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contents JUNE / JULY 2019 VOL.44 NO.4
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THE CENTURY CLUB The glittering career numbers of 100-plus tournament winners Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors demonstrate how dramatically pro tennis has changed.
FEATURES 32 PERSPECTIVE MATTERS
Achieving standout results in the first half of the 2019 season, some of the world’s top players are demonstrating how a positive change in mindset can deliver greater rewards.
34 SERVING UP HOPE AND OPPORTUNITY
A former Tennis Australia strength and conditioning coach is using the sport as a platform for change, launching his own charity foundation.
38 PROUD MARY
Set for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, former world No.3 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Mary Pierce reflects on her tennis journey and life in retirement.
49 MASTERMIND WITH A DIFFERENCE
Masterminding a comeback after an extended injury absence, Janko Tipsarevic is also drawing on his hard-gained knowledge and experiences to deliver an innovative tennis mentoring program.
52 A DOUBLES TAKE
Why do some players choose doubles over singles? Two of the world's top doubles players share their stories.
54 WORK IN PROGRESS
Alexander Zverev’s five-year development plan with renowned physical trainer Jez Green highlights his big picture focus.
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AUSSIE PRIDE
Australia’s progression to the Fed Cup final in a buzzing Brisbane tie was a triumph highlighting the incredible momentum built by our female players. France awaits in November’s decider.
JUNE / JULY 2019 VOL.44 NO.4
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ALTERNATE PATHS From college graduates to late bloomers, many notable names are showing how there’s no set path to thrive in the diverse world of pro tennis.
REGULARS 8 10 12 14 15 16 59
FIRST SERVE FAN ZONE BREAKPOINTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT ONE TO WATCH TOP 10 YOUR GAME
72 74 76 78 80 82
AUSSIE WATCH RANKINGS SCOREBOARD FROM THE ARCHIVES KIDS’ CLUB LAST WORD
EDITOR Vivienne Christie ASSISTANT EDITOR Leigh Rogers FOUNDING EDITOR Alan Trengove ART DIRECTOR Andrea Williamson ADMINISTRATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Millie Perkins
PHOTOGRAPHS Getty Images John Anthony COVER PHOTO Getty Images COVER DESIGN & PHOTO EDITING Andrew Hutchison AFL Media
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FREEDOM TO FLY A rejuvenated Petra Kvitova is not only returned to her former heights, but flying higher than ever before. 6
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
Australian Tennis Magazine is published by TENNIS AUSTRALIA LTD, Private Bag 6060, Richmond, Vic 3121. Ph: (03) 9914 4200 Email: editor@tennismag.com.au Distributed by Network Distribution Company Printed in Australia by Webstar The views expressed in Australian Tennis Magazine are not necessarily those held by Tennis Australia. While the utmost care is taken in compiling the information contained in this publication, Tennis Australia is not responsible for any loss or injury occurring as a result of any omissions in either the editorial or advertising appearing herein.
FIRST SERVE
EMBRACING THE BIGGER PICTURE Tennis is more than a game – and this issue is a celebration of how the sport can transform lives in many different ways.
“If Barty is thriving at an individual level, she’s soaring in the team setting.”
