You've Got To Give Serena Wiliams A Lot Of Credit

Say what you want about Serena Williams. Tennis fans tend to either love her or hate her.

Personally, I've always admired her talent but she's not my favourite player. But, I am in awe of her competitive desire and mental toughness.

She should have lost to Peer in the quarters but I knew that there was no way that Peer was going to hold her serve and win the match in the third set.

And, when Serena was done 15-40 late in the third ,she promptly banged consecutive service winners. The woman produces her best stuff when the going is the toughest.

The only other woman who I can say shows that same 'fight till I die' attitude is Maria Sharapova. And, that ladies and gentlemen, should provide a very entertaining final.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies A Tennis Ebook Guaranteed To Improve Your Tennis Results guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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I Love When Pro Tennis Coaches Commentate On ESPN

The typical image that one has of a pro tennis coach is a quiet type who sits stoically for hours at a time while his or her player goes through the emotional ups and downs of a match.

So, it was quite interesting for me when ESPN invited Darren Cahill into the booth to provide commentary on the Andy Murray /Verdasco match.

Cahill was a breath of fresh air and had plenty to say. He essentially said that Verdasco was a stupid player and implied that he probably wasn't the sharpest guy either.

Of course, if you watch the extremly talented Verdasco play, you can see right away that he's a very dumb player. He has tremendous weapons that he doesn't know how to use very well at all.

Cahill went where ex-pros tend not to go. He was brutally honest but it was refreshing to hear some insightful analysis.

Of course, my all-time favourite is Brad Gilbert who knows more about tennis and has more opinions than anyone.

So, I say let's hear from more of the coaches and less from the players who basically give you the standard answers anyway.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies A Tennis Ebook With Great Tennis Coaching Tips guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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Watch Federer's Footwork --It's Amazing

Like everybody else, I watch Roger Federer play tennis and try and figure out what makes him so great.

Last night in his match with Youzny, I decided to just watch Federer's feet during the points. And, it was incredible.

Federer is insanely cat-like with his movements. He moves almost like a squash player with extraordinary first step quickness after his split step. Plus, Federer will use small, super quick steps in order to optimize his positioning before striking the ball.

I think that's why his game looks effortless. We are all watching his beautiful flowing strokes but the work is being done by the lower body. It's a great lesson for all club players who play with one or two big steps. It's also highlights what a spectacular athlete Federer is.


So, next time you watch Federer play just spend a little time watching only his feet. You'll be blown away.

Comments?

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies An Ebook of Online Tennis Coaching Tips guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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Has Nadal Changed His Service Motion?

I have to admit I only saw the last 2 games of Nadal's first round match. And, in the one service game that I did see I didn't see any major changes in his service motion.

But, reading about it afterward, I discovered that Nadal himself said that he has been working on his serve. And, on some of the tennis forums there were some comments about it. The comments seem to be that he has widened the distance between his feet in his set up.

Readers of this blog might remember that I charted the Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer. The most interesting thing that I noted was that Nadal hardly ever served wide in the deuce court and, when he did, he couldn't serve wide enough. You can read my analysis of the Wimbledon final here Analysis of 2006 Wimbledon Final


I postulated that the other players know this and cheat to the middle when they return Nadal's serve in the deuce court. I made the comment that if I were Nadal's coach I would teach him to serve wide in the deuce court.

I believe what made it so hard for Nadal to serve wide effectively in the deuce court was his starting stance with open hips and feet closely together. Broadening his base makes it easier to serve wide and this might be the reason for the change.

If Nadal can learn this serve I think he'll give players even more trouble. Serving wide to righthanders' forehands in the deuce court ( if he can get it wide enough) will pull them off the court and open up the backhand corner for an attacking shot on the next ball.

Plus, if Nadal can force his opponents to respect his wide serve, then they will probably have to set up for their returns a few feet further towards the sidelines than if he didn't hit the wide serve well. This will make his slice down the T more effective.

Ah, the chess game of tennis tactics.

Comments?

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies An Ebook of Online Tennis Tactical Tips guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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Time To Starting Following The Tennis Tour Again

Ok, it's Australian Open time.

Readers of this tennis blog are well aware that I don't pay much attention to the pro tennis tour after the US Open. To me, it's all exhibtion tennis and a time for the players to make money and gain ranking points.

Personally, I've been focusing on my own game these past few months. But, now the real tennis season is starting. So, here are some of the story lines as the season starts:

1. How dominant will Roger Federer be this year? Can he possibly repeat his performance of 2006? Personally, I've got a crazy feeling that he won't be as dominant but that he'll win the French Open.

2. Will Rafael Nadal's slide continue? Everybody who follows the tour is aware that Nadal's results after Wimbledon have been disappointing. It's proably a combination of fatigue, injury, and the fact that the tour players probably now have a good book on Nadal.

They are all probably aware to step in and take the short topspin balls that Nadal hits and attack with flat shots. Blake and Berdych in particular have troubled Nadal by playing this way.

3. Is anybody else ready to step into the top 5? My one prediction is Novak Djokovic.
He's a big guy with a lot of power off both sides. And what about Gael Monfils? Personally, I've never been that impressed with the tactical side of Monfils' game.

4. Can Andy Roddick continue to improve? Imagine Roddick with a return and a volley.
Roddick did beat Federer last week in an exhibition and that has to be a great way to start the new year.

5. On the women's side, will Sharapova have a dominating year? I think she is the one woman with the game and the competivenesss to win majors consistently. Henin-Hardenne seems too injury prone.

6. Can either of the William's sisters make an impact this year? It's getting less and less likely but I could see a Wimbledon surprise.

Any comments?

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies An Ebook of Winning Ugly Type Tennis Tips guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
Tennis Cartoon Screensaver. You can download a trial version for FREE.


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