This has been by far the best ATP tour end final. Roger Federer and David Nalbandian played a classic match back in 2005. This would be a career turning point especially for Nalbandian, but turning in the wrong direction.
Former world number 1 Martina Hingis is hinting that she might be heading to the Australian Open to play mixed doubles with Roger Federer in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.
Hingis will definitely be in Melbourne to help launch the first veterans’ event for women (women’s legends event).
Would you bet on Roger Federer and Martina Hingis not to win the mixed doubles title?
I have decided to sit down and actually see what the chances are of Andy Murray taking over the world number 3 spot from Roger Federer by the end of 2011. Actually, the chances are quite high!
Player / Pts in hand
Shanghai Masters
Stockholm
Basel
Paris Masters
WTF
Beijing
Valencia
Federer 8380
Final
Winner
Winner
Semis
Winner
DNP
DNP
Murray 7165
Winner
DNP
DNP
Quarters
Semis
Quarters
2nd round
These are the results of both players from last year. Thus, if Andy has a strong run at the end of the year he will probably take over the number 3 spot in the world.
Stanislas Wawrinka has just announced that he has split with coach Peter Lundgren. Lundgren was previously the long term coach of Roger Federer and he has been able to keep Wawrinka in the top 20 for over 3 years now. However, Wawrinka hasnt really had the performed well in Grand Slams this year.
“He played a major role in my career and I am deeply grateful,” Wawrinka wrote. “We have had a lot of success and fun working together, I can’t thank him enough.”
It will be very interesting to see how the Double progresses. If Australia can take the doubles, then I can see the tie coming down to the Lleyton Hewitt vs Stanislas Wawrinka match.
Straight after the US Open everyone moves to their respective Davis Cup ties. Here is the first press conference we found and its for the Davis Cup 2011 World Group Playoff between Australia and Switzerland.
p.s. Federer wasnt there, but he is flying in on Wednesday.
Roger Federer is widely considered to be the most dominating player in tennis history (although Nadal is right on his tail) systematically etching his name into trophy after trophy. Federer holds claim to record beyond record that I could sit here all night listing but for your sake and my sanity I won’t. Federer’s control of the tennis scene in recent years has been remarkable to say the least, but what would you say if I told you that there is a player who has even been more dominant than the Swiss legend. Crazy right? Well, its true. What if I also told you that a majority of the people reading this article could play with this player. Absurd, right? Well, allow me to introduce you to Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands. If you are still reading at this point, I commend you because this probably sounds absolutely and utterly ridiculous but as you will soon learn, it is something that will undoubtedly shock and inspire you.
Esther Vergeer does not play tennis like most of us. In fact, she does not even use her legs. Esther Vergeer plays in a wheelchair. For those of you who are not familiar, wheelchair tennis is a brand of tennis set up for paraplegics that encompasses standard tennis rules and regulations with the exception that the ball is allowed to bounce twice instead of once. Esther Vergeer has mastered this challenging version of tennis. She has amassed a 648-25 career record, 18 grand slam singles titles, 19 grand slam doubles titles, and currently is on a 429 match win streak dating back to 2003. Against the world’s second ranked player, Korie Homan, Esther is 33-0. At one point, Vergeer went 26 months without dropping a set. This streak spanned 120 matches and 240 sets. She has won 21 year end championships in singles and doubles combined. She has over 280 combined singles and doubles titles. Vergeer in 2009 and 2010 won in four straight major finals by a score of 6-0 6-0.
Vergeer was forced into a wheelchair at the age of eight as she developed paraplegia following a surgery to repair blood vessels around her spinal cord. She developed sublime skills playing several different sports in a wheelchair including basketball, volleyball, and most notably tennis. She competed in her inaugural international tournament at the age of 15 and the rest is history as Vergeer has owned the sport ever since.