PAGE 34 3Serving up hope and helping others
Oppor tuni ties W
hen an astonishing 33 different champions, 14 women and 19 men, emerged from the same number of tournaments to start the 2019 season, a pertinent message became clear: tennis is increasingly a sport where we should cast our views far and wide. In contrast to recent seasons, when an elite few names dominated, the early months of 2019 showed both entertaining variety and remarkable depth. As first-time titlists, veteran favourites, rising stars and persistent battlers lifted trophies on a range of surfaces in numerous continents, those diverse champions showed how pro tennis success can take many contrasting paths. It’s a theme we’ve explored in this “big picture” issue, in which players who’ve seized unlikely opportunities, embraced important detours or maintained a long-term perspective are highlighted in depth. There’s also coverage of those who used the sport as a platform to other important pursuits. Naturally, many of those individuals become role models too. None more so than 8
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
PAGE 38 3Finding happiness in off-court roles
ABOUND
Australia’s Ash Barty, who is now firmly entrenched in the world’s top 10 after she claimed the biggest of her four singles titles in Miami. But if Barty is thriving at an individual level, she’s soaring in the team setting – and inspiring many others in that rise. Australia’s No.1 player was a clear leader as the Australian Fed Cup team secured progression to a first Fed Cup final in 26 years. Seizing her last 14 rubbers across singles and doubles, Barty takes impressive momentum into the November final against France. Australia, the host nation, is targeting an eighth Fed Cup title, and it’s first for 45 years. Barty and others were quick to point out the multi-year process required to earn that important opportunity – and equally clear that the increased depth provides confidence for further growth. Success breeding success is another exciting element of a big picture focus. That it’s unfolding so impressively in Australian tennis only adds to a pleasing view. Vivienne Christie editor@tennismag.com.au
PAGE 49 3Sharing experiences and lessons
PAGE 52 3Taking risks to achieve dreams
PAGE 54 3Physical gains for a long-term goal
FEATURE
Aussie Pr Australia’s progression to the Fed Cup final in a buzzing Brisbane tie was a triumph highlighting the incredible momentum built by our female players. France awaits in November’s decider as Australia targets an eighth Fed Cup title - and it's first in 45 years. MATT TROLLOPE reports 18
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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FEATURE
THECENTURYCLUB How Federer and Connors compare The glittering career numbers of 100-plus tournament winners Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors tell not just of their titanic achievement, but how dramatically pro tennis has changed since Connors hit triple digits 35 years ago. By SUZI PETKOVSKI
J
immy Connors was quick to congratulate Roger Federer on his Dubai win in February, even if it ended the American’s run as the only man to own 100 pro tournament titles. “Welcome to the ‘Triple Digit’ tournament victory club @rogerfederer,” Connors tweeted. “I’ve been a bit lonely – glad to have the company!” Was this the same combative, in-your-face, double-fisted terror who ruthlessly amassed 109 titles? Clearly, the 66-year-old Connors has mellowed big-time – hard to imagine he would have been so gracious had bitter rivals Ivan Lendl (on 94 titles) or John McEnroe (77) crashed his club. Connors is justly flattered rather than threatened at being bracketed in history with Federer. After all, only the (arguable) GOAT (Greatest of all time) has equalled the 100-title benchmark and Connors did bask in singular glory for 35 years – his 100th trophy came in grand style at the 1983 US Open, his last Grand Slam title. Federer has since achieved title No.101 at Miami, but still has a way to go to better Connors’ haul of 109 wins. But as usual, the Swiss legend insisted he’s not motivated by historical markers. “If I reach milestones along the way it’s wonderful, but I’m really not here to shatter all the records,” Federer reiterated
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AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
on whether he could break Connors’ mark. All comparisons are odious. Federer was quick to shoot down suggestions that Connors’ title haul was more quantity than quality because the majority of his wins – about 59 – were equivalent to ATP 250 events today. “Who cares?” Federer said in Dubai. “The 250s are not easy to win as well nowadays. I don’t see it as something that should take anything away from Jimmy.” The main takeaway from a comparison between the two centurions is how much pro tennis has changed in 35 years. Connors triumphed at 54 different events; a mere eight are still on the calendar. As for equating most of his wins with ATP 250 events, Connors may have triumphed over smaller fields but he also played more five-set finals. Still, it’s fascinating and enlightening to compare the records of the game’s most prolific male tournament winners. Among the things we already know:
FEDERER WILL BE MUCH OLDER THAN CONNORS IF HE REACHES THE ALL-TIME MARK OF 110 TITLES. The American had just turned 31 when he won his 100th title, and just turned 37 when he claimed his last pro title. Federer was
37-and-a-half in his century title win in Dubai. If he maintains a winning average of four titles per year (as per the last four seasons), he would break Connors’ mark around the age of 40. Connors played his last major aged 40 at the 1992 US Open.
tournament wins, over 18 per cent of his tally will comprise Grand Slams. Connors also collected just one year-end championship, versus Federer’s record six season-ending trophies.
FEDERER’S HAUL IS MUCH MORE MAJORS-HEAVY.
FEDERER HAS NOT ENJOYED THE HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE OF CONNORS.
