tennishead Volume 5 Issue 4

LEARN FROM THE PROS

Dolgopolov forehand Djokovic volley

TRAVEL: TENNIS TOURIST

International Hall of Fame Newport, Rhode Island

CHOOSING A BACKHAND Single or double hander?

WIN!

HEAD YOUTEK SPEED RACKET

WWW.TENNISHEAD.NET | AUGUST 2014

THE WORLD’S BEST TENNIS M AGA ZINE

NOVAK

DJOKOVIC Wimbledon

EXPERIENCE vs YOUTH

THE BATTLE FOR THE TOP

Champion 2014

30

pages of expert advice to help you improve your game

ALL AMERICAN GIRLS

New talent to smile about

PETRA KVITOVA

Looking beyond the grass

NICK KYRGIOS

Rising from Down Under

BEST FOOT FORWARD

What to look for in a tennis shoe VOLUME 5 ISSUE 4 AUGUST 2014 £4.50

PATRICK MOURATOGLOU

Why attitude is important in an academy player

PLUS: RESULTS AND RANKINGS DOMINIC THIEM RICHARD GASQUET FABIO FOGNINI

SPOT LIGHT

HAWKEYE Bringing you the biggest views and opinions

“You can’t expect a relationship to start off right away with winning a Grand Slam” novak djokovic

Djokovic and Becker on top of the world

The Serb closes a chapter in his tennis career as his coaching set-up finally clicks

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hile his record-breaking exploits mean 2011 is likely to be the most standout season of a hugely successful career, in years to come Novak Djokovic will look back on 2014 with fond memories.

He will remember July in particular as the month he lifted his second Wimbledon title, sealed a return to world No.1, qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and married his long-term girlfriend Jelena Ristic, who is expecting their first child, towards “the end of the year”.

“I think I can close the chapter of my tennis career just for little bit now,” he said after his five-set victory over Roger Federer. “I think I deserve that for few weeks to rest, to enjoy, be with my fiancée, my wife to be, and my family.”

Three years on from his first victory at the All England Club, when he sealed his ascent to the top of the rankings for the first time, Djokovic’s 8 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

seventh Grand Slam title came at a critical time.

As he celebrated by taking a bite of the grass on Centre Court, his elation was about much more than another trophy and the £1.76 million prize money. Having lost in his last three major finals and five of his past six, it was a major psychological boost.

“It was the most special Grand Slam final I’ve played,” he said. “At the time of my career for this Grand Slam trophy to arrive is crucial, especially after losing several Grand Slam finals in a row.

I started doubting of course a little bit. I needed this win a lot.

“I’m going to try to use it in the best possible way and for my confidence to grow for the rest of my season and the rest of my career.”

Djokovic’s Wimbledon triumph was his first Grand Slam with Boris Becker in his camp. The Serb appointed the six-time Grand Slam champion

© juergen hasenkopf

NEWS

tennis news

Above: Boris Becker during a training session with Djokovic Top right: Marian Vajda, Djokovic’s other coach Bottom right: Djokovic with his partner Jelena

as his head coach at the beginning of the season, and while he admits it took time for the relationship to gel, Djokovic believes the German has helped make him mentally tougher.

“He knows exactly what kind of challenges I have to face, mentally, to play a big tournament and big matches,” Djokovic said. “Obviously we had different games. My game is based on the baseline; he played serve and volley. But generally, when you

“I’m going to try to use it in the best possible way and for my confidence to grow for the rest of my season and the rest of my career.” get to the big matches you want to rely on your best shots and be strong mentally.

“That’s what we talked about most and trying to prepare myself psychologically for what’s [waiting] for me on the courts in the critical moments.”

Djokovic believes his victory at the Rome Masters in May was the turning point in his and Becker’s relationship. Becker and the Serb’s long-term coach Marian Vajda had been working separately with Djokovic; Vajda attending the tournaments that Becker did not, but the three

worked together to good effect in Italy where he beat Rafael Nadal in the Masters 1000 final.

“You can’t expect the relationship to start off right away with a Grand Slam,” said Djokovic, who saw a 28-match unbeaten streak come to an end in this year’s Australian Open quarter-finals – his first defeat in Melbourne in four years. “Obviously because of the difference in character and approach, we’re different people and it took some time to get that understanding going and the right chemistry.

