Coach Evan Gaudreu is back with another piece centered around the tricky American youngster, Jenson Brooksby called Brooksby's back, alright!

Brooksby's back, alright!

“Where, oh where has my Brooksby gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his crusty clay court outfit
And his….”
Shit! He's got new duds. The shirt's kinda cool but those Wilson shoes?
Yellow?
They look like bananas!
There are two rules in life.
Wash your hands after you go to the bathroom
And…
Stay away from the color yellow.

Where has Coach Evan been?

I took most of the summer off (busy doing actual work). Now it's time to start seeing what the players have been up to.

Ps. If you want to read more of Coach Evan's articles click here or watch our latest podcast here. Ds.

One thought that keeps popping up all summer and has been for as long as I can remember is the idea of winning and the value people hold to it, especially the parents of junior tennis players.

This affects every player, from juniors to club players, college players to pro players. At some point, that mentality is going to bite you in the ass.

“If you are unwilling to lose, you will never win!”

This counters Ricky Bobby's philosophy from Talledega Nights….” If you aren't first, you're last.”

If it's Tuesday night Men's league at your club (like every Tuesday night throughout the year), and you are so concerned with where you place on the ladder and who beat who last week…

And so on…

How do you REALLY improve?

How are you ever going to improve your weaknesses?
Before I move on…
Here's the trick.
Stop focusing on your results and the results of others and start adding new pieces to your game by not worrying about whether you win or lose….

And don't worry about what other people are thinking about you.

In a nutshell, start planning out your tennis more constructively. Maybe focus on winning for a few months, then spend the next few months not worried about results and improving a weakness and then go back to winning.

Over to Brooksby (vs Coric)

Let's see what Brooksby's been up to other than having a crappy summer.
Is he expanding his game plan and adding to his repertoire (hammering Box 3)?

Before he broke Coric's serve, he focused on returning cross courts to the centers (Deuce side return to Box 2, Ad side return to Box 3…roughly)…Once he established that pattern, he snapped a forehand return up the line on the second break point.

He caught Coric sleeping. Who else does this? Djokovic! Establishing criss-cross return patterns and then deviating from the pattern by hitting “straight-line” returns.

Other players on tour are picking up on this, but they're just copy-catting with no thought behind it.

Here's the deal.

If you're pulled wide to the Deuce side sideline, you can bail out to Box 3 (as opposed to the old logic of returning the ball crosscourt with height to give you time to recover, and OH! Give your opponent plenty of time to plot his attack AND give him options down the line, crosscourt, or even a “recycle” to your Box 3). By straight-lining your defense, not only do they have less time to plot, but they also don't have many options.

Pressure is back on them. They most likely won't hit back to you, so they will have to go to the AD side. If they hit the winner, so be it. But if they don't, the options fall back to you, and you turned defense into an advantage.

It's turning the point from 30/70 in their favor to at least 50/50 on your side and, in some cases, 70/30. (brief post on Instagram about this. Mavericktennisinsta. Murray vs. Fritz).

A drill that came to mind after watching the first game is to cut one side of the court into three pieces, and you can even stretch it a bit over the hash mark.

Start by “walking” the ball from Box to Box with your hitting partner. There are a lot of variations to this.

Be patient and drill!

But.
Do the drill for a few sessions, weeks, etc. However long it takes.
Once you get a handle on it, have the other player hit the full court and try to walk the ball while the hitter does whatever they want.
Also, give yourself a “bail out” on the other side of the court.
Your tennis will improve.
Singular focus.
It takes all the pressure off.

Remember when all those boneheads were walking in front of cars holding their phones up, looking for Pokemon? Or walking into fairways on the golf course and getting clunked with a golf ball.
That's what I think of when tennis players play “mindless” points.

Do this drill with serves and returns: once you feel the hitting is too easy. You'll notice it gets more challenging, especially when you're holding a continental serve grip and then flipping to your forehand grip too late.
That's a big issue with players, even on the tour level. Coaches should focus on their opponent's grip after the serve, rather than holding their….
Pencil.
Did you think I was going to say something else?

Brooksby is adding strings to his game

Another thing Brooksby is adding is deviation.
Or a diversion.
He plays a pattern I call ‘Hop Box.”
It's hitting Box 2 and Box 4 (or you can hit Box 1 and Box 3) to throw players off.
It's crazy to me that players don't do Box training.
There is so much more strategy that can be played.

Side note.
I went to qualies at the open and watched matches and practice sessions. Many guys were playing “winner ball,” Just cracking serves and cracking first balls.

