s big success of the year would come in a team endeavor rather than an individual one. Returning to Davis Cup play, which Murray had often scorned in favor of his singles career, he led the British team to an incredible victory. And despite not winning any Slams in 2015, he still managed to end the year ranked number two. He was now just one position away from reaching the last
major career goal still to elude him: the world number one ranking.
Slams, and returned to the fold just before Wimbledon. Murray immediately won their
Which brings us to 2016. Djokovic started the
first tournament together at Queen's, and soon found himself in a very favorable
season in a league of his own. He won the Australian Open, as well as the Masters
position at Wimbledon. Djokovic was eliminated in the third round, Nadal was not
1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami and
playing and Federer was on the other side of
Madrid. His lead in the rankings was so large it was palpably absurd to think anyone would
the draw. In fact, Federer was eliminated in the semi-finals. Only Raonic stood between
ever catch up to him.
Murray and a second Wimbledon title, and Raonic could not put up much resistance in
And Murray? He once again lost the final in Melbourne, was eliminated in the third round of the first two Masters 1000 tournaments, and lost the final in Madrid. He managed to reach the final of the French Open, to the surprise of many observers, but once again
the end.
fell short against Djokovic, who appeared absolutely untouchable at that point. Then came Ivan Lendl. The former Grand Slam champion had coached Murray during his first productive period, when he won two
of the year.
But even after all of this, Djokovic was still lightyears ahead of Murray in the rankings. It would take a miracle to get anywhere near him, let alone overtake him, before the end
Then came the Olympics. Though players did not receive points for competing, Djokovic lost in the first round while Murray
won gold – it was a psychological shift that determined the rest of the season. Mentally
number one.
wounded and physically ailing (he had a slight wrist injury), Djokovic seemed listless
The Scot won 8 titles in 2016, including Wimbledon, the Olympics, three Masters
and subdued for the rest of the season. He skipped Cincinnati to rest, where Murray
1000 events (Rome, Shanghai and Paris) and the ATP World Tour Finals. In overtaking
reached the final. The US Open could very
Djokovic, Murray has accomplished one of
well have clinched it for Djokovic. Had he won the event, he would almost certainly
the most incredible feats in recent tennis history. Few people would have taken bets
have ended the year as number one. But even though Murray lost early, Djokovic
on Murray entering 2017 as the best player in the world, but they were all proven wrong.
could not make the most of the opportunity. Though he was heavily favored entering the final against Stanislas Wawrinka, he lost.
With three Slams, two gold medals and a world number one ranking under his belt, he has accomplished just about everything a tennis player can hope to. And if he continues playing as well in 2016 as he did this last season, he will accomplish much
Murray went on to win the Shanghai Masters 1000, the ATP 500 event in Vienna and the Masters 1000 in Paris. Djokovic, no longer the same players as before, was nervous on court and never managed to win another event. After Djokovic lost to Marin Cilic in the Paris quarter-finals, Murray became world
more besides.
Andy Murray, the keys of a late success by Gatto Luigi
With Andy Murray passing Novak Djokovic in the ATP Rankings, Paris Bercy event becomes one of the most historical ones. At 29 years and 5 months the Scottish player became just the second oldest player to be World No. 1 for the first time ever, only John Newcombe was older (he did it at 30 age in 1974). Different Eras, different game-styles, Newcombe with a serve and volley game, Murray a born defender, and even there are some analogies.
'The best is yet to come', the new World No. 1 had said after Wimbledon title. He could expect everything but this achievement, that allows him to remove the notoriety of the best World No. 2 ever, thanks to the ability of taking advantage of the Federer and Nadal's bad season in the same year. It's easy to relate the wrongs to the other players, instead it's more interesting and correct to analyze Many Murray's improvements. Three are the Keys of why he played a such successful tennis at 29 age, which is a little bit "strange" as he is on the ATP Tour for more than a decade: 1) the paternity. It seemed that the birth of the little and "innocent" Sophia could have influenced Murray. After the Two bad losses in Indian Wells and Miami respectively to Delbonis and Dimitrov, you could think that his claycourts season wouldn't have been very good, and instead the family circle helped Andy, that said many times how much he suffered the divorce between his parents when was a kid. Sophia's arrival helped him to sort things out, and not to think about tennis that is not his priority anymore.
2) The other reason why he had a such bad March could have been Jamie Delgado. Officially hired after Australian Open, hands up who had not doubts on what he could have brought to an experienced player like Murray, especially because he had coached only Gilles Muller previously. And instead working with a friend-compatriot week after week made him calm. Delgado followed Murray everywhere,
Focusing back up for the age question, Murray is not certainly the first player to play his best tennis in the late part of his career. Stan Wawrinka started the trend: both players reached their peak at age 29, an age that was considered as the last stage of career until a few years ago. And instead Wawrinka, who will turn 32 in March, is confirming that as the time goes on the bigger awareness in his weapons beats the theory of the number instead of what happened in the last decades: the youngest players to retire "young" beyond Bjorn Borg (age 26, which is an expection), have been Marcelo Rios and Marat Safin (29 age), Kafelnikov, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick and Stefan Edberg (30 years old), Pete Sampras, Kuerten and Boris Becker (32 years old), but they were all declining for some time. Apart Novak Djokovic who seems empty mentally, there isn't any player who could aim to be World No. 1. But seeing how Fab Fours have a bigger longevity than the past gives even more value to an unique Era that now rewards after many years the Andy's patience and continuity. Three years ago in November he was having a back surgery that could have influenced the rest of his career. Now he pushed away the doubts, and his present is more gratifying than ever.