“The last couple of months we were very successful, and Marian Vajda contributed to that. It wasn’t part of the schedule for Marian to be in Rome but I considered that tournament to be a turning point in my relationship with Boris because Marian graciously accepted to be there and spend time together with Boris.

“We won that tournament the three of us and it was a time when I started feeling much closer to Boris and understood what message he’s trying to convey to me. There were a few things he said that were important but most of all is the mental toughness and the self-belief. He believes in my game, he knows that I have the game to win this tournament and I just needed to hang in there and stay tough regardless of what I go through on the court.” n W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 9

hawkeye

THE NUMBERS game [stats]

Significant patterns and percentages from the ATP and WTA tours

1

Maria Sharapova is only defending one ranking point for the rest of the season

The Wimbledon women’s final was the first Slam final in which both players were born in the 1990s

52,000 143mph Nick Kyrgios’ increase in Twitter followers over Wimbledon fortnight

£640

6

RAFAEL NADAL

service games won by Feliciano Lopez on grass in 2014

1948

1,870 ATP ranking points lost by Andy Murray over grass court season

ANDY MURRAY

22 sabine lisicki

25

24 simona halep

angelique kerber

25

EUGENiE Bouchard

28

Break points won at Wimbledon – WOMEN'S

PETRA Kvitova

18

JEREMY CHARDY

GRIGOR DIMITROV

24

25 ANDY Murray

ROGER Federer

NOVAK Djokovic

27

31

Break points won at Wimbledon – MEN'S

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serena williams

The last time a man won Wimbledon after saving Championship point (Robert Falkenburg)

Amount donated to Rally for Bally by Nick Kyrgios after he pledged £5 for every ace he served

199 of 207

Ranking points Serena Williams is defending in the US this summer

Fastest serve at Wimbledon

by Jiri Vesely

No. of matches in which Rafael Nadal lost the opening set from French Open final to Wimbledon fourth round

Nick Kyrgios

3,520

379

Combined rankings of the three players to beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon over the last three years

Stats from WTA, ATP and wimbledon.com

HAWKEYE QUIZ

Tiebreak!

LOCKER ROOM

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW TENNIS...?

1

How many singles titles did Li Na win during her time with coach Carlos Rodriguez (July 2012-July 2014)?

2

Which woman hit the fastest serve at Wimbledon 2014?

“I never took tennis seriously.

I always played to have fun” RICHARD GASQUET

RICHARD GASQUET

Even when he’s not playing tennis, you’ll find the Frenchman watching or playing sport with his friends Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils

3

Who are the youngest winners of the US Open men’s and women’s singles?

4

Which player was it unlucky 13 for at Wimbledon as they lost their 13th consecutive Grand Slam match?

INTERVIEW: JO CARTER

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to see each other. Of course, the most important for us is Davis Cup, because we are all together and that is very nice.

How do you spend your time away from the tennis court? Do you have any hobbies?

I try to play soccer, and I like to play golf with friends; I really like sports. I like to spend time with my family when I can too because I hardly ever see them because I travel around the world for many days.

Do you watch much sport?

I love football, it is a big passion for me. When I am in Paris I go to watch Paris Saint-Germain and rugby too, I really like these two sports.

What is your hotel room like? Is it a big mess or are you a tidy person?

It’s normal - not so messy but not tidy either!

If you weren’t a tennis player what would you be?

It is always a difficult question to answer because tennis has always been a big part of my life. I would love to be a soccer player or a rugby player but definitely something in sports.

If there is one thing you could change about your life, what would it be?

Nothing. I am still young, I travel around the world, I love to discover new places. We are lucky with that because it is incredible to play in places like New York, Wimbledon, Paris. So really nothing, I am very lucky.

5 6

Whose feet are these?

What is Eugenie Bouchard’s twin sister’s name?

1. Four. (Cincinnati 2012, Shenzhen 2013 & 2014, Australian Open 2014); 2. Madison Keys (123mph); 3. Pete Sampras (19yrs 1m), Tracy Austin (16yrs 8m); 4. Paolo Lorenzi; 5. Milos Raonic; 6. Beatrice

How did you get into tennis?