Fritz….out
McDonald…out
Shelton…out
Garin…out (literally, he was hitting two crosscourt and smashing a line ball for a while)
Felix…
Sonego…
Korda…
Hurkacz…
I wish I could have written this that day…would have called these guys going out early…
Oh well.
Maybe next time.
But
Alcaraz was training
Sinner looked to have a focus too.
Fokina.
Those three looked to be hitting with intensity and thought behind it.

Anyway.
If you train like a bonehead, don't expect miracles.

Brooksby again

Ha!
Brooksby being Brooksby.
He was serving at 5-4, Deuce. Coric missed the return, and Brooksby hit the return in his direction.
Classic douche move.
Sometimes it's good to see that things never change.
But that makes me laugh.
Someone should prank Brooksby for that. Like hide his “Sippy” cup or relocate his Winnie the pooh blanket….
Did you know that Jenson is a Ventriloquist?
Pick his lock, and you will see a mini version of him on the hotel bed.
He calls him B.J.
You'll also see….
Comic books.
Pee Wee Herman doll.
Spaghetti O's.
Wait a sec. I just got word from my guy in his room.
The comic book was a fake.
It appeared to be a comic book, but closer inspection revealed it was just the cover. It was a different type of mag inside.

Question:
There is a girl. A woman in Brooksby's player box…Who is she?

Answer:
An imposter. A usurper. I'm getting a “Can't buy me love” vibe when Patrick Dempsey's nerd character “Bought” a hottie.

Another question:
Is it a coincidence that the dude in Coric's box is wearing a Space Jams T-shirt?
Are you kidding me?
What adult wears that shirt?
Is this a joke towards Brooksby?

Whatever.

After Coric went up 3-0 and 4-1 in the second set, it looks as though Brooksby is playing for the third set. If he's going to lose the second set, he's going to get something out of it. Let's wear this guy out and stretch the court a little.

And he pulls it back to on serve by doing that. It was that, and Coric seemed to get ahead of himself. He might have thought the set was over.

Brooksby added some MPH to his forehand.

It's funny that players think….” Oh. Jenson's forehand is weaker. Let's go after it.” But it's how you get after it that matters.

The bottom line is to use the middle of the court to pull him wide to the backhand and then get after the forehand. I've watched too many Brooksby matches to know he struggles with that. Of course, there's more to it. Serving locations, return locations. A Box strategy can beat all kinds of players and all the “old” systems like cross courts, zone tennis, and serve +1's…. it's like people playing rock, paper, scissors, and you have a “Boom” card to play that trumps everything.

I haven't written all summer, so I'm all over the place.

I noticed a pattern of changing pace by Brooksby and not necessarily changing depth. Just pace. Mix up speed to the backhand and increase the pace to the forehand.
And vice versa.
I hate to sound generic, but Brooksby came up big on the big points.
Why is that?
When he wins those long rallies, especially on big points, it makes me think he does some crazy drilling like 20 or 30 in a row where the other guy/hitter can go wherever he wants and as big as he wants, and Brooksby has to get everything back to two or three spots.
This can be done live ball or fed ball.
Mental training.
Try feeding your kid balls randomly and tell them it's not over until 20 in a row are in the singles court.
As I'm writing, Brooksby just saved his 6th set point against him with a swat overhead you probably see at your local tennis club hit by the “maniac” player who can't control three shots in a row. When he hits an overhead, you have no idea whether it will go straight to the curtain, straight at your face, or into the court.

This match was weird.

So many break points and game points disappeared for Coric. Generally, that happens for a couple of reasons…1) lack of planning-meaning there's no strategy between how you start the game and how you finish the game… i.e.…” Winner ball.” It's like focusing on a faulty game plan of power and depth and letting the chips fall where they may…like chucking up hail mary's every few points and hoping for the best.

1) this also leads to randomness on the other side of the net. I hate to beat a dead horse, but if you box train and hit specific locations (boxes), not only does it take the pressure off of you, but you start to “understand” what outcomes come from your opponent from each box. You will have a better idea and control over the point, whether you win or lose the point.
2) game points squandered come from lack of point play and layoffs. A simple solution is to play games starting at 40-30 and play first to 10 games (or play it for 20 mins serving and returning).
3) Thinking ahead and not being in the now…again, that falls under faulty game planning. If you watch this match, notice how Coric looks to his Box occasionally after missed drop volleys and whatnot. So many “teams” watch matches and use another player's strategy against the same player. This can work somewhat, but over time wouldn't you think the other player is working on “combating that strategy?