despite Ivan Lendl's comeback, who was a little bit under the shadow in this last part of the season as he does not sit in the Player box since US Open. But it doesn't matter, in this season Lendl already did his job: he had to give Murray safety and positive energy when it mattered the most, it means after the loss to Novak Djokovic at the Roland Garros.
The Fall Of The Fab Four? by Giorgio Giannaccini At the ATP World Tour Finals this year, we were all treated to an unusual sight: the simultaneous absence of both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the two men who have defined men’s tennis for more than a decade. Between the two of them they have re-written dozens of records and played some of the most extraordinary matches the tennis world has ever seen. Their rivalry is equaled only by clashes between McEnroe and Borg.
Their absence from the Finals cast a somber tone over the whole event, and also had the effect of lowering the overall quality of the matches. With Federer and Nadal no longer able to play as well, or as often, as they used to, domination of the Tour has more or less defaulted to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Of course, players like Stanislas Wawrinka spoil their party every now and then, but at the moment it’s very much a two-horse race for control of the men’s circuit. Nadal, thanks to his extremely physical game, is no stranger to extended
injury layoffs. But his latest series of setbacks seem to be a bridge too far even for him, and he has not been the same since returning from a wrist injury suffered at Roland Garros. Federer is even older than Nadal, but thanks to his more efficient style of play has not suffered nearly as many injuries. That being said, back issues and then knee problems put a premature end to his 2016 season, and it is anyone’s guess how effective he will be when he returns next year. Winning Wimbledon will likely always be a realistic possibility for him no matter what his age, as long as he is healthy. But
competing at a high level throughout the year as he always has? It might just not be feasible anymore. Nadal was technically eligible for the ATP World Tour Finals, but did not play due to health concerns. Federer, on the other hand, not having played for six months, had no chance of qualifying. He not only failed to appear at the prestigious year-end event for the first time in about a decade, but also fell out of the Top 10 after 734 weeks of always being present near the top of the rankings. 302 of those weeks were as world number one. His assault to return to the Top Ten will restart in January, and he will also aim to beat Jimmy Connors' record of 819 weeks in the top ten. Numbers aside, we must now seriously consider if the term “Fab Four” is even more ready for retirement than Federer and Nadal. Djokovic and Murray as still playing at very high levels, of course, but Federer and Nadal can certainly not still be considered as dominant players any more. The next generation of players are not quite ready for the big stage, it is true. Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem
are all very talented and will likely go on to do great things, but they cannot even hope to be considered as part of a “Fab” group. Stanislas Wawrinka has won three Slams, but as brilliant as he is at times, he can also be woefully inconsistent. Even so, he might now default into the Fab Four given his stature and overall results. So right now we can only speak, perhaps, of a Fab Three, but in the coming year that might change. Juan Martin del Potro, for example, is a prime candidate for the Fab Four should his comeback
continue on its current course. Players like Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori, if they put together a string of impressive results, might also be considered. One can hope, of course, that both Federer and Nadal will return to reclaim their spots in the Fab Four. It is a vain hope, perhaps, but a hope nonetheless! It would certainly be glorious. But no matter what happens, we must all appreciate these two players every time they step out on court, for we cannot know when it will be the last time.