My father played tennis. He was a coach in the south of France. That’s why I started playing – when your father is going every day to the club it is easy to start. I played football too with friends but of course I preferred tennis.

How old were you when you decided to take tennis seriously?

I never took tennis very seriously; I always played to have fun. Tennis is a game; now it is a little bit different now I am professional, but even when I was 15 or 16 it was easy for me to play tennis.

Maybe when I was 17 or 18 when I started on the tour it became more serious.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?

It is difficult to say; I have played many good matches. I have beaten [Roger] Federer a few times, I remember particularly in Monte Carlo [in 2005]. I have good memories at Wimbledon too, making the semi-finals [in 2007] and also last year at the US Open so I have had many good moments in tennis.

Who are your closest friends on tour?

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils, they are French players like me. We grew up together.

Tsonga and I have played many times, Gael too, so they are my best friends on tour. We try to spend time together, but it is never easy because we have our own schedules but we try every day

“I think the example we have shown the young players is that we are fighters.

We are fighters for every single tournament” RAFAEL NADAL

Despite all the talk of the next generation, the ‘Big Four’ continue to dominate men’s tennis. But for how long?

Older AND wiser WORDS: PAUL NEWMAN

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Time to deliver

Kvitova's tennis to win her second Wimbledon title was breathtaking. But has she matured enough second time around to build on that success?

WORDS: LEE GOODALL

T

he story goes that on the morning of July 5, a few hours before Petra Kvitova’s stunning demolition of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard to win her second Wimbledon ladies’ singles trophy, the Czech awoke at her rented London house to find the word ‘Pojd’ spelled out in string across the lawn. The work of her long-time coach and mentor David Kotyza, the message – the Czech equivalent of ‘come on’ that Kvitova is often heard shrieking on court – was dreamt up to galvanise his player’s spirit ahead of her appointment on the most famous of all centre courts.

We all now know the extent to which that motivating message worked. Kvitova’s 6-3 6-0 victory over Bouchard to claim her second Venus Rosewater Dish after beating Maria Sharapova in the 2011 decider will go

down as one of the most one-sided finals of all time. It was the most dominant display by a female champion in SW19 since Steffi Graf beat Monica Seles 6-2 6-1 to win in 1992 and in only ten victories in Wimbledon ladies' singles finals since the Championships began in 1884 has the winner dropped only three games or fewer.

But now, surely, comes the real test of the 24-year-old Czech’s champion’s credentials.

Deep down, Kvitova knows the world will be watching and wondering whether, this time, she can build on a Grand Slam winning performance that was so rich in quality and confidence. Experts are already asking whether Kvitova can go on to enjoy more success than she did following that maiden major three years ago. So apparently successful were his methods the first time around, perhaps Kotyza should

“I’m not really the kind of person who likes all the attention. That was the most difficult thing after my last Wimbledon. It was very, very difficult to handle” 3 8 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

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C oc o Va nde w e ghe tay l or t o w nse nd

m a dis on k e y s l a ur e n d av is

As the US Open approaches, will the Americans have anything to shout about?

A talented bunch of women might just bring some cheer to a nation with declining numbers in the top ranks of the game WORDS: PAUL NEWMAN

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sl o a ne s t e p he ns

ALL AMERICAN GIRLS W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. n e t 47

Nick Kyrgios The 19-year-old Australian who defeated Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon this year has ambitions to go all the way to the top WORDS: Jo Carter

Making his way to Court 16 before his Wimbledon debut against Frenchman Stephane Robert, Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios barely attracted a second glance from tennis fans. But all that changed dramatically a week later, when he made the headlines around the world following his shock victory over world No.1 Rafael Nadal.

It was the third time in as many years that Nadal had failed to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, but while Lukas Rosol and Steve Darcis are more likely to appear as pub quiz answers than in the latter stages of a Grand Slam draw, Nick Kyrgios is a name that you suspect may be etched on a few trophies in years to come. While Rosol and Darcis quickly disappeared back into the relative obscurity of the lower realms of the ATP Tour, Kyrgios’ electrifying victory on Centre Court looks set to be the beginning of a glittering career rather than merely a flash in the pan.