This happens at the club level too.

“Hey, you're playing so and so. What you want to do is keep the ball in the court. They'll eventually miss.”
-bad strategy. If everyone does that to said opponent, they will eventually figure out how to beat simple gameplans.
“Hey, you want to bring the player in with drop shots.”
-When my daughter was 11 and 12, the 4.0 club players would drop shot her because she didn't move into the court as well…not a good strategy…meaning it worked then, but by 13 and 14 it barely worked because she was expecting it, she knew they couldn't go toe to toe from the baseline and would bail out of the point with a drop shot.
“Attack the backhand side.”
-What? Until they see enough of it and it doesn't work anymore? This is why I like lefty hitters for my players and my daughter. They target the backhand side more and the players get more backhand work in.

I apologize for being all over the place.
I will do better next time.

Novak Djokovic has recently won his 7th Wimbledon title. Why makes him so great? Coach Evan talks about how Djokovic plays differently.

How Djokovic Plays Differently

Coach Evan Gaudreau is back for yet another podcast. We focused on Djokovic, his patterns and how he plays differently to achieve the heights of tennis that he does. Even if he often loses an early set in a Grand Slam, he wins those matches 90% of the time. He doesn't seem prone to nerves and tends to feel that if he just sticks to his game and his plan, he will be fine.

Evan argues that Djokovic uses box training and has taken his understanding of this element of the game to the next level. This means that Djokovic can hit almost any spot on the court at will. This is an exaggeration of course, but his precision and understanding of court geometry is second to none. He picks his spots superbly well, hits with depth and breaks down players with his unrelenting tennis.

Djokovic's understanding of tactics and strategy is as good, if not stronger, than his mental ability. You could even argue that the way he develops and executes game plans is what makes him so mentally strong. He always has an idea of where to hit thanks to well crafted drill patterns and a deeper knowledge of how to break down his opponents' weaknesses.

There are other players on the tour that uses box training, but Djokovic is arguably the master. This can allow him to go two sets down to love in a Grand Slam final without panicking. He knows deep down that he will find a way. It's extremely impressive.

The podcast

In the podcast we talk about Djokovic's patterns, why he hired certain coaches, how club players can use box training, why junior should start getting into this asap and we also compare a player like Djokovic to players like Thiem, Alcaraz and Aliassime.

I hope you like our talk and whether you agree with him or not, I think Evan brings some interesting insights to the tennis discussion.

Coach Evan Gaudreau is back with a match analysis. This time he deals with Djokovic vs Kwon Wimbledon R1.

Djokovic vs Kwon Wimbledon Match Analysis

I'm not saying Djokovic plays mini-combos, but let's say he does, and look at how he hides his combos.

He hits a mini-corner combo in the first game and on the first point. One to the center of the Ad side, the next shot to the singles sideline and then the third shot (which he hits into the net) was heading towards the center of the court.

With the three other points played, sandwiched between the two aces to finish the game and ace and the missed return, Djokovic opens his +1's to the Ad side. For two of those points, the second ball went to the opposite shot that was hit….say Kwon hit a backhand, then Djokovic hit him a forehand.

I remember writing about Kwon earlier in the year and said the strategy against him was to grip-change him. Use tight windows, but make sure he switches grips.

I like to watch Djokovic because he hides what he's up to.

Someone reached out to me after the first podcast Jonas and I did and said I needed to change the name of the grip change strategy.
How about Flip-Flopper?
No?
Anyone? Anyone?
Bueller?

Djokovic and his patterns of play

Moving on to the return game, the two points that were played out, Djokovic hit four balls to the center of the court at 15-all and won the point. At 15-30, he loaded up 6 out of 7 balls to the backhand corner but lost the point.
Kwon holds serve.
No biggie.
But in the first two games, we get a sense of the style of play Djokovic is entertaining.
Djokovic gets broken in game 3.

At 15-all, he plays a stretch pattern. One shot to the center of the court, one to the Deuce and a third to the Ad corner, he hits long.
Whatever.

In the following two points, he catches a “hanger.” I use this term as in hangman. He ties the noose around his neck with a couple of meatballs down the center of the court, and Kwon, the Hanger, tees off down the line to win both points and the break.

Too many droppers?