Andy Murray, A Long Time Coming by Giorgio Giannaccini
The tennis season started with one certainty: the domination of Novak Djokovic. It ended with another, almost unthinkable one: the usurpation of the throne by Andy Murray. It seems just like yesterday when Andy Murray lost yet another Slam final to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne. It has become an almost yearly ritual, the humiliation of Murray in Australia at the hands of the Serb. This time around, the blame was placed by most pundits at the feet of Amelie Mauresmo, the stopgap coach who was not up to the task of extracting Murray’s best tennis from him. Indeed, after another failure Down Under, followed shortly after by Mauresmo’s departure, nobody was paying much attention to Murray. He had been mediocre for the better part of three years, winning tournaments here and there but almost always losing to his main rivals, especially on the sport’s bigger stages. Instead, attention focused
on Djokovic in the early part of 2016, especially after he waltzed to Slam victories in both Melbourne and Paris. The tennis world was alive with chatter that Djokovic would do something that only one man, Rod Laver in 1969, has ever done in the Open era: win the calendar Grand Slam. Pundits were falling over each other to predict just this outcome. It was hardly a risky prediction, especially with Federer and Nadal racked by injury and mostly absent from the Tour. But as the spotlight was burning through Djokovic in anticipation of his historic season, Murray was quietly plugging away, improving every week. His performance during the clay season was particularly impressive and
surprising, with Murray beating Nadal in Monte Carlo, reaching the final in Madrid and winning the tournament in Rome. He even reached the final at the French Open, a concept that would have been utterly foreign just a few short years ago. He followed that, of course, with a victory at Wimbledon and gold at the Olympics. A loss at Flushing Meadows in the quarter-finals hardly seemed to matter. Murray had enjoyed a brilliant season already, and even had he lost every match until the end of the year it would hardly have stained his campaign. But that loss turned out only to be a minor speedbump, as the Scott went on to victory
in Bejing, Shanghai, Vienna and Bercy, a string of successes that landed him, incredibly, in the number one spot in the world. Djokovic, playing poorly, was unable to mount much of a challenge. Until very recently, Murray had very much been viewed as the lesser of the so-called Fab Four. Though he had won a couple of Slams, Olympic gold and the Davis Cup, his accomplishments paled in comparison to those of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, all of whom sport double-digit Slam wins and stints at the number one spot in the rankings. But as the pundits buried Murray, one man saw greatness in him…someone
who had taken Murray near the top of the tennis world once before: Ivan Lendl. Under Lendl’s stewardship some years ago, Murray had enjoyed the best results of his career, winning two Slams, including Wimbledon. After they parted ways, however, the Scot fell into old patterns again and slumped to the back of the Fab Four pack. Lendl’s return came at the perfect time: just before Wimbledon. Murray immediately went on a winning streak, lifting the trophy in Queen’s and then at SW19. The Scot was helped by the fact that all his would-be challengers Nadal, Federer and Djokovic fell out early or didn’t play. But regardless of how he
won the event, the effect on his confidence was immediate and irrevocable. With Lendl on his side, Murray was more than the sum of his parts. Which leads us to the most spectacular of his achievements: rising to world number one. So large was Djokovic’s lead at the start of the season that it was beyond any reasonable person’s doubt that the Serb would maintain the top spot not just for this season, but for many more to come. But a decline of form just as Murray hit his stride slowly ate into that lead, and at the ATP World Tour Finals, in the championship round, Murray trounced the Serb to claim the year-end number one. He is the 26th player to hold
the number one ranking, and one of the oldest to reach it for the first time at 29. Adding to Murray’s joy has been his brother’s successes this year. Jamie Murray won both the Australian Open and US Open in doubles and also rose to world number one. A happy time for the
Murray family indeed. Murray has finally scaled the mountain that has so taunted him for his entire career. The question is: what does he do now that he is on top? 2017 will see the return of both Nadal and Federer, and Djokovic will be itching for revenge. It will require a
monumental effort to hold on to his new ranking, but if this year has taught us anything, it’s to never underestimate Andy Murray.
Farewell To Ferrer?
by Giorgio Giannaccini
Ferrer has been defying age and conventional tennis wisdom for years, but it seems that time is finally catching up with him. After being a constant presence in the Top 10 for the better part of a decade, the best days of David Ferrer may be behind him. Currently at 21 in the rankings, the Spaniard has endured a forgettable year thanks to injury and inconsistent form, and one wonders if he will ever be able to play consistently at a
high level again, given how physically demanding his style of play is. It is a decline that is, perhaps, long overdue, given the extreme physical demands of the modern ATP Tour and its long season. Ferrer has been the very picture of commitment and perseverance for the last ten years, and has had to work harder than any of his peers to maintain his position. The Spaniard is the only player 1.75m or shorter that has been in the Top 10 in that time (Davydenko and Nishikori are the next shortest, both at 1.78m), and that is thanks purely to the fact that he puts himself
through an almost inhuman training regimen. Even before the season started, Ferrer intimated that his age was an increasingly difficult hurdle to overcome. His words seemed to have been prophetic, since despite a relatively light schedule (“only� 23 tournaments and Davis Cup duty), he still did not manage to stay healthy and in form. He ended the season with 36 wins and 22 losses, a truly miserable outcome compared to the previous year, when he won 55 matches and lost just 16. He also did not win a title this year, compared to five in 2015.
surface, which is of course the surface Nadal has dominated for so long. Still, he has achieved some magnificent results in his career. Even at Wimbledon on grass, his least favorite surface, Ferrer managed to reached the quarter-finals twice (2012 and 2013), and at the other Slams he did much better.
