Tennis -- Australian Open Time

It's time for the 2008 Australian Open Tennis Championships.

What this means is that serious tennis is about to start for 2008. After all, if Roger Federer can continue to play otherwordly tennis at the Australian Open, he can climb a little closer to the all-time record of 14 slams held by Pete Sampras.

This year's tourney will feature a new court surface. For the past 20 years the tennis at the Aussie Open has been played on a surface called Rebound Ace.

Rebound Ace has not been a popular surface for a number of reasons. First of all, players have complained that the surface gets sticky when it gets hot (and it gets very hot at the Australian Tennis Open Championships) and players say that there is a real risk of suffering ankle sprains on the synthetic surface.

Secondly, the top Australian Tennis player Lleyton Hewitt has complained bitterly over the years that Rebound Ace is too slow and doesn't give him a good chance to compete for the championship. Note that the concept of a national tennis organization trying to use a surface to favor homegrown players isn't so foreign. It's commonly believed that the US Open surface is kept very fast to favor hard-hitting Americans who grew up on the fast hard courts of California and Florida.

So, this year a faster synthetic surface called Plexicushion is being rolled out.
If you're watching the tennis at the Australian Open on TV this year, the most obvious change that you'll notice is the color of the new Plexicushion surface.

So, the let the games begin and let's see what the tennis looks like.

Until next time,

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Change Your Tennis Tactics To Win More Matches 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.

Technorati Tags Tennis

Tennis Footwork, Speed and Movement

Speed, quickness, and overall movement skills on the tennis court are killer weapons.

Everybody knows that being in good shape is important in tennis but great tennis movement and overall tennis court quickness changes the game in other subtle ways.

I just played a sanctioned tournament in my age group. Won my first round 6-0, 6-3 against a good player. Then had to go against the #1 seed in the next round.

I asked around and found out that he was a very solid player in superb condition. What they didn't say was that he moved like a cat on the tennis court. He had great tennis quickness, movement, footwork, and balance. He utilized the split step technique well but had sprinter's speed when he was pulled wide or short.

I can't tell you how this changed the game.

I probably had about 10 -15 points in the match where I played a great point and hit the ball into a position that most players wouldn't reach, let alone return with a good defensive shot.

It became almost impossible for me to finish this guy off in a point. Eventually , I subconsciously starting going for too much which is rarely a good strategy.

At the end of the match we had a chance to chat. I asked him what he thought of my game and where he would tell me to improve.

He told me my serve was excellent and my strokes were fine. But, then he said I should work on quickness. He told me about his tennis quickness and movement training routine.

At the top levels of tennis you have to deal with two great skill sets --three actually.

The top players usually are great technically with their strokes, great athletes with great court coverage, quickness, speed, and balance on the tennis court, and strong tactically.

If you're only strong in 1 or 2 of these areas you may struggle when you play the #1 guy or gal in the country.

Next time we'll talk about training routines.

Until next time,

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Change Your Tennis Tactics To Win More Matches 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.

Technorati Tags Tennis

Disbelief When Federer Loses A Match?

All I heard at the tennis club at the beginning of the week of the recent Masters Event in Shanghai was "Did you see that Gonzalez beat Fed?"

I had to contain my disappointment in their tennis acumen as I responded that it was totally meaningless. When Federer needs to beat Gonzalez, such as the Australian Open final, he can destroy him.

So what happens in these non-slam events when Federer has recently started losing a little bit more than we're used to?

Let me play amateur tennis psychologist here.

If I'm Rog and I've just won the US Open, my goal for the rest of the year is to keep my rhythm and not get hurt. I know that if I play well I win almost all the time.

What I don't want is to get hurt or have to work too hard physically to win matches.

So, I play to keep my rhythm.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.

Watch Federer's tactics very carefully from now on. When he's relaxed or just playing rhythm tenis, he won't run around his backhand aggressively. He's content to hit his backhand and rally. This minimizes the running he has to do, keeps his backhand sharper, and doesn't give his opponents the vacated forehand corner to attack.

Now watch Fed in a tight match. He starts to run around as many backhands as possible and to attack with his forehand. This is his attack game. It's lethal but it's more physically demanding for him, and as I said above, it exposes his forehand corner.