I remember Clint Eastwood catching a hanger in the movie “Hang Em High,” but the weight snapped the branch.
And he got his revenge.
The one-shot that pops up during the next few games is the dropper.
Droppers are like 6 in one, half a dozen in the other. As a coach, I stress hiding the dropper as long as possible…but when they come out early in the match, I smell desperation. I say that because Kwon uses one on the first point of game 5 and then loses the game. Those I see as wasteful.
I just got a pop in the brain.
“All the world's a stage, and all men and women are merely players.”
Is Djokovic pulling the strings, or is someone else?
I'm not saying he plays specific patterns to a “T,” but he targets specific spots on the court and manipulates those areas throughout the match.
For instance, we know by watching he hit two specific areas of the court during the first return game…with 4 and 5 shots, yet as the set went on, he mixed the pattern up…the first five shots were mixed up. instead of deliberate…
….or were they?
At 5-3, Djokovic is serving for the set; I'm getting into the flow of the match until the cameraman shows a set of melons in cheetah print sitting in the front row.
Meow!
Purrrrrr!
In the famous words of Jim Carrey….” I want to box those Juggs like Sugar Ray Leonard.”
Sorry! Sorry!
Back to the match.
Purrrr!
Is there such a thing as Melon-itis?
Say that 5 times in a row as fast as you can.
Just the last word!
On that note, let's move to the second set.

Second set in Djokovic vs Kwon Wimbledon R1

In the first game, at 30-0, Kwon pulls out the dropper again. Number 3. I like that one. If you're at home reading this, use the droppers while you are up in the game and up in the set….at first, when you first start using drop shots.
Discipline.
Once you can control that, you can do that when you are up in points; you can play with them on even points….when you use them on down points….
BRO!
PLEASE!
Control yourself!
“Jimmy crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away”

Side note.

I wish there were a computer programmer that could cut the section of the court between the service line and the baseline and make different sounds like a keyboard. There would be some interesting sounds….but there'd also be some players that would make the same sound over and over.
Those patterns tho will have one sound.
DUH!
Now wave your hand or a pencil or whatever.
DUH! DUH! DUH!
Oops.
I apologize.
This happens when I go camping in the woods for a few weeks and return to the real world.
My brain is bananas.
This is also what happens when I don't go camping.
Weird.
I think I'm just bananas.

Back to the match

At 1-1, we get a dumper game….a lot of first ball mistakes.
Stat alert!!
They are showing where Djokovic's serve placement is going. Don't read too much into that. Instead, focus on the returner's position after the return and what is done with the first ball.
You'll get more out of that.
At 2-1, we get another dumper by Djokovic.
The set is now 1-3.
I hate to say this, but while I'm taking notes and the point is about to be played, I'm writing something down…and Kwon is serving…. I'm not in a rush.
Why?
He misses the first serve so many times, giving me an extra second to jot stuff down.
“60% of the time, it works every time.”
I've been bullshitting a little, but I have something for you guys.
At 1-3, Kwon serving 0-40, Djokovic plays a simple point. Four shots to the backhand side in a row and two over to the forehand.
He does this because the points have been so bad during the second set that he is looking for a bit of rhythm.
This is an important concept I wish I had learned in my playing days. I teach my students to play a point where they hit a decent number of shots, pick one location, and think of spin and ball flight (when your timing is off).
Pick a side you like to hit to or pick a side of your opponent that they are more consistent on.
Let me tell you.
If there is one shot Djokovic is not hitting well… it's the drop shot…All YEAR.
I'm so bored during this set that my mind drifted to the cheetah lady again. The dude sitting next to her has a rainbow sashay cutting across his chest.
Strange.
What an odd pair.
Make me wonder what kind of people they are.
Epstein-ers probably.
Anyway.
Grass courts have a way of taking your timing away.

Third set. Djokovic vs Kwon Wimbledon R1

Not too much to write about. The only thing I can say is that Djokovic seems preoccupied mentally. Something is off.
His left eye is a little sleepy.
Seriously.
Unless I've never noticed that before.
Have you ever noticed that the malls in America have two pretzel makers on both ends of the mall and a Mrs. Fields and a Cinnabon in the center?
The point is I'm being a dumper this set.
The only thing worth noting is that Djokovic is picking up the pace this set…, especially during the break of the serve game.
6-3.

Fourth set.

Alert! Alert!
The cheetah lady is gone. Their whole box vanished.
Poof!
If the cheetah is gone… it's time to move on to Round 2.
Question:
Do you think Djokovic is hiding stuff for the later rounds?
I mean…I was optimistic to see how the match progressed but was left wondering.

