BODY AND HEALTH SPECIAL BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE
NOVAK
ROLAND GARROS REVIEW
DJOK OVIC FLEX APPEAL THE NEW TENNIS BODY
Unstoppable Stan and Serena
TENNIS TRANSFORMERS Full body makeovers
NISHIKORI Kei to greatness?
NAPPING
ON THE JOB And other pro secrets
PLUS
DEFENSIVE BACKHAND BEWARE A WOUNDED OPPONENT MEDITATION YOGA
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JULY 2015 VOL 40 No. 7
contents
14
THE CHANGING TENNIS BODY
Bench pressing? So last century. Today’s leaner, longer physiques have been shaped by the demands of 21st-century tennis.
FEATURES
20 TENNIS TRANSFORMERS Champions who transformed their bodies – and their careers.
24 IN FINE FETTLE
Peak health, not the Grand Slam, is the new holy grail of tennis. Why Lleyton Hewitt is a role model in professionalism and resilience.
32 BEWARE THE INJURED PLAYER
Nothing can mess with the mind more than an injured opponent. How to avoid the mental minefield and stay focused on your game plan.
34 THE PAIN GAME
We admire champions even more when they come back from serious injury or illness. Not all of them do.
52 BEND IT LIKE NOVAK
The world No.1 isn’t the only top player to benefit from yoga. Game, set, mat.
56 OUCH… THAT HURTS!
You don’t have to be a pro to suffer major injury. Some sensible body maintenance goes a long way in preventing injury and keeping you on court.
26
THE LOW-CARB TENNIS TAKEOVER Unlike the meat-and-potatoes champions of the past, today’s pros are limiting and refining their carbohydrate intake. Should you? JULY 2015 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
3
JULY 2015 VOL 40 No.7
41
LEADING LIGHTS
A slashing Stan Wawrinka ended Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam dream, while Serena Williams fought off nerves and a dangerous Lucie Safarova to keep hers alive. Highlights from a drama-filled French Open.
REGULARS 8 BREAKPOINTS 12 THE HITTING WALL 31 STROKEMASTER 54 GEARING UP 60 FROM THE CLUBHOUSE 64 RANKINGS 66 SCOREBOARD 68 20 QUESTIONS 70 IN FOCUS 72 KIDS’ CLUBHOUSE 74 LAST WORD
48
LITTLE BIG MAN
Kei Nishikori is the smallest man in the top 10. Does this David among Goliaths have the talent and grit to win a major? 4
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE JULY 2015
EDITOR Vivienne Christie ACTING EDITOR Suzi Petkovski ASSISTANT EDITOR Daniela Toleski FOUNDING EDITOR Alan Trengove GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Andrea Williamson Melissa O’Connor
ADVERTISING MANAGER Nicole Hearnden ADMINISTRATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Daniel Heathcote PHOTOGRAPHS Getty Images, John Anthony, Image(s) licensed by Ingram Publishing COVER PHOTO Getty Images COVER DESIGN & PHOTO EDITING Andrew Hutchison, FourFront
Australian Tennis Magazine is published monthly 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.
TALL STORY
200
150
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA – 188 CM
FERNANDO VERDASCO – 188 CM
ROBIN SODERLING – 193 CM
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO – 178 CM
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO – 198 CM
ANDY RODDICK – 188 CM
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10
ANDY MURRAY – 190 CM
No.1
50
0
NOVAK DJOKOVIC – 188 CM
100
RAFAEL NADAL – 185 CM
their athletic brethren. Current No.1 Novak Djokovic, at 188 cm, is the same height as predecessors Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. Height is more of a winner in women’s tennis, with six-feetplus Amazons Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport all major winners and former No.1s. Dual Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, at 182 cm, is a smidgen under six feet. Of course, some statistical variation comes into play, with our top 10s (apart from 2015 fi gures) taken from yearend rankings. And we’ve gone back in decades. The years in between may yield surprises. Like 1991, which featured five men 190 cm or taller, and 2009, which yielded the tallest average – 188.1 cm – for men players. Is there a taller top 10? Let us know.
LONG AND SHORT OF IT: 198 cm Delpo and 178 cm Davydenko.