With a record 20 majors, a much greater proportion of Federer’s haul (almost 20 per cent) comprises Grand Slam titles, versus 7.3 per cent for Connors (eight majors among 109 titles). Even if Federer never wins another major but bests Connors’ record with 110
No less than 80 of Connors’ tournament triumphs came on home soil in the US. A total of 83 came in North America and the Caribbean – a full 76 per cent. Federer has not had the luxury of playing a dozen events annually at home in Switzerland. He’s won 10 titles at home over his entire
career; Connors won 10 Stateside in just one season (1974). Of course, the adored Federer is said to hold the crowd, if not home-court advantage, wherever he plays. But still. No coincidence that Federer’s most successful venue, with nine trophies, is hometown Basel (along with Halle, his preferred Wimbledon tune-up).
CONNORS POSTED MORE PROLIFIC SEASONS.
Federer’s 11 – Connors also had more lean seasons, not collecting a title in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Since his tournament breakthrough at Milan in 2001, Federer has only had one winless year, 2016, when he underwent knee surgery and missed half the season.
CONNORS CLAIMED HIS HAUL OVER A SHORTER SPAN. Capitalising on the American tennis boom of the 1970s, Connors won his 100th title at his beloved US Open in his 12th season; Federer is in his 19th season as a tournament winner. Connors achieved his record haul in 15 seasons; Federer has won titles in 18 seasons.
Wielding his steel racquet, abrasive attitude and twofisted backhand, Connors was the harbinger of a harsh new professional tennis era. He dominated the 1974 season, winning three majors and CONNORS WON IN WAY MORE collecting 15 titles in all. Federer CITIES. emulated Connors 30 years later Connors’ 109 victories were with three Grand Slams in 2004, spread across 56 but his most prolific venues; Federer has season was 2006 SEASONED STARS: Jimmy Connors (left) played a tighter, more with 12 titles. Connors played his last Grand regular schedule and posted double-digit Slam as a 40-year-old won in 31 cities. The seasons four times, at at the 1992 US Open; Swiss has probably an average of a dozen Roger Federer, who benefited from greater wins per season. turns 38 in August, is well-placed to match stability on tour in his Federer has had that feat. era; he’s been a repeat three years with 10 or winner at 18 events, more title-wins, at an average just over 11 wins per year or 58 per cent versus Connors’ 50 per cent. in his most productive seasons.
CONNORS HAD MORE FALLOW YEARS.
FEDERER HAS WON MORE IN HIS 30s.
While he was more prolific at the outset – collecting 32 events in his first three years compared with
Connors is justly celebrated for his longevity – he electrified the 1991 US Open in a charge to the AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
to fly edom FEATURE
With the shocking period that threatened her Grand Slam-winning career consigned to the past, the universally loved Petra Kvitova is not only returned to her former heights – but flying higher than ever before. KRISTINA MOORE reports
O
wner of a lethal left y serve, powerful groundstrokes and a fierce competitive spirit, there's long been an important talking point on Petra Kvitova – her likely rise to world No.1. First a topic when she upset then top-ranked Dinara Safina as a little-known teenager at the 2009 US Open, predictions that Kvitova herself would one day hold the top spot gained momentum when she became the first 1990s-born player to claim a Grand Slam title at 2011 Wimbledon. Six months on, with a WTA Finals title added to her breakthrough Grand Slam, Kvitova was just two match wins away from that exciting ascension in Sydney. That opportunity surrendered with a loss to Li Na in the semifinals, the Czech emphatically returned to the No.1 conversation with a repeat victory at 2014 Wimbledon. The No.1 trajectory was halted for a time, as Kvitova grappled with well-documented difficulties off the court. But it’s a measure of resilience that accompanies Kvitova’s physical weapons that just one match stood between the Czech
and the world No. 1 ranking at Australian Open 2019 – just one set, in fact, which was the margin in Naomi Osaka’s win over the No.8 seed in an enthralling fi nal. And while Osaka has steadfastly clung to the top spot in the months following, the narrative remained equally strong for Kvitova. Through tournaments including Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart, the Czech was one of several women who could become the world No.1. In the first four months of 2019, Kvitova was the only woman to claim multiple titles – doing so in Sydney and Stuttgart. Entering the French Open, her 28-8 match-winning record was the best of any woman tour. But unlike the many players who spend entire careers focused on becoming one of the rare few to scale the summit, Kvitova barely considers the milestone a talking point. “I don’t really have any goal like this,” she insisted to reporters in Rome. “As I already said many times, I already won my goal. My motivation was being back and playing, competing with the world’s best. “I’m already doing that.” Kvitova was talking of course about the victory in even
returning to tennis after the shocking attack that occurred in her Prostejov apartment in December 2016. In fighting off a knife-wielding intruder, the then 26-year-old suffered horrific injuries to her left playing hand and required hours of intricate surgery, followed by months of painful rehabilitation. Now, Kvitova is not only competing again, but in many ways stronger than ever before. Since her return to the WTA Tour – months earlier than expected at the 2017 French Open – Kvitova has added
PETRA KVITOVA
“I still have the love for the game. I still have the passion for the game, which is the best.”