In the Gonzalez match, Federer was playing his rhythm tennis. Gonzalez was swinging from his heels, hit lines on almost every shot, and still barely won.

If Federer had wanted, he could have started to run around his backhand and speed up the game but, it was early in the week, and he was just trying to get his rhythm.

So don't get too excited when Fed loses a match early in a tournament. Put yourself in his shoes and ask yourself what the objective is

Until next time,

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Change Your Tennis Tactics To Win More Matches 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.

Technorati Tags Tennis

Nalbandian's Hot When Pressure Is Off

I like David Nalbandian's tennis game. Always have. He plays with a fluidity and ease that is so enjoyable to watch.

Compare Nalbandian's game to that of Rafael Nadal. Nalbandian exerts far less energy as he moves the tennis ball around form side to side beautifully.

And, yet I can't get too excited about Nalbandian's great play at the Madrid tournament and at the Banque Paribas Tournament in paris the last 2 weeks.

I've always maintained that the tennis season, after the US Open Final and until the new year, is the time of the year when a lot of tenis pros make a lot of money. But, there's no history on the line.

For example, I feel that Federer is just trying to stay sharp and keep his timimg and hitting rhythm these next few months. I really don't think he cares that much if he wins or loses.

As for our Argentinian tennis friend, I've been so disappointed in his play in the tennis slams the last few years, that I can't get too excited because he put it together for 2 weeks.

For me to get back on the Nalbandian bandwagon he's going to have to do something in a slam soon. Like getting to the semis at least. Let's see him take Nadal in a 5 set, 4 hour match in the gruelling heat of Australia. Not exactly the same as 2 out of 3 sets indoors.

And, let's see him take out Fed in a semi or final.


Remember when Federer lost twice in a row on hardcourt to Guillermo Canas last spring? All the Federer haters started to gloat. But Rog was just trying to get sharp in the spring. When the important events rolled around, Rog was locked and loaded and took home both the Wimbledon trophy and the US Open title.

Enjoy the tennis this fall but don't take it too seriously.

Until next time,

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Change Your Tennis Tactics To Win More Matches 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.

Technorati Tags Tennis
Technorati Tags Nalbandian

Final Comments On The US Open

Well, I have to admit that I've been a little remiss lately. But, I hope that you all have been busy with your lives as I have been with mine.

But, let's talk some tennis now!

Looking back on the US Open here are some of my impressions.

Watching Federer play, all dressed in black tennis clothes, in some of the mid-tournament matches was like watching a great musician practicing! Fed was flawless at times and the more you watch Fed, the more you have to be aware of his brilliant movement. He is the most musical player out there. He moves with a dancer's grace and a musician's sense of rhythm.

On the other hand, this was the first tournament where I said to myself how much better Rafael Nadal would be if he had received classical coaching growing up. His movement relies too much on bursts of speed as opposed to great footwork. As I've discussed before, his serve has flaws --mainly his lack of a good serve wide in the deuce court --, and I think he often takes the ball too late on his forehand and hooks it too much at times.

So, I wasn't surprised at the play of Novak Djokovic. His game reminds me more of Federer than Nadal. He has a very good serve which wins him a lot of free points. He moves well and is very solid off both sides.

For me the rest of the year is exhibition tennis. I focus on my own game until the Australian Open in January.

So the next few months of posts will deal with our tennis --the club and state level variety.

By the way I hope you all have seen Djokovic do his tennis impersonations. They're hilarious!

I've added a page on my web site which provides links to youtube videos if you haven't yet seen the Djokester's tennis comedy act. Just click here Tennis Humor and then click on the link for Djokovic's Impersonations

Until next time,

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Tennis Strategy Tactics And Tips To Help You Improve Your Game 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.

Technorati Tags Tennis
Technorati Tags US Open

Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver

Laver and Federer were both born in August 43 years apart. Federer's birthday is August 08, 1981, while Laver's is August 09, 1938. It makes comparing them straightforward as the grand slams make up this way too. For example, Federer won his second Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 22, while Laver won his first Wimbledon 1961, at the same age of 22. And so on.. get the drift?

