Congratulations Stan
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Can Wawrinka Pull A Bartoli
Wawrinka in Finals at Melbourne
Can he beat Nadal. It is possible since he has the weapons and on any given day you can take down a King especially when not on his best surface.
If I were Stan I'd ignore the tattoo on the arm and just play like it was your last match in life. I'd also suggest some fake strokes in between points and even work on the facial grimaces that Bartoli used. Her energy level was magical and probably had some intimidation effect on opponents much like with a cornered animal raises up to make itself look bigger.
How to beat Nadal.
Serve and Volley
Serve and volley when you can and if your serve is doing well come in every time. You cannot beat Nadal from the baseline so attack and charge the net at every opportunity.
Approach Shots
Hit your approach shots down the center at Nadal. He runs down everything so why give him the down the line opportunity. Hit it hard down the center and I mean really hard when you are approaching so as not to give him time to do anything but react rather than place his shot. You have a chip so use that part of the time as well.
Serving
Crush the ball at him periodically but mostly slice it at him and slice it away from him. Do not bother giving him anything that sits up high like kick serves since he eats those for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You cannot beat him on the high ball. Jam him and stick with body serves as a staple.
Tactics
Rush him and slow him down in between points. I know, this is gamesmanship but you can't play nice when facing a tiger.
Drop shot him and charge behind it and guess where it is going when he inevitably runs it down. If you go directly at him with the volley you have a much better chance.
Lob him if he comes to the net and I mean go for the sky. Yes, you can topspin him but what I'd do is prevent him from taking it in the air and charge the net behind the lob since there is nothing to lose but your dignity and that might happen if you try to play Nadal with normal tactics.
Start Cursing in any language you know that Rafa doesn't know and look at him when you do it. He may think you have connections. What you are trying to do is occupy his mind with something other than tennis.
Good Luck Stan
Can he beat Nadal. It is possible since he has the weapons and on any given day you can take down a King especially when not on his best surface.
If I were Stan I'd ignore the tattoo on the arm and just play like it was your last match in life. I'd also suggest some fake strokes in between points and even work on the facial grimaces that Bartoli used. Her energy level was magical and probably had some intimidation effect on opponents much like with a cornered animal raises up to make itself look bigger.
How to beat Nadal.
Serve and Volley
Serve and volley when you can and if your serve is doing well come in every time. You cannot beat Nadal from the baseline so attack and charge the net at every opportunity.
Approach Shots
Hit your approach shots down the center at Nadal. He runs down everything so why give him the down the line opportunity. Hit it hard down the center and I mean really hard when you are approaching so as not to give him time to do anything but react rather than place his shot. You have a chip so use that part of the time as well.
Serving
Crush the ball at him periodically but mostly slice it at him and slice it away from him. Do not bother giving him anything that sits up high like kick serves since he eats those for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You cannot beat him on the high ball. Jam him and stick with body serves as a staple.
Tactics
Rush him and slow him down in between points. I know, this is gamesmanship but you can't play nice when facing a tiger.
Drop shot him and charge behind it and guess where it is going when he inevitably runs it down. If you go directly at him with the volley you have a much better chance.
Lob him if he comes to the net and I mean go for the sky. Yes, you can topspin him but what I'd do is prevent him from taking it in the air and charge the net behind the lob since there is nothing to lose but your dignity and that might happen if you try to play Nadal with normal tactics.
Start Cursing in any language you know that Rafa doesn't know and look at him when you do it. He may think you have connections. What you are trying to do is occupy his mind with something other than tennis.
Good Luck Stan
Friday, January 24, 2014
Federer's Loss to Nadal at Melbourne 2014
Nadal Maintains Dominance
This story line is well worn and predictable where Nadal dominates Federer with consistency and a relentless ground game. The problem always comes with that high bounding Nadal attack against the Federer backhand. Federer also uses the topspin backhand much more than necessary. If he were to develop a more aggressive slice backhand that is much less vulnerable to the height range problems of a topspin drive backhand he would also keep the ball lower than Rafa prefers. Add to this the obvious reality that Federer is a half a step slower than in the past and this makes it more difficult for Fed to unleash his devastating inside out forehand. It puts more pressure on this once dominating shot Fed had to punish a backhand attacker and it shows in his increasing error rate.