With so many great players nearing the end of their careers, we fear Ferrer might be as well. It has been a very good one, to be clear, both on and off the court. Despite not having the prototypical athletic physique, his success and personality won him a great many fans in Spain. Even though Rafael Nadal cast a very long shadow, Ferrer always managed to maintain a strong fan base, which continues to support him even in the tough times. That being said, one wonders how much more illustrious Ferrer’s career would have been had Nadal not been around. After all, clay is Ferrer’s favorite
He twice reached the Australian Open semi-finals (2011 and 2013), and repeated the feat at the US Open (2007, 2012). He also reached the final at Roland Garros in 2013, where he lost to Rafael Nadal, and the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in 2007, where he lost to Roger Federer. He reached his highest ever ranking of 3 in the world on 8 July, 2013, immediately after losing to Nadal at the French Open. The only major arena where Ferrer did not excel was the Olympics. The best he ever managed to do was a third round appearance in 2012, something which the patriotic Spaniard no doubt greatly regrets. There were few highlights for Ferrer in 2016. He managed to reach the
quarter finals of the Australian Open, but did not go as far in any of the other Slams. He lost to Thomas Berdych in the fourth round of the French Open, and to Nicolas Mahut in the second round of Wimbledon. He reached the third round of the US Open before losing to a resurgent Juan Martin del Potro. Overall, Ferrer reached six semi-finals in 2016 and lost them all. After winning five events in 2015, he didn’t even reach a final a year later. Ferrer may be nearing the end of his career, but his legacy is already an illustrious one. He has done much better than anyone ever thought he would, and he will certainly serve as an inspiration for shorter players for years to come. He also seems keen on remaining in the tennis world even when he steps off the court, having already become involved in tournament ownership and the running of his own tennis academy. So even though we may not see him playing for much longer, his influence on the game will continue for decades to come.
Rafael Nadal struggles with self-confidence so will you! by Adam Blicher
The best tennis players of our sport look and act extremely self-confident, but we forget that it might be completely different under the
surface. They are also experiencing uncertainty and doubt. Tennis is an odd sport. Some days, you feel like you can’t miss the ball even if you tried to, and other days you doubt if you can even hit the opponent’s half. 14-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal has been very outspoken earlier this year about his lack of self-confidence. He has not experienced
the feeling of self-confidence despite the fact that he will go down in the history books as one of the best players the world has ever seen. So if you sometimes get the thought that you are the only one struggling with confidence, remember that even the best players in the world struggle. The difference is in how you handle it. The professional players understand that it is possible to win several matches
before the feeling of self-confidence will come back. It is also important to remember that having high self-confidence doesn’t always lead to good performances. There is a very fine line between having high self-confidence and having too big of an ego. If
you are having too big of an ego, it often leads to not preparing well enough, or you might get a little bit too cocky in the way that you are going about your performance. Therefore, we need to redefine our understanding of self-confidence. It is in the way you practice. It is in the way you prepare. It is your willingness to follow your gameplan no matter what thoughts and emotions you will experience during a match.
We need to remember that the act of selfconfidence comes before the feeling. The feeling of self-confidence often arrives after a good performance. Not always, but often times. So the feeling of self-confidence is more like a bonus. When Rafael Nadal talks about his lack of selfconfidence, there is absolutely no doubt that
he is talking about the feeling of selfconfidence. Rafa knows that he can’t control the feeling, but everything that is in his own control in the preparation before matches will be taken care of with an extreme attention to detail. The acts of self-confidence are all the things that you can control in your preparation before match. It is how you eat, how you sleep and the game plan that you will make together with
your coach. You do not need to have high self-confidence in order to have the opportunity to perform well. It helps, but it is not a necessity. Remember that the important thing is to act self-confidently. The act of self-confidence comes before the feeling.
2017: a year to remember
season to recover from injury. Indeed, Federer took off the entire second half of the season. Will it be enough for them to start the year fresh and ready for conquest? We certainly hope so.
After a sleepy 2106, marked mostly by the absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, next season promises to be much more exciting.
THE FIGHT FOR NUMBER ONE There hasn’t been this much uncertainty surrounding the number one ranking in more than a decade. Murray snuck over the finish line in the last match of the year, and will enjoy Christmas as the best player in the world, but he can’t rest on his laurels for long. Djokovic will be aching to recover the top spot, even though it may be difficult in the first half of the season. He is defending in 2017, but the young guns are certainly going to a massive amount of points, and he will have to hope Murray stumbles if he is to wrestle the number one ranking from him. Most likely he will have to make a push in the second half, where he is defending few points, and Murray is defending a lot.