Takeaways

The main takeaways for you homeys are to find a few different patterns or combos you like to use and develop those. For instance, I tell my daughter to play one long point in the first two points of every game (I still haven't seen her do it yet)…to set a tone for the match. At the club and junior levels, you can mix a long point with a quick point in practice sets and see if you can transition it to matches.

Another takeaway is when you are playing like poo. Find a spot on the court and bludgeon it with spins and watch how your timing will come back…(but not if you are so focused on winning…it won't work).

Coach Evan is back with another match analysis, this time of the much hyped-up match Nadal vs Djokovic, French Open Quarter-finals 2022.

Match analysis: Nadal vs Djokovic, French Open QF 2022

Ps. Check out more analysis and coaching pieces from Evan here. Ds.

Watch the highlights from Nadal vs Djokovic, French Open quarter-final 2022 here.

Nadal vs Djokovic (match 59!)

What I have seen up until this point is Novak using a variation of a four-ball combo during the clay-court season. He manipulates his opponent by what he does with his first few shots, whether he wants to start with a spread the first two shots of the point or keep the first few shots tighter. As you will see, this is an excellent strategy against most players; this methodical approach can sometimes backfire.

Most players train for technique and simple patterns. They can counterpunch. They can play aggressively.
Or they can shut their mind down and play instinctively.
“Players just play on instincts,” said a former top 250 player.
“You don’t think they break down video, analyze opponents….”
“They probably do that.”
“Just not at the extent I told you?”
“Yeah. They don’t have an analyst or a psychologist on their teams.”
I shrugged.
Maybe that’s why you never cracked 250, I thought.
Can a tennis coach be an analyst too?
Can a CEO micromanage a company?
And run it into the ground, for sure.
Can a professional tennis coach undermanage the team and sabotage the relationships due to a fragile EGO?
Anyway.
You can look at it both ways.
Alcaraz plays aggressive four-ball combos with force,
Djokovic plays a mixture, mixing aggressive and passive four-ball combos.
And now they are both out of the French.

Nadal sends a message

Novak groups the first two shots for the first couple of points in the first game, and then he goes to a “spread” for the rest of the game. He lost the two longer points at 15-0 and 40-30. Which is fine, but he showed his hand…
And for the first return game, Nadal isn’t messing around. Because Novak has been using the middle of the court to set the point up Nadal will be attacking from that position and sending a message to Novak….Not today.

Even though Novak won his second service game at love, the first point stood out. Nadal barely missed a winner off of Novak’s first ball to the center of the court. Nadal, at this point, is up 2-0 and sending the message that anything in the middle of the court will be crushed.
What sticks out about Nadal over the years is his fierce competitiveness. We are all competitive, but he seems to have another gear in that department…He reminds me of Lance Armstrong in more ways than one.
That’s a whole other story.
Anyway.

Game plan. Game plan. Game plan.

“If Novak hits to the same spot twice, attack that second ball,” Carlos Moya said. “If he hits the center of the court, attack that fricking ball,” he added and hit his left hand with his fist. “Send the message that that is not going to work.”
Terry Silver, the crazy sensei from Cobra Kai, sat behind Carlos Moya, giggling like a little school girl and playing with his ponytail. “You know what Novak is going to learn from us….Pain! In every part of his body! And FEAR in every part of his mind. And here is the kicker; he’s going to thank me for it. By the time that little twerp steps on the court to defend his title, he will find out what pain and fear really mean.”
“Shut up, Terry,” Carlos said.
Terry got up and went into the backroom to say hello to some white powder.

The following day, Sasha and Sergi Bruguera watched the match on the computer in the hotel room.
“On the Deuce side, if Nadal returns to your backhand, I want you to punish him. Rip that ball crosscourt and put him on the defensive.”
“And during the rallies?”
“To start…establish that early on, pulling him wide towards the AD side….”
“…and then I can double back to the Deuce when I see he is accounting for it….”
“…Yes.” Sergi took a sip from his macchiato. “Positionally. You can attack down the line when you see he is committing to the AD side.”
“What do you think about droppers too to the AD service box?”
Sergi's head tilted up, looking at the ceiling as he scratched his chin.
“He snuffs those out like a Dragon. Maybe try them if you are up in the game…but I would be careful with those.”
They watched the match for five more minutes.
“You know he’s coming after your forehand, right?” Terry Silver said as he popped his head into the hotel room. The door slammed against the wall as he pushed open the door. He started throwing punches and front kicks. Then he spun in the air and did a roundhouse.
“Security! I need you to get rid of someone!” Sergi said into the phone.
Terry took off down the hall like a bat out of hell.