ROGER FEDERER – 185 CM
N
ot if we take the top 10s of the past three decades as a gauge. Although the average height of men in the top 10 (May 25 rankings) is up 5 cm on the 2005 fi gure, today’s men are slightly shorter than in 1991 and in 2009, which may be the tallest top 10 group ever. A similar story in the women’s game, with today’s 177.4 cm average falling short of the 178.2 figure a decade ago. So while the general trend is toward taller athletes, today’s players are not at historic highs, nor is the curve irreversible. When it comes to scaling the summit in the men’s game, taller is not necessarily better. Former No.1s Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, with 45 major titles between them, are all 185 cm, average among
CENTIMETRES
Are tennis players really getting bigger all the time?
TALL TIMBER: The 2009 men’s top 10 may be the tallest ever, yielding an average height of 188.1cm Shortest: Nikolay Davydenko 178 cm; Tallest: Juan Martin del Potro 198 cm; Average: 188.1 cm
SCALING the heights … Top 10 heights
2015
200
188
185
190
196
198
196 185
178
175
(May 25 rankings)
6
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE JULY 2015
177
178
184
180
180
162
178
180
180
ANDREA PETKOVIC
EKATERINA MAKAROVA
CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO
ANA IVANOVIC
EUGENIE BOUCHARD
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
PETRA KVITOVA
SIMONA HALEP
MARIN CILIC
189 175
175
MARIA SHARAPOVA
SERENA WILLIAMS
STAN WAWRINKA
DAVID FERRER
RAFAEL NADAL
MILOS RAONIC
193 180
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10
188 174
175
AMELIE MAURESMO
188
KEI NISHIKORI
185
TOMAS BERDYCH
185
Djokovic is the same height as former No.1s Lendl and Edberg.
180
178 167
178
185
168
VENUS WILLIAMS
NADIA PETROVA
ELENA DEMENTIEVA
PATTY SCHNYDER
JUSTINE HENIN
MARY PIERCE
IVAN LJUBICIC
ANDRE AGASSI
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10 No.1
MARIA SHARAPOVA
LINDSAY DAVENPORT
GASTON GAUDIO
GUILLERMO CORIA
DAVID NALBANDIAN
No.1
ANDY RODDICK
RAFAEL NADAL
0
ROGER FEDERER
50
LLEYTON HEWITT
100
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO
150 CENTIMETRES
Shortest: Justine Henin 167 cm; Tallest: Lindsay Davenport 189 cm; Average: 178.2 cm
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10 No.1
200
MEN
WOMEN
182 168
KIM CLIJSTERS
2005
No.1
ANDY MURRAY
0
ROGER FEDERER
50
Shortest: Carla Suarez Navarro 162 cm; Tallest: Maria Sharapova 188 cm; Average: 177.4 cm
Shortest: Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio 175 cm; Tallest: Ivan Ljubicic 193 cm; Average: 182.1 cm
100
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
CENTIMETRES
WOMEN
175
150
MEN Shortest: David Ferrer 175 cm; Tallest: Marin Cilic 198 cm; Average: 187.4 cm
188
183
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10
Davenport headed the tallest women’s top 10 a decade ago.
FIRST SERVE
Let’s Get Physical Not
so long ago, ‘athlete’ and ‘tennis player’ were rarely used in the same sentence. Sure, tennis boasted world-class physical specimens like Margaret Court (aka the Aussie Amazon) and Bjorn Borg, dubbed the Ice Borg for his resting heart-rate of 35. The last Grand Slammer, Steffi Graf, ran 1500 metres in almost Olympicqualifying times. But the prevailing wisdom was that abundant athletic ability was not required for tennis. In their early days on tour, speedy and powerful Venus and Serena Williams were criticised for lacking ‘court sense’. How times have changed. Tennis players today think of themselves as athletes fi rst.
Nutrition, recovery, rigorous stretching for injury prevention, sprints, weights, yoga, Pilates, meditation, day-time naps, icebaths and daily massages are as much a part of the tennis player’s existence as practice sets and on-court drills. Trainers and physios equal – or outnumber – coaches on tour. Until recently, Andy Murray travelled with two trainers and a physio. The game has never been more physically demanding, and no champion can succeed today without maximising every iota of their physical ability. Sometimes, the physical aspect is the difference in elevating a fine player to world-beater. Like Murray adding 13kg of muscle. Or Novak Djokovic’s well-documented switch to
Nexnt th mo
a gluten-free diet before his dominant 2011 season. Murray and Djokovic are walking in the footsteps of Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi before them. Out in club land, we don’t have every waking hour to devote to our tennis games. But we can surely follow the pros’ lead in paying more attention to our bodies – whether it’s strengthening through weights, or the gentler work of rest and recovery. There’s plenty of inspiration for improvement in this Body issue. Even small changes, as champions have found, can make a big difference on the court.