Fed as a Serve and Volley, Chip and Charge Player
The bright spot of this match for Fed was his serve and volley results and the problems that it caused for Rafa who is used to the open airspace at the net for his high margin ground game. Fed would also be better positioned for serve and volley attacks by serving into Rafa's body much more often rather than giving him angles to pass with. Fed did best when on the attack and coming to the net.
Sampras thinks serve and volley would still work today.
Fed Switches Rackets
He needed to do it for a long time but it is hard to change while competing. Fed has gone from a 90 sq. inch frame to a 98 and the difference appears to be in his serve and return. He may be launching more balls as well when he mistimes a groundstroke. I didn't see any loss of control on his volleys. I hope this gives him enough of an improvement to stay competitive.
The Balance of Major Wins is Closing
It is simply obvious that Rafa is the better player over Fed in their match-ups whether their results against others are equal or even lean for now to Fed. The scale must soon tip for Rafa to meet Fed's winning position in tennis history if he wins this tournament and the threat of total major wins will loom into view. Already Rafa is among the greats of tennis so our benefit is to be able to see the best players of any tennis era on the court right now.
Enjoy This Time As a Tennis Fan
Laver still looms as the unique one among all the others for his double grand slam record. Budge has his one grand slam which though it is never discussed puts him in that company of most complete players as well. Still, we now have Federer with his 17 major wins still on the court while Rafa is close behind now. For tennis players this is a golden era for watching some of the best tennis ever played.
This story line is well worn and predictable where Nadal dominates Federer with consistency and a relentless ground game. The problem always comes with that high bounding Nadal attack against the Federer backhand. Federer also uses the topspin backhand much more than necessary. If he were to develop a more aggressive slice backhand that is much less vulnerable to the height range problems of a topspin drive backhand he would also keep the ball lower than Rafa prefers. Add to this the obvious reality that Federer is a half a step slower than in the past and this makes it more difficult for Fed to unleash his devastating inside out forehand. It puts more pressure on this once dominating shot Fed had to punish a backhand attacker and it shows in his increasing error rate.
Fed as a Serve and Volley, Chip and Charge Player
The bright spot of this match for Fed was his serve and volley results and the problems that it caused for Rafa who is used to the open airspace at the net for his high margin ground game. Fed would also be better positioned for serve and volley attacks by serving into Rafa's body much more often rather than giving him angles to pass with. Fed did best when on the attack and coming to the net.
Sampras thinks serve and volley would still work today.
Fed Switches Rackets
He needed to do it for a long time but it is hard to change while competing. Fed has gone from a 90 sq. inch frame to a 98 and the difference appears to be in his serve and return. He may be launching more balls as well when he mistimes a groundstroke. I didn't see any loss of control on his volleys. I hope this gives him enough of an improvement to stay competitive.
The Balance of Major Wins is Closing
It is simply obvious that Rafa is the better player over Fed in their match-ups whether their results against others are equal or even lean for now to Fed. The scale must soon tip for Rafa to meet Fed's winning position in tennis history if he wins this tournament and the threat of total major wins will loom into view. Already Rafa is among the greats of tennis so our benefit is to be able to see the best players of any tennis era on the court right now.
Enjoy This Time As a Tennis Fan
Laver still looms as the unique one among all the others for his double grand slam record. Budge has his one grand slam which though it is never discussed puts him in that company of most complete players as well. Still, we now have Federer with his 17 major wins still on the court while Rafa is close behind now. For tennis players this is a golden era for watching some of the best tennis ever played.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Cibulkova Takes Sharapova Out in Australia
Cibulkova defeats Sharapova
I've been a fan of Dominika Cibulkova after watching one of her matches a few years ago. She is proof that size doesn't matter when it comes to power and court coverage.
The thing that is clear about Cibulkova is that she is very strong and handles shots well even when out of position and reaching. This gives her an edge against lithe opponents that rely on timing and reach only. I like her powering relatively flat shots which give her opponents little time for recovery. She serves rockes gets full rotation and spring and you can see her flex her knees completely for an amazing powerhouse of a serve.
Another take on her win over Sharapova
I've been a fan of Dominika Cibulkova after watching one of her matches a few years ago. She is proof that size doesn't matter when it comes to power and court coverage.
The thing that is clear about Cibulkova is that she is very strong and handles shots well even when out of position and reaching. This gives her an edge against lithe opponents that rely on timing and reach only. I like her powering relatively flat shots which give her opponents little time for recovery. She serves rockes gets full rotation and spring and you can see her flex her knees completely for an amazing powerhouse of a serve.
Another take on her win over Sharapova
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