Djokovic is coming forward

By the end of the set, Djokovic is coming forward. He’s adjusting the plan he started with. And he was getting ready for the second set.
Nadal too is moving forward.
Nadal breaks in the first game. There’s jockeying going back on both sides. One thing to take away from the match is Nadal’s footwork. It’s exceptional. And it sometimes “breaks the code” we learn as players. As players, we are taught to split at locations on the court. Sometimes you can’t always get to that “location,” yet it is hammered into us.

“When you hit a crosscourt shot, you have to recover just off the center of the side you are hitting crosscourt,” the teaching pro said.
“What about when you hit down the line?”
The coach stood at the baseline on the Deuce side.
“If I hit down the line from here,” he said. “Then I have to recover over here.” He walked along the baseline to the Ad side of the court.

“Hey, BANANA HEAD!” Terry Silver said from outside the court as he jumped up and down and side to side like a gorilla. “What if Nadal hits an angle on you and pulls you off the court. Then where do you recover to? Huh! Huh! Answer that. What are you going to do? What are you going to do?”
“Who is this guy?” the coach asked.
“I’m your worst nightmare!” Silver replied and howled as he disappeared through the trees. A lady screamed in the distance.
-Side note. When you recover and can’t get back to your “Spot” the coach told you, do your mini-splits before your opponent contacts the ball, no matter what part of the court you are on.

Notice I said mini-splits. There is no such thing as a SPLIT-STEP. It’s mini-splits. The old-school split step you were (or are) taught makes your momentum stop. It’s like going to a green light and stopping and then starting again. If you do mini-splits, you can control your movements and your momentum is still moving forward. And when you are recovering from the corners, it’s just as crucial for the mini-splits to control your movements when shifting side to side instead of chasing out of the corner like a madman, like Terry Silver.
I think I want to be Terry Silver for Halloween this year and terrorize the kids.
Nah!

Double back attack

Zverev….Please, double back your attacks. Especially after you rip the ball in the corner and put Nadal on the stretch, he recovers fast back to the center….manipulate that by paying attention to how much you double back and when you have to go open.
At least Tennis Channel is trying. But the stats they display still stink. It would be nice to have a color commentator to add life to the coverage. A couple of jokes would be nice.
Oh, wait!
Tennis people aren’t that funny.
Djokovic seemed to dictate as the set went on.
After winning the second set, he repeatedly pointed at his head with his index finger. Presumably to say, “Look at my perfect hair.”

One thing I like about Nadal is how he starts sets, especially after losing them. In the first game, he digs in while Djokovic lets up slightly.
Keynote: Nadal gets down to business. In the first two points, he sets up his forehand crosscourt, yanking Djokovic off the court. On point three, Nadal goes the other way. This is the playbook that Alcaraz is taking from Nadal.
In a way.
He’s also taking Juan Carlos’s too.

What is going on behind closed doors?

When I was training at Van Der Meer Academy, a player was also a professional stringer at the pro tournaments. He told us a story that Boris Becker, before the Wimbledon final, told the guys in the stringing room that he would win in straight sets or lose in straight sets as he picked up the rackets.
He lost to Edberg in straight sets.
The point being….wouldn’t it be nice to know a little bit about what’s going on behind closed doors?
It took me a while, but now I know what Novak was doing when he pointed to his head after winning the second set. He was pointing out that he and Goran have a full head of hair. Picture this:
Novak with a go-tee.
Now picture this:
Novak with a mustache.
Wait.
Now with a foo-man choo.
Did that blow your mind?

True story.

I have a buddy who grows facial hair like a chia-pet. Add water and PLOOM; there it is. One night after coming home late from hockey and while his wife was already sleeping, he shaved off the beard and left the mustache.
When they woke up the next day, his wife screamed after she looked at him.
“Get out of this bed and shave that thing off your face!”
Do you know what’s crazy about tennis?
Breaking habits.

Djokovic loses the fourth game of the second set on a missed drop shot. He’s been using those throughout the clay-court season and on game points. It failed him here. I’m going to look more into the game points in another piece. But when Novak did have a breakpoint during that game, he loaded up on the Nadal backhand and lost the point. It’s easy to say he should have done something else. For instance, an analyst would know that would happen and account for it. But if your coach is the analyst too….YIKES….delegate duties. Stop being cheap and get yourself another set of eyes.
You can’t do everything yourself.