by Federico Mariani
If one were feeling charitable, 2016 might be described as a “transition year.” Djokovic started the year hot while Murray ended hot, with the in-between holding nothing much of extreme interest. What are we transitioning to then? A more exciting season, hopefully, with the return and last gasp of Federer and Nadal, Djokovic’s quest for redemption, Murrays attempt to hold on to gained ground and a push from fresh young faces. ONE LAST TIME? Federer & Nadal, Nadal & Federer. Somehow it all still comes back to them. So large is their shadow that even when they aren’t playing, the whole tennis world is still defined by their absence. Perhaps the biggest storyline of the coming season will revolve around how these two legends try and recapture some of their old magic. Will they be able to make a big impression on the Tour they so thoroughly once dominated? Both men certainly believe that they will be able to. Federer will always cling to Wimbledon like a piece of driftwood in the open ocean. He knows he can win it no matter how old he is, and will likely structure his whole season around that event. Nadal, similarly, will look to the European clay in general, and Roland Garros in particular, as a way of kick-starting his flailing form. He too will firmly believe that he can win the French Open regardless of his age, as long as he is healthy. Both men took extended time off towards the end of the 2016
THE TOWER RETURNS Potentially the biggest story of 2017 may be Juan Martin Del Potro. The tower Of Tandil has managed to stay healthy for a number of months now, something he has not been able to do since he won the US Open in 2009. He quietly played some excellent tennis in 2016, going from 1045 in the world to the Top 40 in a matter of months. That statistic should greatly alarm the rest of the Tour, who are well aware that when he is playing his best tennis he can beat anyone on any surface. YOUNG GUNS It seems that every year we predict the following season to be the one where the youngsters finally step up and take over the Tour. And every year we are proven wrong. That being said, 2017 could see quite a few youngsters start making major strides. The two most obvious candidates are Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios. The German has been nothing short of a sensation, using his powerful game to upset more experienced opponents
throughout the whole year. And while most people were focused on Kyrgios’ personality and tantrums, he actually played very well in 2016. If he can remain calm and focused, he may very well be the first of the young guns to win a Slam. Behind these two are the likes of Dominic Thiem and Lucas Pouille. Thiem is already established in the upper echelons of the game, having qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals in 2016, while Pouille recorded a number of big wins including one over Nadal at the US Open to make his mark on the Tour. Pouille in particular seems like a tremendous talent, perhaps already better than the other Frenchman on the Tour, and that’s high praise indeed. It remains to be seen if Nishikori, Raonic, Dimitrov, Tsonga and Berdych will allow these youngsters to steal their thunder, but the newcomers are certainly going to try. Time will tell if 2017 can redeem the relative snoozefest that was 2016. But at least, as we have seen here today, there is some reason to believe that next season may do just that.
WTA: a new low? by Federico Mariani
Dominika Cibulkova wins the WTA Finals in the absence of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, while Angelique Kerber ends the year as number one. Is this a new low for the WTA Tour? It seemed like an appropriate ending to a crazy season. Dominika Cibulkova, after losing her first two matches in the round robin phase of the WTA Finals, managed to sneak in to the semi-finals thanks to some help from other members in her group. She then went on to win the title, the second year in a row the winner of the WTA Finals had clinched the trophy after losing two of her three round robin matches. The way the season ended has prompted a lot of debate over the overall health of women’s tennis. Some, like tennis writer Gianni Clerici, having been scathing in their comments. “I have never seen a worse number one than Kerber,” he said recently. Harsh though his words may seem, he is not alone in his sentiments. It is, however, unfair to pick on the German in arguing for
the poor state of the WTA. She deserves the ranking given her excellent play over the past year. She won the Australian and US Opens while also reaching the final at Wimbledon. She also won silver at the Olympics and another title in Stuttgart. She may have conquered a weak field of opponents, but she conquered them nonetheless. One can only play the people that appear across the net who those people are is out of Kerber’s control. Serena Williams certainly did not appear across the net from Kerber very often in
2016. The American was racked with injury throughout the year, playing in only seven tournaments. Yet, despite the fact that she barely participated in the Tour, she still ended the year ranked number two in the world. Kerber is not even that far ahead of her in terms of points. Kerber also has a lower winning percentage for 2016 compared to Williams (71.4% versus 84.2% for Williams), though she did play many more matches, making a lower percentage somewhat expected. But still, a 13% difference is massive, and not worthy of a number one
ranked player. If one did a like-for-like comparison to the ATP Tour not an exact science mind you, but still a good indication of performance Kerber is equivalent to players like Nishikori and Raonic. Good players, but not the best in the world. The absence of Williams is a major blow for the WTA, but there are other factors that are making people lament the poor state of the Tour. Sharapova’s ban for doping robbed the circuit of one of its biggest stars, further deepening the talent crisis. If that wasn’t bad enough,
Victoria Azarenka fell pregnant in the middle of the year, forcing her to forgo the rest of the season. A wonderful blessing for her, to be sure, but a big loss for the WTA. None of this would have mattered, of course, if other players stepped up to fill the shoes of these absent stars. Unfortunately, however, that has not been the case. Players who would best be able to take advantage of the absence of Serena and Sharapova were not able to do so. Petra Kvitova, for example, struggled mightily with injuries of her own in
2016, and though she ended the year strong winning 16 of her last 18 matches it proved too little too late to rescue the Tour from a lack of stars. In terms of youngsters, well, there simply are none. No wunderkinds took to the stage in 2016 to wow the world, and there are none on the immediate horizon who could inject some energy back into the Tour. Potential saviors of recent years, such as Eugenie Bouchard, Heather Watson and Sloane Stephens have all regressed in a big way, fading back to the middle of the pack with no resurgence in sight. It is unclear what 2017 holds in store for the WTA Tour. One hopes that Williams is healthy and that Sharapova can recapture some of her former magic, because if these two don’t manage to come back strong, next season may prove to be even worse than 2016.