With talent and charisma in equal measure, it is not difficult to envisage the big-serving Australian as a future star. But five years ago, a 14-year-old Kyrgios came to a crossroads in his sporting career. A talented basketball player, the Boston Celtics fan was forced to make a decision between pursuing a career in tennis or basketball, his first love.

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“Basketball was my first sport, I’ve been playing it forever, as long as I can remember,” he says. “It was a tough decision giving it up but I still play as often as I can.

It probably tops tennis for wanting to play it all the time.

“My dad really pushed me to play tennis and I didn’t have a problem with that, I loved them both. It was very hard for me to put down a basketball but there’s a lot injuries, lots of contact so I had to sacrifice that to play tennis.”

That sacrifice appears to have paid off. Kyrgios’ run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals as a wildcard attracted comparisons with 17-year-old Boris Becker’s Wimbledon victory in 1985, while Pat Cash likened his performance against Nadal to Mark Philippoussis’ upset of world No.1 Pete Sampras at the 1996 Australian Open.

Kyrgios was not even born when Andrei Olhovskiy beat Jim Courier at Wimbledon in 1992; the last time a player ranked outside the world’s top 100 beat a reigning world No.1. But perhaps what is more significant is that Kyrgios was the first teenager to beat a world No.1 since Nadal himself when he stunned Roger Federer in Miami on their first meeting in 2004.

“I’ve come a long way since last year,” admits Kyrgios, who climbed almost 650 places in his first season as a professional in 2013. “I lost in the third round of [Wimbledon] juniors so it has been a big year.”

“It's good to go up against the top guys.

That's why I play the game”

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ACADEMY

[frame-by-frame]

dolgopolov forehand Dave Sammel explains why ‘The Dog’ possesses one of the most unconventional - but entertaining - techniques on tour

1

Alexandr has an unusual style and it begins with a normal take back of the racket. His left hand, though, is not extended and more 'bent' than most of his peers on tour. His shoulders are slightly hunched so not as flat and relaxed as most, but he's achieved good rotation. He has good balance and the hips are turned too.

2

He accelerates forward and drops his racket well below the ball to create topspin. His right leg is beginning to drive upwards for power. His hips are still turned slightly and beginning to open with the acceleration of the racket towards the ball.

And, unusually, his left leg has already risen off the ground.

3

Most coaches would try to change this kind of crazy follow through. I always emphasise how the top players keep their heads very still and watch the ball throughout execution. How he is not thrown off balance by his head tilting back is quite amazing. His arm has good extension and the raised leg aids balance.

Dolgopolov on how it all happened... → “My technique has evolved," explains the Ukraine-born star. “As a child I was playing more ‘classic’ tennis but with the jump on the serve and the backhand it

6 0 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET

just changed over my career. It wasn’t the technique I was taught in the beginning because when I was a child everyone would say, ‘Oh, that’s a

beautiful technique,’ and then I just played how it was comfortable for me.

Now it’s not classic! I think it happens to every player as they evolve.”

Dave dissects The Dog → If you watched Alex Dolgopolov’s epic five-setter against Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon in June you might have been wondering how on earth he can play to such a high level with such unorthodox technique. However, if you break down his technique you can find some of the fundamentals of classic stroke production. He gets the key principles right and I urge any coach to examine a player’s ability

to adhere to the key elements of shotmaking before diving in to change an unconventional stroke. It’s difficult to know whether to change a stroke, but in general if a junior is consistent and confident in a stroke and makes it more often than not under pressure - then leave it and work on the principles. Confidence is the key. If a player tries to avoid playing the shot then it probably needs altering.

GOLDEN RULEs Make contact out in front of the body, use quick footwork to get behind the ball and move forward to short balls, and concentrate on controlling the racket face throughout the execution.

4

This demonstrates perfectly the full extension of his right leg and an indication of the power a player can create off the ground. His racket has wrapped over the ball nicely and his left leg is still working as a counter balance to his unorthodox head movement – and is still preventing him from falling off the shot.