Laver	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	Career
Australian	r32	r32	r16	r16	W	F	W							W	-	r16	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
French	r128	-a	r64	r32	r32	SF	W	F	F	F	F	W	F	W	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
Wimbledon	r128	-a	r32	F	F	W	W	QF	W	W	W	W	W	W	r16	QF	-	-	-	-	-	r64	8
US Open	r128	-a	r16	QF	F	F	W	F	W	F	W	W	r16	W	r16	-	r16	r32	-	r16	-	-	5
RF/RL age	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38

Federer	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Career
Australian	q1	3r	3r	4r	4r	W	SF	W	W	SF	F	W	SF		4
French	1rw	4r	QF	1r	1r	3r	SF	F	F	F	W	QF	F		1
Wimbledon	1rw	1r	QF	1r	W	W	W	W	W	F	W	QF	QF		6
US Open	q2	3r	4r	4r	4r	W	W	W	W	W	F	SF	SF		5

Green shaded boxes represent Rod Laver playing in Pre-open Era amateur division. Blue boxes represent Rod Laver playing in Pre-open Era under Pro division, whose 3 Grand slam equivalents were French Pro, Wembley and US Pro. These divisions were eliminated in 1968 French Open with the beginning of the Open Era, represented in White boxes, however "contract" professionals were banned for several grand slams (shown in light blue boxes) due to conflicts between NTL, WCT and ITLF till 'true' Open Era started in 1972 US Open with the formation of ATP.

Note: RF/RR age is the age of both Roger Federer and Rod Laver when the tennis season starts (Jan 1). By the time they play US Open, they would have had their birthday and older by one year. (Like Federer won his first US Open at age 23, though he was 22 when the tennis season started).

Note2: Laver served at Australian Army in 1957 as indicated by 'a' for the last three slams of the season.

Data by Wikipedia, ITF & ATP.

Also see, Federer at Grand slam Singles Main draw.

Roger Federer vs. Bjorn Borg vs. Rafael Nadal

Similar to Roger Federer vs. Pete Sampras summary, here's an attempt to match the Swedish ice-man, Björn Borg's achievements against Roger.

Federer's birthday is August 08, 1981, while Borg's is June 6, 1956. So, they are 25 years apart, which makes it convenient to compare them. Some similarities include Borg is 0/9 at US Open where Roger has won four straight times, like Federer is 0/9 at French Open where Borg has won six including four straight. Borg and Federer were known to be brats during junior days and then developed an ice-cool demeanor later on. Also, both Borg and Federer has won Wimbledon five straight times, an all-time record and both are junior Wimbledon champions as well.

Also, during the era when Borg played, Australian was not considered a serious slam and most of the pros never played them, at least not consistently like modern pros do.

Update: Added Nadal as well - as a sheer coincidence, Nadal was born 30 years apart on June 3, 1986. Both being at the top of their game from a very early age and the eerie similarity of their success at French Open as well.

Borg	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	Career
Australian	-	3r	-	-	-	-	-	-	-							0
French	4r	W	W	QF	-	W	W	W	W							6
Wimbledon	QF	3r	QF	W	W	W	W	W	F							5
US Open	4r	2r	SF	F	4r	F	QF	F	F							0
Nadal	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	Career
Australian	-	3r	4r	-	QF	SF	W	QF	QF							1
French	-	-	W	W	W	W	4r	W	W							6
Wimbledon	3r	-	2r	F	F	W	-	W	F							2
US Open	2r	2r	3r	QF	4r	SF	SF	W								1
Federer	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Career
Australian	j-F	q1	3r	3r	4r	4r	W	SF	W	W	SF	F	W	SF		4
French	j-1r	1rw	4r	QF	1r	1r	3r	SF	F	F	F	W	QF	F		1
Wimbledon	j-W	1rw	1r	QF	1r	W	W	W	W	W	F	W	QF	QF		6
US Open	j-SF	q2	3r	4r	4r	4r	W	W	W	W	W	F	SF	SF		5
BB/RN /RF age	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30

Note: RF/BB age is the age of both Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg when the tennis season starts (Jan 1). By the time Borg played Wimbledon and Federer play US Open, they would have had their birthday and older by one year. (Like Federer won his first US Open at age 23, though he was 22 when the tennis season started).

Data by Wikipedia.

Also Federer at Grand slam Singles Main draw.