eight career titles to an already weighty record. She was also a runner-up at two other tournaments, including in her fi rst Grand Slam decider outside Wimbledon in Melbourne. It’s a record that underlines Kvitova’s remarkable competitive intensity. At the same time, there are signs that the Czech is competing with a newfound freedom. In her astonishing return to a Grand Slam fi nal at the Australian Open, Kvitova showcased both determination and unprecedented composure. “I think I was less nervous than those two finals before,” she admitted after pushing Osaka to a superb third-set. “The mindset was there for sure, that I wanted to win, or to leave everything out there, which I did. “I don’t think I was that nervous as I was in the Wimbledon finals.” That mindset is perhaps partly explained by the perspective that Kvitova gained in the difficult time away from tennis two-anda-half years ago. “I’ve been through many, many things, not really great ones,” said Kvitova in Melbourne, where the significance of returning to a fi rst major fi nal in almost five years was inevitably accompanied at AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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FEATURE
PATHS From surprise prodigies and college graduates, to late bloomers and brave battlers … many notable names are showing how there’s no set path to thrive in the diverse world of pro tennis. TUMAINI CARAYOL reports
I BOLD STEPS: Kei Nishikori overcame a series of challenges to become the most successful Asian male player in history.
t wasn’t until moments after Frances Tiafoe celebrated his fi rst Grand Slam quarterfi nal at Australian Open 2019 by peeling his shirt off and beating his biceps that the weight of the moment truly hit. He shook his head and tears welled in his eyes: “I told my parents 10 years ago that I was going to be a pro,” he said soft ly. “ I was going to do this. I was going to change their life and my life. Now I’m in the quarters of a Slam at 21 years old and I can’t believe it.” Born to Sierra Leonean parents who escaped civil war and immigrated to the United States, Tiafoe’s path to the highest levels of tennis has been unique. He was introduced to tennis through his janitor father who maintained the courts of the local tennis centre near Washington DC. Surrounded by children who were whisked to and from the courts by chauffeurs, Tiafoe and his twin brother, Franklin, soon joined tennis lessons wearing Pikachu t-shirts and battered shoes. The teasing undoubtedly abated when Frances began to destroy them all. Tennis is not designed for someone like Frances Tiafoe. It is a sport borne out of the country clubs and it is still for families that can afford the racquets, the courts, the coaching AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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YOUR GAME
YOURGAME
Boost your on-court performance
60 A LIFE-CHANGING EDUCATION
The US college tennis pathway can provide a solid foundation that reaps lasting rewards.
62 PRINCIPLES OF MOVEMENT A more targeted approach is an effective way to improve on-court movement.
63 UNDERSTANDING FOOT FAULTS
What exactly is a foot fault? And how can you avoid them?
COACH PERFORMANCE 64 SURVIVING SETBACKS
When injury strikes, coaches play an important role in restoring confidence and providing support during the recovery process.
66 LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Grateful for opportunties created as President’s Women in Tennis scholarship recipients, a group of passionate coaches are showing a range of role model qualities.
68 TOUR OF A LIFETIME
Fostering development, wellbeing and access to new competitive experiences, top Australian junior girls embarked on a special US tour.
70 MASTERSTROKE
Learn from Naomi Osaka’s serve, a power-packed stroke that has helped her reach No.1.
71 FOUNDATION TO THRIVE Variation, net play and patterns of play are important tactical foundations.
MAKING HIS MOVE: Felix Auger-Aliassime, still just 18, has powered from outside the top 100 to world No.30 in a breakthrough year. AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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