5

All of a sudden, the swing now looks relatively orthodox. He is looking forward and has achieved nice rotation of the shoulders, although at this point other players would tend to fold their right arm around their body. His elbow is up high, though, and the racket head is below his wrist which is more conventional.

6

As his bodyweight begins to travel back down towards the ground his right arm relaxes and begins to drop as well. His head is now in a normal position and his eyes are looking down the court – towards his opponent and the ball – as any other tennis player would. His shoulders have now finished their rotation.

The Dog on doing his own thing... → “Some people have told me I should change but I don’t care,” he says. “I have my own problems and you don’t know why a player does what they do – so

maybe if someone has weaker health you cannot play like the Spanish guys, running for five hours. I was doing what I think was best and my team is thinking

about that. Obviously, you have a lot of geniuses telling you how you should play, how you should hit, but it's not them who have to go out on the court.”

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academy

ALEXANDR DOLGOPOLOV

© P Mouratoglou

ACADEMY

Mouratoglou says it is important for a student to assess his academy and whether it is right for them

“We want our students to be as successful at school as they are on the tennis court”

© P Mouratoglou

By moving to the south of France in the near future, the academy will boost its number of students from 40 to around 150

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© P Mouratoglou

PATRICK MOURATOGLOU

MOURATOGLOU

academy

[biography] Patrick Mouratoglou is the founder and Head Coach at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy which is based near Paris.

Founded in 1996, it is now considered to be one of the best in the world and offers personalised training which is tailored to each of its players' individual needs.

Recipe for success It’s not just about talent, says Patrick Mouratoglou.

There are many attributes required to make it to the very top Words: Patrick Mouratoglou

I

have a good friend who is a high-powered businessman but also a tennis lover. He always says to me: “If I’m doing business with someone and I want to find out more about him, I play tennis with him. I always find out very quickly on the tennis court what kind of person he is.”

That’s one of the things that I love about tennis.

When you go to a tournament, whatever the level is, and whether it’s for 40year-olds who play for pleasure or for young players who want to become professionals, you find out so much about people.

When I recruit young players to my academy I want to assess their tennis ability and their physical capacity, but I also want to find out about their characters. The tennis court is one of the best places to make that judgement. Some people might say they are real fighters, for example, but it’s not until you put them into a stressful situation – which you can do on the tennis court – that you understand whether they are what they say they are.

At this stage of the year we are finalising our next intake of students at the academy. It is possible for players to join at other times, but for the most part we follow the school year. We take young players from the age of 11 upwards, though there have been one or two cases where they have been younger. We have a school attached to the academy which the players attend. They can follow the French

“i want to find out about young players and their characters. the tennis court is one of the best places to do that”

education programme or they can do American studies, leading to an American diploma. We assist them after that if they want to get scholarships at the best American universities.

We want our students to be as successful in school as they are on the tennis court. We aim to make our students good tennis players, but it is just as important to give them the chance to have the best possible life outside tennis. It’s a fact that some of the people who come to the academy will not go on to become professional tennis players, so it’s vital that they leave us equipped to do other things with their lives.

Even for those who go on to enjoy careers as professional players, I think it’s important to have interests outside tennis. When you’re on the tour you have a lot of free time. It will be to your advantage if you can occupy those hours with something that is going to benefit you as a person, rather than just playing video games. You also have to appreciate that your career is going to be over by the time you are 30 or 35. It’s important that you look at the big picture, not just your immediate life as a tennis player.

I always encourage my students to carry on with their studies, no matter what age they are. I know some top professional players who at 22 or 23 realised that it was still important to have an education and went back to their academic work. Thanks to modern communications, you can now do that at the same time as playing tennis around the world.

We have about 40 players on our elite programme.

The numbers are limited by our present infrastructure, which is why we are moving from Paris to the south of France in the near future. We hope eventually to have up to 150 players. I think having a big group can generate a lot of energy and W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 63

gear

[tennis shoes]

Think on your feet Like finding the right racket, the perfect pair of shoes can have a huge impact on your game – as can the humble custom insole Words: Michael Beattie

O

ver the course of a tight three-set match, you can quite easily end up spending over two hours on court. Think about that for a minute: the darts forward to a short ball, the haring from tramline to tramline, the constant changes of direction – sometimes for longer than Mo Farah spent running this year's London Marathon.