Mortal Kombat

“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“That music.”
“Kind of. Where’s it coming from?”
“The basement.”
“Did you leave the TV on?
“Get over here!” a man’s voice said.
The voice repeated and then there was a sound of lettuce being crunched.
They walked over to the basement and walked down the stairs.
“MORTAL KOMBAT!” Terry Silver yelled. He started pushing buttons on the Sega controller.
“Dude! Get out of my house.”
“I will in a second. But know this. You’re wasting your time analyzing the third set. Just go to the fourth and cover why Djokovic blew a lead.”
He looked back at the screen.
“Chuh Chuh Chuh Chah Chah….Chuh Chuh Chuh Chah,” Terry yelled.
“Finish Him,” the invisible man said on the screen.
“Watch this!” Terry yelled. “An Ice Clone Shower submission move by Sub Zero!”
Terry hit a few buttons and screamed. He got up and walked up the stairs. He grabbed a tennis racket and started waving it around.
“What the hell is this thing?” He said. He tossed it on the ground and, before leaving, grabbed three powered donuts out of the Entenmann’s box and shoved them in his mouth. The white powder was all over his mouth.

Fourth Set

Djokovic jumped out to a 3-0 lead and stood at 5-2.
I get that Djokovic feels like he will win this set and might be conserving energy. Or suffers a lapse of mentality.
Before I forget.
I’m racking my brain for a drill that junior players would benefit from. A footwork drill that would help them move side to side and up and back….almost like playing defense in basketball….and in a tight area.
Here it is.
No rackets.
Only a tennis ball. You can only use the service boxes on each side of the court, and you can only use underhand throws. You can play any scoring format. And you can play with one bounce only or two.
It’s actually a lot of fun. It is more fun than running suicides and the other goofy footwork drills….it incorporates different movements and, most importantly, is fast-paced.

Nadal is playing with house cards. Djokovic is laying up a bit on his pace and Nadal is taking advantage.
Djokovic has a set point at 5-3, 40-30, and plays a good point. He set up the first two shots to Nadal's backhand and got a look at a crosscourt backhand of his own but hit the tape.
He came into the net on the second set point, and Nadal passed him back down the line.
What can you do?
It wasn’t a bad look either.
He saves a breakpoint.

Divorce theory

Here’s where I want to talk about the Divorce theory. When there is a Divorce, it’s not the break-up that should be looked at and discussed; it is what leads to Divorce.
You can look at how Djokovic “choked,” or you can look at what led to the choke. Look at how many long games they had and the magnitude of the game points. Like chess pieces, tennis points are weighted. Some points have more value, others not so much.
Have you ever had a match where you had a ton of game points on serve only to get broken? Those hurt.
Have you ever had a match where you had a gazillion breakpoints and failed to convert?
Those hurt too.
How about a match where you only had a few breakpoints and had to make them count?
And failed.
If you look back at the match…all the 30-all games…all the game points….they all add up. So when the announcers talk about Djokovic not having enough matchplay this year, it’s partly true. They’re not explaining to you that just because Djokovic won all these Majors and other tournaments…you still have to “re-learn” how to win games.

Re-learning how to win

For the players at home. If you play matches sporadically, that’s not enough. You will always be “re-learning” how to win matches.
For the players at home who clinic too much and don’t play a lot of matches….Play more matches.
For the players who play a lot of matches and hit the wall….Try to win a new way (even if it means losing for a few months or an indoor season.
Ya. You can play 30-all games. Or Deuce games or whatever manipulation scoring you want to work on, but in the end, you need to be in the “real” situation.

Evan Gaudreau is back with another match analysis. This time he deals with Ruud vs Cilic, French Open semi-final 2022.

Match analysis: Ruud vs Cilic, French Open Semi-Final 2022

It’s interesting how the mind affects how we play. More so in sports like tennis and golf than in other sports. Especially team sports. You can be cruising along in a match, get one setback, or miss a particular shot (like a backhand down the line on a crucial point), and it can derail you for the rest of the match.

For instance, when I was in college and playing a summer tournament against a player from Harvard and blitzing him in the first set 6-0 in like fifteen minutes, hitting aggressively for the whole set, I couldn’t miss a winner. At 1-1 in the second set, I hit the tape on break point, and immediately, the words, “You’re going to lose this match,” popped into my head.
Why?
I have no clue.
But I lost the following two sets, 2 and 2.