From tactical blunders to player brand-building and post-playing careers, the August issue is at the business end of the game.
Suzi Petkovski Acting Editor
August issue on sale from 30 July.
THE BUSINESS OF WINNING
18
Top 10 heights
200
MEN
194
188
180
183
188
190
193
191 180
178
177
175
173
1990s No.1 Sampras is the same height as Federer and Nadal.
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10
185
183 172
168
163
IVA MAJOLI
169
MARY JOE FERNANDEZ
STEFFI GRAF
JIM COURIER
BORIS BECKER
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10 No.1
MONICA SELES
GORAN IVANISEVIC
WAYNE FERREIRA
THOMAS ENQVIST
YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV
MICHAEL CHANG
THOMAS MUSTER
ANDRE AGASSI
No.1
178
170
GABRIELA SABATINI
179
MAGDALENA MALEEVA
175
175
167
184
173
188 175
172
170
164
Navratilova was No.1 but below average height in 1985.
BONNIE GADUSEK
HELENA SUKOVA
ZINA GARRISON
MANUELA MALEEVA
STEFFI GRAF
CLAUDIA KOHDE-KILSCH
PAM SHRIVER
HANA MANDILKOVA
KEVIN CURREN
YANNICK NOAH
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10 No.1
BORIS BECKER
No.1
CHRIS EVERT
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
MILOSLAV MECIR
ANDERS JARRYD
STEFAN EDBERG
0
JOHN McENROE
50
MATS WILANDER
100
JIMMY CONNORS
150 CENTIMETRES
Shortest: Zina Garrison 164 cm; Tallest: Helena Sukova 188 cm; Average: 174.8 cm
186
PETE SAMPRAS
0
1985
WOMEN
100
50
Shortest: Kimiko Date 163 cm; Tallest: Monica Seles 179 cm; Average: 172.7 cm
Shortest: Jimmy Connors 178 cm; Tallest: Miroslav Mecir 191 cm; Average: 185.6 cm
185
IVAN LENDL
WOMEN
191
150 CENTIMETRES
Shortest: Michael Chang 175 cm; Tallest: Goran Ivanisevic 194 cm; Average: 185.6 cm
180
MARY PIERCE
MEN
190
190 180
KIMIKO DATE
185
ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO
200
CONCHITA MARTINEZ
1995
No.2 No.3 No.4 No.5 No.6 No.7 No.8 No.9 No.10 JULY 2015 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
7
THE CHANG TENNIS BO Bench-pressing is so last century. Today’s longer, leaner silhouettes combine strength, agility and unprecedented flexibility – a body shape that has evolved with the demands of 21st-century pro tennis. By NICK McCARVEL.
14
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE JULY 2015
FEATURE
ING DY JULY 2015 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
15
MOM N UMSPECIAL
POWER TO NEW HEIGHTS
START OVER
FORWARD NG THINKI Goal setting
Top tactical
turnarounds
secrets
POWER PLAYS Gain the
NEVER MISS
BOUNCE BACK Learn from
STAYING
a loss
G N O STR
momentum and keep it
LLEYTON HEWITT A new life NOVAK IC DJOKOV ? E The L B PPA Slam in Grand O T sight? S N U S WILLIAM MADISON IS SERENA KEYS Making
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FRENCH OPEN
LEADING
LIGHTS As Serena Williams extended her greatness with a 20th Grand Slam victory at Roland Garros, Stan Wawrinka underlined his increasing star status by upsetting Novak Djokovic to claim a surprise second Slam. By LEO SCHLINK
LITTLE BIG MAN
48
AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE JULY 2015
KEI NISHIKORI, the smallest man in the top 10, faces a formidable challenge to trump the Goliaths of the game for a major title. Can the 2014 US Open finalist go one better? PAUL FEIN takes up the case for the talented little guy.
JULY 2015 AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
49