Unfortunately, we’re not saying you deserve a couple of Olympic medals each time you step on court, but it does highlight the importance of the shoes cushioning those steps. Along with your racket, the right pair of tennis shoes is arguably your most important piece of kit, and deserves just as much thought and attention when it comes to finding the right pair – and beyond that, the right insoles.

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“Find the perfect pair of shoes and have orthotics fitted if you can – it did wonders for my knees and ankles,” Laura Robson told the Guardian when asked for her top training tip during the French Open. And she’s not alone. After winning the 2011 Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic threw his shoes into the crowd, but not before removing his custom-built insoles. Similarly, Andy Murray is said to have ploughed through six pairs of tennis shoes en route to the Wimbledon title in 2013, transferring the same custom insoles between each pair.

“The quick stop-start changes of direction encountered in tennis mean that the foot moves around significantly on the insole of the shoe,” says Richard Felton, manager of Profeet in south-west

Profeet manager Richard Felton says the right footwear should reduce the foot's movement within the shoe, which can lead to stress on joints

London. “Our speciality is not just providing people with the right footwear, but reducing that movement to improve your game.”

Profeet specialises in tailor-made sports performance footwear across a range of disciplines, including running, skiing, hiking and tennis. The inhouse biomechanical analysis lab allows technicians to assess your gait via video feedback, while the mechanics and forces of your foot in action can be analysed using a dynamic foot scan, providing a detailed picture of the areas of your feet that need enhanced cushioning and support before building you a bespoke pair of insoles.

“In a tennis shoe it works incredibly well,” Felton adds. “It follows the contours of the foot to offer support and reduce that movement within the shoe.

This prevents instability that may impact the ankle, knee and hips, removing stress on all the joints that typically get tired and sore from alignment issues.”

The insole does not just prevent injury and increase comfort on court – it can actually improve your game.

“A stable sole also gives you a greater surface area to apply force to as you move. As the foot spreads across the insole it creates a platform – the less it moves within the shoe at the moment of impact, the more stable the platform and the more effectively you can transfer power from your feet and legs into your shots.”

The other side of the Profeet service is finding the right tennis shoe for you. The gait analysis and foot scan also help to identify the brands and models that are naturally suited to your feet – after that, it’s up to you to decide what type of player you are or what you want from your shoe.

Baseliners, for example, require a lot of lateral support from their shoes to handle constant motion from side to side, and a highly durable sole to deal with the constant lateral motion. In contrast, a servevolleyer who slides their back foot along the court during the serve may look for a shoe with a durable toecap and medial support inside the arch of the foot.

Sometimes the entire outsole is encaged in rubber for added support and durability.

“Tennis shoes fall into two categories – softer, lowprofile shoes and thicker, stiffer shoes,” says Felton.

“Novak Djokovic threw his shoes into the crowd, but not before removing his custom-built insoles”

Know your footprint Your foot type will determine how much lateral support and cushioning you need from your shoes, and it’s as simple as stepping on a piece of card. Get your foot wet and step on some card and the imprint left behind will give you an idea of your foot type...

which foot t ype?

Overpronator

Neutral

Supinator

→ If a complete impression of your foot appears on the card, your feet are pronated. Overpronators tend to roll their foot inward with every stride and often need extra assistance to get the most from their tennis shoes.

→ If there's a moderate space around the arch of the imprint left on the card this indicates that your feet are neutral. Most tennis shoes are designed for a neutral foot, leaving you free to opt for either durability or a lightweight pair of shoes.

→ Your feet are supinated if there is a large area on the imprint where the arch of your foot didn’t touch the ground. Supinators, or underpronators, tend to roll their foot outward during every stride and may benefit from a more flexible tennis shoe to alleviate the impact of quick, lateral movements.