US Open is the most unpredictable Slam! Wimbledon? Too much granted by Gatto Luigi Is the grass the most unpredictable surface? Not at all! Looking at the stats at Grand Slam Level in the last years the most unpredictable tournament is the one played on the hardcourts at the US Open. A legend like Rafael Nadal entered the Hall of Fame of the event only after winning eight Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (one Australian Open, five Roland Garros and two Wimbledon) while for Federer and Djokovic the triumph in Flushing Meadows has been the third different Grand Slam title in terms of surface, it means before Roland Garros but only after Wimbledon and Australian Open (two titles in London and one in Melbourne for the Swiss player, two in Australia and one in U.K. for the Serbian). The things go different for Andy Murray who got his first Grand Slam title in the United States but differently than what his two colleagues previously mentioned, the British player still did not win the Australian Open and Roland Garros events, which take place on two different surfaces. THE TURNING POINT AFTER FEDERER'S DOMINANCE Roger Federer has surely a special "relationship" with the event as he won it for five years in a row from 2004 to 2009. The Swiss player is still the latest one who was able to win at least two years in a row in New York. Del Potro's win on Roger has been historical, from that day Federer neven won in New York
Anymore, reaching the final only in 2015, but that's not all. No one has been able to defend his title, and among the active players only Nadal and Djokovic won US Open twice (in 2010 and 2013 the Spaniard, in 2011 and 2015 the Serbian). Instead in Wimbledon there has been a Fab Four dominance. In the most historic tennis event ever, no one really put those champions in trouble in the final, only Andy Roddick was closer to win the title in 2009 losing by 16-14 in the fifth set. At the Roland Garros since 2005 only three winners who were not called Rafael Nadal won: they are Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and
Novak Djokovic. Also in Australia the "usual' names appear: Djokovic replaced Federer's dominance as the Current World No. 1 won five times. SINCE 20 YEARS WIMBLEDON IS MORE GRANTED WHILE FLUSHING MEADOWS DENIES THE PREDICTIONS Even if it can seem incredible, we can describe Wimbledon as the most predictable Grand Slam tournament. In the last twenty years, it means from 1996 included, only eight players won the title in London (Krajicek, Ivanisevic and Hewitt once and Sampras, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray two times or more). In Australia and in the French Open, always by
1996, 11 different players won:Becker, Sampras, Korda, Kafelnikov, Agassi, Johansson, Federer, Safin, Djokovic, Nadal and Wawrinka triumphed, while in Paris the successes of Kafelnikov, Kuerten, Moya, Agassi, Albert Costa, Ferrero, Gaudio, Nadal, Federer, Wawrinka and Djokovic came. At the US Open 13 tennis players won but the most interesting thing is that it's the only tournament where there have been upsets (Del Potro and Cilic prove it). Betting lovers, it's your time! If you want to take risks and place your money on an outsider do it during US Open.
A Fateful Flight by Cristiano Chesi
On 21 December, 1988, a Pan Am flight took off from Heathrow to New York. Onboard there were 259 people, but two passengers who were supposed to be on the flight cancelled at the last minute. One was Mats Wilander, the other his wife Sonja. An hour later, the plane exploded mid-air, courtesy of a suitcase filled with a bomb instead of mismatched socks and souvenirs. It was planted by a Libyan intelligence officer, who later jailed for the crime before being released shortly preceding his death on medical grounds. Wilander learned the tragic news in his hotel room. Winner of seven Grand Slam titles and world number one, he was at the very height of his powers as a tennis player. Every pundit in the world, along with all of his peers, believed he would be a major force in the sport for years to come. Yet some events change one forever. For all his success, for all of his fame, Wilander could very well have been on that flight and had his career, and his life, cut short. He had stared death in the face, and it forced him to look at his life. Yes, he had accomplished so much, but there was only one thing in his life: tennis. At 24 years old he had seen all of the world, and yet none of it. Airports, hotel rooms and tennis courts  these are the only things that filled up his days. Not only had he come so close to losing his life, but his father, he learned, was battling to stay alive. He had been diagnosed with cancer. Wilander’s wife, who had also escaped the
bombing, was thinking of leaving him. Two years after that fateful night, Wilander would be 81 in the world. A year after that, he was 232. When he reached the age that Novak Djokovic is now, he was 575. At age 24, Djokovic was also world number one with several Slams to his name. Two similar careers, albeit at different times, with two men at the very top of their game at 24. Can anyone today imagine Djokovic at number 575 in the ATP rankings? No, because he was not supposed to be on a flight that killed hundreds of people. He did not stare death in the face and receive a shock that shook him to the core.
Djokovic’s life is as tennis-filled as Wilander’s, but he could be fine with that. Perhaps he has taken a long look, as Wilander did, at his life and found everything to his liking. Perhaps not. It is certainly not a bad life. He earns all the money in the world, is widely adored and every day experiences the kind exciting things that most of us can only dream of. He has many houses, beautiful children and a loving wife. However, in life there is always a “but.” In all of us, including Novak, there is always a Mats Wilander ready to emerge. Life is not perfect for anybody. It is difficult and full of seemingly impossible challenges, whether you are a millionaire tennis player or a factory worker who has just been laid off. But at some point, for most of us, there is a moment with a fatal flight that we were supposed to be on. A moment of realization that changes us forever.