Wishy-Washy WTA

Yet, I remember these matches more than others, which is why I can see how the WTA matches are so wishy-washy.
Since I started coaching, I’ve been looking for the answers.
How can you play lights out tennis, and in one moment, the mind cracks, and you mentally fall apart?
Or how can one situation turn the course of a match?
Cilic was cruising in the first set during this match, the same way he had in the previous round.
Many factors go into a match. There’s one that stands out during the first two sets.
How game points are won…and the mindset that goes into the match before playing.

Cilic has more energy in this match. More nervous energy. His feet are constantly moving before the return.
What’s going on in his mind? Is he thinking about getting to the final already? Did he feel the match was a lay-up before he walked onto the court?

Either way, Cilic had it easy for the first set on game points, but in the second, he had to start working for them…his service games had a few Deuces and a few Ads. He had opportunities to win games (don’t we all), missed on a couple of shots, and finally pulled through at the beginning of the second set.

Doubt written all over the face

At 5-3 in the second set, Cilic has an easy hold at love. In the next game, he has a 0-40 lead on Ruud’s service game to get the set back to even (two mistakes by Ruud and he hit a winner). At 0-40 (and these are the times you have to watch the player's reactions after the point and not take a sip out of whatever you're drinking), Ruud hits a forehand to Cilic’s backhand, then hits the second one to the same corner on the next shot. Cilic has time to get there but looks as though he thinks the ball is going out. Or is HOPING the ball goes out. It lands inside the line. He's already thinking about the next game. In his mind, he will win the game, especially with three opportunities.
Look at Cilic’s reaction.
Doubt is written all over his face.

And then Ruud Aces him out wide on the Deuce point (again…Ruud did this back at the beginning of the set….add a backhand winner down the line to hold and win the set and the match has turned.
How many times have you been in a match and had a 40-0 lead to even the set only to lose the game and the set during that game….and by a winner….and get aced by the same serve you forgot about because your mind was somewhere else?
Cilic stopped hitting winners (for the most part) on game points and those winners became unforced errors on game points to hand Ruud the games and ultimately the match.
Ruud had a lot to do with that.

He is mentally tough and works on that side of his game as much, if not more, than the actual technical side. SO do the top guys (except Tsitsipas-but I’m sure he realizes that more and more).
And if you have a lot of crap in your head, the road to mental toughness is long and strenuous.
Who’s out there for sports psychology to work with the professionals.
Is there anyone?
I know there’s a lot of bogus theory being spewed out.
“Breathe. Call down. Find your happy place.”

Quack. Let the opponent crack.

All it takes is a slight cracking from your opponent, and the match turns in Ruud’s favor. I hate to say this because I like watching Cilic but did we not see this in the other Major finals. He had Federer on the ropes but found a way to give it back.
I am glad he is a Major champion, though….like Ivanisevic.
His belief is gone.
It happens to all of us.

In a perfect world and if there were quality specialists out there, I would have someone talk to my kids as early as possible…but really, after more like between fifteen and sixteen years old and explore any BS that my wife or I have put on them, Unbeknownst. And get through whatever it is before they leave for college and be one step ahead of the game.
But the reality is this will never happen.
Then they will spend the rest of their lives going down a road, deeper and deeper away from the path because of whatever negative thoughts they picked up in childhood.
The bottom line is it wasn’t strokes that cost Cilic a trip to the finals.
It was Ruud and his mind.
But, who has money for a psychologist?
Quack, quack, quack.
Yet it's probably the first thing players need, especially tennis players.
And who can you trust?
Some of the best value I have received was from people with more life experience than I had….to a point.
Everyone’s hiding something.
What are you hiding?

Dominating the neighborhood

In a nutshell, it’s not good to always win or to dominate the “neighborhood.” I spent a lot of years in my youth winning the “Backyard games,” that I never learned how to lose. Cilic’s problem is more mental than strokes. That part is obvious. But players and parents don’t realize that the problem comes from childhood or youth sports and how they are won or lost. Cilic is a great player, but I bet if he delves into his childhood, he will find why he “choked.”

I never was pushed when I was a kid and when I was, I could find another gear that would win….but when I went up against another kid like me, I would “crack” first. I couldn’t accept losing and made excuses. I conquered that part but an excuse here and there still slips out of me from time to time.
It never goes away. You learn how to control it better.

There’s a reason in Chris Nolan’s Batman Bruce Wayne has to conquer his worst fear. It’s because we all do if we want to move forward. The problem is that everyone thinks they have solved all their problems or they don’t have any problems to solve.
“Spoken like a true A-hole,” said Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore.
Don’t be an….
You know what.