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gear

tennis shoes

© Bettmann/corBis

“IF THEY HIT A WINNER I'D FLASH THEM A SMILE... TENNIS IS A GAME, NOT A WAR, AFTER ALL”

Rod Laver celebrates his second Grand Slam at the 1969 US Open

[TENNIS BOOKS]

the L a st WORd

“N

ROD LAVER in his autobiography, rod Laver shares how a young boy from rural Queensland became one of the most successful players in history

o player occupies a bigger part of [tennis] history than Rod Laver,” writes Roger Federer in the foreword to the Australian’s autobiography. “From my earliest tennis memories, Rod ‘The Rocket’ Laver stood above all others as the greatest champion our sport has known.”

No debate about the greatest player of all time can happen without the names of Laver or indeed Federer. Laver’s 11 Grand Slam titles are dwarfed by Federer’s record of 17, but Laver’s achievements will always come with a footnote. Having turned professional in December 1962 after winning the Grand Slam, Laver did not play another major event until 1968.

“In the interim Rod missed playing for 21 Grand Slam titles,” writes Federer. “We can only guess how many of these he might have won.”

In a series of fascinating anecdotes from his childhood, Laver, with his “flaming hair, sticking-out ears and 49,000 freckles”, explains how his own game evolved; from having to change his racket grip after he nearly lost his finger after a fishing accident, to honing his quick reflexes by 114 W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. n e t

playing in near darkness on the family court in Rockhampton.

Laver describes how his first coach, Charlie Hollis, introduced topspin into his game and the influence of the legendary Harry Hopman, a hard-line disciplinarian who captained Australia to 16 Davis Cup titles between 1939 and 1967. It was Hopman who gave Laver the ironic nickname ‘The Rockhampton Rocket’, but under the guidance of Hopman Laver became one of the most complete players in spite of his diminutive 5ft 8in status.

“I had few technical faults, thanks to Charlie and Hop and my endless practice,” admits Laver in an attempt to explain his almost unparalleled success in 1962.

“I was unflappable on the court, in my mind and in my body language. I didn’t dwell on it if I played a bad shot; it was instantly in the past. The only time my robotic demeanour broke was when, if the bloke on the opposite side of the net pulled off a wonderful winner, I’d flash him a little smile and gesture ‘too good’. Tennis is a game, not a war, after all.”

It might be a game, but there were factions at the heart of the sport during Laver’s prime.

While he resisted the temptation to turn professional until he was 24, virtually living on the poverty line to represent his country, with glory the only prize, in 1963 he joined the pro ranks.

Laver describes the nomadic life as a touring professional. “It was no easy thing to get used to the travel, to play against hardened professionals competing for money at one-night stands many times a week. [Often] on makeshift surfaces hastily thrown down and marked up in community halls, school gyms, theatres and concert halls, ice rinks and barns.”

When the British Lawn Tennis Association voted for an open Wimbledon in 1968, Australian journalist Adrian Quist described the breakthrough as the “greatest step forward since tennis shorts superseded long trousers”.

With the dawn of a new era in tennis, Laver set about trying to make history.

Having already won the 1969 Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles, Laver travelled to New York in August in a bid to become the first man to complete a second Grand Slam. With his wife Mary expecting their first child on finals day, he had other things on his mind, and he recalls how after his 7-9 6-1 6-2 6-2 victory over Tony Roche in the final, he rushed to call his wife but didn’t have 10 cents to use a payphone: “I had $16,000 but no dime.”

Having in his own words, “scaled the Mount Everest of tennis”, Laver settled in California with his family and dedicates his final chapters to life after retirement, having hung up his racket in 1979. Laver retired two years before Federer was born, yet his achievements, both on the court and off it, stand the test of time. ■

ROD LAVER: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY Published by Allen & Unwin (£16.99)

© S&G and Barratts/PA

© Bettmann/Corbis

© Agence France Presse/Getty Images

Receiving his trophy from The Queen after winning Wimbledon in 1962

Left: with Ken ‘Muscles’ Rosewall after winning the 1969 French Open

Above: Rod and Mary’s wedding day 20th June 1966

Rod Laver and coach Harry Hopman

© Laver family

L-R: Bob Mark, Rod Laver, Harry Hopman

© Bettmann/Corbis

© Laver family

Below L-R: Geoff Masters, John Newcombe, Malcolm Anderson, captain Neale Fraser, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Colin Dibley

W W W.t e n n i s h e a d. NET 115

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