Has Djokovic had that moment? Has he decided he’s seen too many tennis balls and too little of his family? He flatly implied at Wimbledon that his loss was partly to blame on personal problems. Rumors continue to fly regarding what the problem could have been and whether it still exists. Perhaps he saw a crack in the court one day, and was reminded of the cracks of the courts from his youth, in war-torn Serbia. Perhaps he was reminded of the bombs that he was spared from, but killed so many others. It does not matter. Wilander changed his life because of a bomb in a suitcase. For Nole, it might be something else. The point is that life is more than just tennis, which is something that players and fans alike should be reminded of from time to time.
Expectations And Reality by Federico Coppini
In my many years of coaching, I have always worried about the techniques and tactics of my students, be they adults or children. Indeed, it doesn’t matter what age or level they are, the basic concepts remain the same for everyone. A big problem I find is that players’ expectations don’t always match reality. Have you ever wondered why when you are in a coaching session, you always seem to rally very well with the instructor, but during a
match rallies rarely last more than a few shots? Let's take a classic example: the cross-court rally drill. How many mistakes do you make during coaching sessions? A lot? Does it seem that you hit those balls better in practice than during matches? Here are some reasons for that:
- The coach can easily adjust when you hit a bad shot and still get it back to you. - The coach can play and handle all kinds of different shots easily, keeping the rally going. - The coach helps you stay focused during practice sessions. - In matches, the coach is not there to help you stay focused, and the conditions, emotional and environmental, can be very different from the practice courts. - During matches, there are many more variable than during practice sessions. You must remember that the expectations of the practice court and the reality of the match court can be very different. But there are things you can do on the practice court to more closely reflect actual matches.
When I am training with my students, specifically when we are working on crosscourt rallies, I am conscious of making them practice transition play. During each practice session, you should be asking yourself: - How many transition balls have I played? - How many transition balls did I play during an extended rally? - How many transition balls did I play from the
baseline? Whether you are nine years old or fifty years old, you must always consider the tactical implications of your shots. That is especially true of the cross-court shot. Will it always be a winner? Absolutely not. But you need to use this shot as a transition either to the net or to another more favorable position. Just look at players like Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova. They hit a great many crosscourt shots, but they are not all winners. Instead, they use those shots to set up the rally to their favor. Don’t just hit the ball without thinking about it. Every shot has a tactical meaning behind it, and
if you can fully embrace that, you will make fewer mistakes because you know where you are going with the rally.
The Importance Of The Crossover Step During Recovery by Federico Coppini
One of the biggest differences between a clublevel player and a professional is definitely footwork. As a professional, hitting as many balls as possible while in a fully balanced state is often the difference between winning and losing. Because of this, many of the most prestigious tennis academies all over the world have entire programs that focus solely on footwork. They pay particular attention to automating certain sequences of steps, which allows players to more quickly and effectively move to a ball during a rally, and then move back into a neutral position after hitting each shot. As amateurs, we can of course not hope to ever reproduce the kind of footwork that the pros employ. However, we can take a tip or two from their book, and using such small elements in our own games can make a huge difference on the court.
Today, we will look at some of this footwork. In particular, we are examining the steps required after returning a deep shot from an opponent. Once you have returned a deep ball from your opponent, it is important that you quickly get back into a neutral position. This is so that you can cover the court you have left open after chasing down the deep ball. We will look mainly at the forehand side of the equation, but it is important to remember that the same applies equally to the backhand as well. The step in questions are often referred to as the “crossover step,” and to help us demonstrate will be none other than Roger Federer!
Let’s look at this slowmotion video of Federer. Pay close attention of what happens after he hits the forehand. As you can see, after he hits the shot, Federer takes a step with his back foot. This helps him get in a position where he can quickly recover from the shot he has just hit. At this point, he takes a cross-step (his back foot now crosses in front of the other foot), and is able to quickly move sideways and towards the centre of the court, where he can more easily prepare for his next shot. This movement, if sufficiently trained and automated, is exceptionally effective when recovering
from wide and deep shots. It will help you to stay in difficult rallies where you might have thought your opponent would have the upper hand. It is important to practice this movement often. Once you do so, it will become almost automatic, making your life much easier on the court.
Training And Rest by Federico Coppini
Training is, of course, an incredibly important part of becoming a successful athlete. However, some individuals will take it upon themselves to go above and beyond the call of duty and train extensively on their own, in addition to training with a coach or trainer. Many of them will improvise training sessions, using ad hoc techniques that have no real place in an athlete’s training regimen. When this happens, these athletes are very susceptible to what is known as overtraining. In order to avoid taxing your body beyond its capacity, it is important to always have a training plan in mind not just for the current session, but for the entire week ahead. These plans must take into account the necessary time for proper recovery. An annual plan is just as important. It is possible and necessary to envision the entire season ahead (7-8 months) and plan accordingly. Some periods of the year are more important than others, and might require more strenuous workouts and training sessions. During such times you must ensure that your training regimen is always positive and allows you to get the maximum amount of effectiveness out of your training without overtaxing yourself. It is a good idea to break down your sessions into variables such as load, fatigue and recovery. The load depends on the type of exercises you are doing and how intense they are. Fatigue is simply the reduction and depletion of energy reserves used to perform each exercise, and recovery is necessary to allow your body and mind to recuperate after intense exercise. Recovery time indicates the time needed by the body, as a whole, to return to its ideal state.
