[The new tennis bromance?] Yes, that’s the question hovering in every Fedfan‘s mind after his demolition of a lacklustre Tsonga 6-3 7-5 6-4 in today’s Australian Open fourth round. Federer looked back to old ways, Tsonga couldn’t keep up. Only after going back a break in the third (two sets down), he started showing some frustration and effort to get back in the game, but Federer was simply too good. The question posted by brilliant tennis writer Steve Tignor and other pundits is: is Federer good enough to beat Murray in the semis? My answer to this question is obvious: …
Roger Federer
6-4 7-5 6-3. For a Federer fan it was pure pain. The maestro who we all were waiting for, the one who had managed to put a dent in Djokovic’s amazing 2011 season last year and who holds pretty much every record in the world of tennis, didn’t show up. Sure, he was there, he pulled his hair to the side, he spun his racket when receiving, he took the usual casual strides around the court, but the real Roger Federer wasn’t there. It happens sometimes with Federer. He doesn’t have rhythm, he doesn’t have heart, he doesn’t even look …
We are soon at the quarter-final stage of Roland Garros and right now I can only see one winner, Rafael Nadal. Djokovic looked awfully off his game last night against Seppi and was grumbling like back in the old days of being “only” #3 in the world. The conditions were tough and Seppi was really playing great tennis; not going for the lines but just being solid and consistent and remarkably clear-headed for a guy not in the top 20 (he will be after this though). Seppi impressed me a lot and I think he could even be a top …
The best way to improve your tennis game is undoubtedly to play a lot and train a lot and get a good coach or playing partner that can keep you on your toes. This is an active approach. But you can also improve your game in a passive, comfortable way, by studying the greats playing or practicing. The key is not to just watch them hit the shots but study them. There are plenty of great close-up, court-view videos that can get you an idea of the technique of the top players. Just go on Youtube and search for them. …
We are usually quite obsessed with working on our weaknesses. We want to improve shots we don’t feel very confident in, we want to hit that backhand technically correct, we want the volley to feel confident, we would like to add those extra miles per hour on the serve. This is all good. But sometimes we forget that when match play comes around we need to focus on our strengths. If you have played tennis for many years and feel really uncomfortable hitting for example a drive backhand despite hours of coaching, then try to avoid hitting so many drive …
One of the keys for a good tennis stroke is balance. If you’re not in balance you will put a lot of focus on your upper body, especially the arms, doing all the work and control will suffer. The way to be balanced for a shot is good footwork, trying to keep the feet moving through small steps and preparing as early as possible for your shots. Just look at the way Rafael Nadal runs around his backhand to hit a forehand, he takes so many small steps that you would think he’s a flamenco dancer. Just search for Nadal …
It’s out and it’s cruel. At least for John Isner who faces Rafael Nadal in the first round. I’m talking about the French Open draw. If we break it down into quarters, the first quarter definitely has Nadal as the semi-finalist although you would put up a warning sign on Robin Soderling, because the Swede loves the French clay. Nadal will be pumped though to show the world that he can beat Novak Djokovic and that’s why he’s my favorite to win this year, despite Djokovic’s superpowers. A great first round match is Verdasco vs Monaco. Two talented chokers. The …
Yesterday we were again reminded that Roger Federer has entered a new era in his career, the one where he is human. He showed that in many ways losing against Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-7 6-7 in a pretty gripping encounter. The big difference between Federer now and the magical Federer of old is that he doesn’t seem able to bring out the best when the matches get tight. Maybe because he doesn’t WANT to win them enough? This is what Federer himself said about the match: “I should never have lost this match. He knows how close he came to …