Andy Murray and Andy Roddick started the first set of their Wimbledon 2009 semifinal playing their typical grass court tennis; Roddick relied on his big serve and controlling points with a forehand and Murray changed pace and rotation of the shots all the time; from fast flat forehands to slow backhand slices.

One of Murray’s tactics at the beginning was to lob a lot but none of the attempts was really good. If you read Brad Gilbert’s Winning Ugly, you may remember Brad suggesting that it’s good to lob early in the match in order to keep the attacking player from closing in on the net too much.

You need to instill some doubt in the player at the net by lobbing regularly and then it’s going to be easier later to pass with a short cross court for example since the attacking player will stand further back to cover the possible lobs.

Both players held serves, keeping the first serve percentage very high. Andy Roddick’s first serve percentage at 5:4 in the first set was 85% which is unbelievable for the speed with which he serves… Read the rest of this entry »

Tommy Haas started the first set against Roger Federer with his usual tactic at this year’s Wimbledon; serve & volleying on almost all first and second serves.

But even in the first game it was evident (to me at least) that this will not work against Federer.

Roger Federer winning against Tommy Haas in Wimbledon2009 / Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

Federer was hitting returns early and cleanly and putting them low to Tommy’s feet. Tommy held his service games thanks to first serves which he nicely varied between forehand and backhand sides of Federer.

Haas was too emotional on a couple of missed shots and that’s not a good sign. Being so tense prevents a player from playing in the zone and that’s what’s needed to win a semifinal match in a Grand Slam…

Luckily for Haas, Federer lost his feel for a few games and made a few unforced errors that allowed Haas to win his service games. Very high first serve percentage helped too.

Tommy served very well throughout the first set even on his second serves. He forced the serves, played very aggressively and prevented Federer from getting into the return rhythm. Perhaps Tommy felt the power and control of Federer’s returns from the first two games and decided to up the risks a little bit. Read the rest of this entry »

Roger Federer and Robin Soderling met again after the Roland Garros final in the fourth round at Wimbledon 2009. Here are some thoughts on the match…

Soderling played the first set exactly the way he should have played the final of Roland Garros; he played very aggressively, hitting close to the lines and he didn’t give Federer enough time to get into an attacking position.

Federer was constantly in defense and barely got a chance to force the game with his forehand. In fact, Federer seemed to play more defensively intentionally because he had time (just a few times) to force with his forehand but he chose just a solid rally forehand deep to Soderling’s backhand.

The same thing happened at 4:4 on Soderling’s serve with one exception; Soderling was unable to keep the same level of play. He committed a double fault and missed a few shots – just barely out which he didn’t miss in the previous 8 games.

Roger didn’t do much for that break of serve except forcing Soderling to play every ball. Federer hung in there defending with backhand and even forehand slices and Soderling missed them.

Federer committed only 3 unforced errors in the first set and Soderling made 9. Roger also served better with 7 aces to 4 and was most of the time winning service games pretty easily.

Soderling played extremely well again in the second set, serving aces and winners and forcing the game from the baseline. Roger Federer’s plan – in my opinion – was to disrupt the rhythm of Soderling and he started to incorporate a few more drop shots and short slices in the game. Read the rest of this entry »

Nike Tennis has just launched a fun, interactive website that offers tennis fans around the world, the ability to view and post messages of support to Roger.

If you’re a Roger Federer fan, then this site offers the following interactive experiences:
- Send/Post a message of support to Roger
- Share your message with friends via Facebook & Twitter
- View other fan messages, including key athletes, such as Pete Sampras
- Review Roger’s Grand Slam wins on his road to greatness

I’ve sent my support message too and Roger is on his way to get his Grand Slam #15 at Wimbledon 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

I just wanted to congratulate the 3 players from Slovenia who managed to enter the main draw in Wimbledon. This is the first time that Slovenia had 3 players in a Grand Slam main draw in singles.

Maša Zec Peškirič, ranked currently #98 in WTA, lost to Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-3 and it was her first Grand Slam main draw appearance so Maša will definitely learn from this and gain more experience and confidence.

Grega Žemlja, currently ranked #218 on ATP, managed to win 3 qualifying rounds at Wimbledon 2009 and came across Albert Montanes, ranked #33. Grega fought well and lost with 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 score with only one break of serve in each set. Read the rest of this entry »

Rafael Nadal has announced just a three days before the Wimbledon 2009 that has will not play. While withdrawing from a tournament because of an injury is the right thing to do for a professional tennis player who plans to play many more years, Nadal said a few things that don’t sound very professionally.

He just lost an exhibition match to Stanislas Wawrinka and said:” Today was the last test. I didn’t feel terrible but not close to my best. I’m just not 100 percent. I’m better than I was a couple of weeks ago, but I just don’t feel ready.”

Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon 2009 - Photo by AP

Nadal also lost an exhibition match a day before against Lleyton Hewitt. If it were only the knees holding him back, that would make nothing controversial but this statement in my opinion may be controversial: “When I start a tournament like Wimbledon, it is to try to win,” the No. 1-ranked Nadal said, “and my feeling right now is I’m not ready to play to win.”

This is something a top player should not say. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since this year, my whole family has really gotten into tennis and they’re always talking about it. This continues to actually scare me because both my older brother and younger sister are getting really good fast and so am I.

But now my mom and dad have suddenly invested a lot of money into different camps for me and it truly frightens me because now when I play a competitive match I feel a ton of pressure from them because I am worried that if I lose that I am wasting their money and their time.

I have lost only about 2 matches from the past two years of my competitive play and now I feel a very high amount of pressure to continue winning.

I used to really enjoy playing tennis but now I lost that will to always play because of this reason I mentioned above. Any sort of advice from you would be so so helpful!

To come to some conclusion about your issue, you would need to openly discuss this with your parents. No matter what I say, you’ll never be sure what they think – unless you talk with them.

You have to ask them the exact same question you asked me and then talk about it. It’s very likely that your parents have never read sports psychology books and don’t really understand that you cannot guarantee a win. This is sport and it’s unpredictable.

Secondly, if you improve and move to higher levels, you will reach a level (99,99% sure) where you will NOT be able to win any more. You will reach your limit and will constantly lose.

These are some things that a parent must KNOW.

If they have decided to support you, then they must pay for your tennis with ONLY one condition; that you will try your best and give 100% effort. This IS within your control and that’s what they can get in return; that you do the best you can.

This also what you must know. Even if you give your best, you may lose. At French Open, 128 players started the tournament, 127 lost. They all tried very hard to win but they didn’t.

I suggest you check the Q&A article where a player is afraid to disappoint himself and lose rankings.

And if your parents are open to these kind of topics, let them read my answer and other mental articles on my site. If you are playing one of the toughest mental sports, then they need to educate themselves about it so that they understand what’s going on here and that they can understand your feelings.

Your parents can start with the article about parent pressure in tennis and then check various post on this blog in the tennis parents category.

Roger Federer finally won his first Roland Garros title today against Robin Soderling and here are my thoughts on the final…

Roger Federer Wins His First French Open title Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images

Today’s final showed the difference in experience in Grand Slam finals even before the first ball was struck.

When Roger Federer and Robin Soderling chose the sides and who was going to serve first, they had to pose for a few seconds for photographers on both sides of the court and Roger had to remind Robin to do that.

Robin namely just wanted to start playing and had not done this procedure in a Grand Slam final before. Maybe that was already the first mental battle won for Federer who immediately established himself as a more experienced player and the one who controls the happening on the center court.

Here are some thoughts on each of the sets: Read the rest of this entry »

Dinara Safina lost her third Grand Slam final, this time at Roland Garros 2009 against Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Safina had been under immense pressure when she played Azarenka and even in semifinals against Cibulkova. Dinara was for example leading 6-3, 4-2 against Cibulkova, made an unforced error and berated herself.

In today’s final, she was very tense and I could see that because:
-    Her shots did not flow
-    She was missing for just a little bit
-    She made many double faults (serve is the most affected shot by nerves)
-    Her screams when hitting the ball were really tight and stronger than in previous matches
-    Her facial expression was most of the time worried, unhappy and very afraid
-    She constantly looked to her coach for help and encouragement

See the pictures below of Dinara Safina in this Roland Garros final and see what I mean… (All photos Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Read the rest of this entry »

Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro both started their semifinal match not playing their best tennis. Their serving though worked well and they managed to hold.

Del Potro managed to get 0:40 on Federer’s serve and broke first when he calmly built the advantage in the point at 30:40. Roger’s shots didn’t really flow and especially his backhand landed much too short.

Del Potro’s backhand on the other hand worked beautifully and it was the backhand that won him 2 big points and Del Potro held for 4:2.

Then a patch of really bad mistakes from Federer allowed Del Potro to get 0:40 ahead again but Federer focused on the next 5 points and managed to hold.

Roger Federer wins against Juan Martin Del Potro (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

5 consecutive first serves from Del Potro at over 200 km / h gave no chance to Federer to break back. Another aggressive game from Juan Martin and the set was over 6:3 for Del Potro.

The second set went with serve where both players served accurately. Federer usually had to finish the point with a forehand or two whereas Del Potro served massive serves with over 210 km/h and often served aces or winners. Read the rest of this entry »