There are different types of recovery, such as resting periods during a training session and extended downtime and resting in-between sessions. We can also identify two load types: external, which represents an obvious workout parameter, and internal, which is a subjective response to the external load. Balance is essential during training. If your workout is excessively strenuous, you will overtax yourself and risk injury. If the session is too light, you will not gain anything from the workout. You need to find out what works best for you and adjust accordingly. Each person’s perfect balance for a training session is different, and you need to discover yours. But if it is easy to see when you are not exercising enough, it is difficult to know when you are overdoing it. While psychological parameters should also be considered when diagnosing overtraining, physical markers are
easier to monitor and understand. You should keep a training diary that records your blood pressure, heart rate, and the number of kilometers covered during each session. You should also make some notes about how you are feeling and what your physical condition is. THE TEN RULES OF RECUPERATION 1. Recovery and training are individual endeavors. Each person requires different amounts of each. 2. Establish an annual work plan with goals and objectives. 3. Conduct research of what kind of exercises you should be doing and how long the recovery time associated with each is. 4. It is important to know, at least in general terms, the theoretical model of sport science as it relates to your sport. In that way, you can focus training on the necessary parts of your body in order to best support your on-court
endeavors. 5. It is not good do too much in a single session. You will more tired than usual the next day in will not be able to train properly. 6. Be aware of the work that is taking place. 7. Use, whenever possible, psychological regeneration techniques, physiotherapy and a make sure you have a good diet. 8. Get enough sleep every night (about 7-8 hours). 9. Perform regular blood checks (every 4 months). 10. Do not be afraid to rest. It will always make you feel better both physically and psychologically. Whenever you feel tired when you shouldn’t be, rest is almost always the answer.
The Power Of Positive Thinking
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
by Federico Coppini
During a tennis match you can often see players talking to and berating themselves on the court, shaking their heads and abusing their rackets. This negative emotional state can lead to a vicious cycle where the player’s concentration is affected, leading to even poorer play and more negative reactions. Such scenes occur less frequently among professional players because they have been trained to effectively handle stressful competitive
moments. They are, however, common among young people, especially those who are technically gifted but do not understand that tennis is about more than physical abilities. To play good tennis, at whatever level, you need to know how and what to think, and this becomes very difficult if you are very
angry or negative. You simply don’t know where to direct your attention when you are in such a state. Everybody wants to win, whether the prize is a million dollars or a drink at the club, and from the very first point emotional tension can start to grow. The court puts a strain on one's beliefs: you cannot draw a match, like in soccer, and you cannot pass the ball to other teammates to alleviate the pressure on yourself. You must take responsibility for how you're playing and be able to take control of your emotions from the start. This is easier said than done, however, as watching someone play is a completely different thing to actually playing and
feeling those emotions yourself. The first step is simply to become your own biggest fan, instead of your biggest critic. Once you make a mistake, you must always encourage yourself in order to regain focus on the match. A tennis match is like a battle in which, to overwhelm your opponent, you need to have confidence in your commander who, in this case, is yourself.
There are exceptions to this course of positive reinforcement, but they are rare. Encouragement is the best tool we have in order to maintain our concentration and control of our emotions on the court. If you do not have this attitude, you will be like a boat without a captain on the court. To aid your “self-coaching� on the court, it
is always good to have a checklist of things you can say to yourself in different situations. Those situations include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. What to do when you struggle with your
first serve. 2. What to do when you want the match to finish. 3. What to do to reduce your anger or disappointment after a point. 4. What to say to yourself as words of encouragement. 5. What to say to yourself in terms of technical advice during important
Great news from Babolat. The storied French racket company has created a new Pure Strike racket that is the perfect fit for players from an intermediate to advanced level. There are some significant differences between the new frame and those from previous years, though all of its predecessors’ strongest characteristics are still present. The frame has been strengthened in various key points, making it more stable and solid than ever. During court tests, one immediately notices the racket’s easy handling. It’s not difficult to produce speed without sacrificing accuracy, and with its 16x19 string configuration,
The New Pure Strike: Combining Power And Control
by Carlo Cazzaniga
generating lots of topspin is easy. The racket also sports good precision and touch at the net. Serving, too, is a pleasure, with power and accuracy the two main factors during that first stroke. With regard to new features, the racket makes use of Babolat’s Hybrid Frame technology, which uses a slightly squared elliptical shape for the racket. Furthermore, the new Pure Strike also incorporates Babolat FSI Power technology, which introduces wider spacing between cross strings to improve power and control.
TECHNICAL FEATURES: Composition: Graphite Length: 685 mm / 27 in Weight: 305 g / 10.8 oz Head size: 630 cm2 / 98 sq. in. Balance: 320 mm Stiffness: 70 Strings: 16x19