Winning is the fundamental and ultimate benchmark by which one can define their success in sports. Vergeer has transcended her physical impairment and has become from a statistical basis the most successful athlete in the history of any sport. She has won more than anybody. To better grasp the magnitude of her success, what Vergeer has done would be the equivalent of Novak Djokovic doing what he has done in 2011 minus the two defeats and 15-20 more wins for a span of five years.
What Vergeer has been doing is absolutely unparalleled and it is a shame that she is not given more attention. I think this story is one of guts and persistence that serves as a daily reminder that there are people each and every day achieving and innovating outside of the microscope of the public eye.
There are now four who have qualified for the year ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Roger Federer has joined Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
(Based on Year-to-Date 2011 ATP Rankings points as of Monday, 29 August, 2011)
1. N. Djokovic (SRB) 11,295
2. R. Nadal (ESP) 7,785
3. A. Murray (GBR) 4,730
4. R. Federer (SUI) 4,450
5. D. Ferrer (ESP) 3,420
6. M. Fish (USA) 2,505
7. N. Almagro (ESP) 2,270
8. T. Berdych (CZE) 2,260
9. R. Soderling (SWE) 2,080
10. J. Tsonga (FRA) 2,080
Ok, the title is misleading but the Swiss maestro ended up closing his 4th round match at approximately 1:15 am ET. It only took Federer a mere 82 mintues to close out Juan Monaco in a match that started at 11:50 pm due to the length of the Wozniacki, Kuznetsova match in a night session that had already been pushed back as a result of Tsonga and Fish going five sets.
Federer defeated Juan Monaco 6-1 6-2 6-0 in what was clearly his best display so far at 2011 US Open. Next up for Federer is a quarterfinal revenge match with Frenchman Jo-Willie Tsonga who so famously took out Federer from two sets down at Wimbledon and then beat him again in three grueling sets in Montreal.
Mardy Fish v. Tobias Kamke- Enjoying by far the best year of his career, Mardy Fish will be looking to make a deep run in the 2011 US Open. In the first round he will be facing Tobias Kamke from Germany. Kamke will be no light task as the speedy Germany possesses an all around game with no overwhelming weaknesses. Kamke generates a ton of racket speed off both sides and will be looking to dictate play from the baseline by taking the ball early when given the opportunity. With this being said, Fish will undoubtedly have to work but should be able to make it through unscathed.
Prediction:Fish in 3
Roger Federer v. Santiago Giraldo- This first round match is about as lopsided as it gets. Giraldo is a defensive baseliner from Colombia who does not have any weapons to threaten Federer and really prefers the Clay courts to which his style of play is much better suited. Federer should be able to use this match to build form for the rest of the tournament. I don’t see any possible way for Federer to lose this match barring an injury.
Prediction: Federer in 3
Ryan Harrison v. Marin Cilic- This is an extremely intriguing matchup. You have the young American upstart in Ryan Harrison looking to breakthrough in a major for the first time and accelerate his already inclining career path. In contrast, Marin Cilic is attempting to regain the form that cemented his spot in the top 10 and spurred him to an Australian Open semifinal in 2010. Cilic has not won a grand slam match this season and this match very well could lead to his completion of a “grand slam”- losing in the first round of all four majors. Look for Harrison to relentlessly attack the Cilic forehand as it contains a lot of wrist action and is prone to breaking down. Overall, I think Harrison plays a more reliable, gutsy, confidence driven game and at this moment is in a better spot in his career despite being ranked lower.
Prediction: Harrison in 4
Gael Monfils v. Grigor Dimitrov- This is an absolutely fantastic first round match between quite possibly the future of men’s tennis in Dimitrov and arguably the most electrifying player on tour in Monfils. Dimitrov is surely going to give Monfils everything he can handle and really make him work hard to earn his passage through to the 2nd round. This match will really be predicated on whether the passive or aggressive Monfils shows up. If Monfils chooses to camp back 2 miles behind the baseline and retrieve with his exceptional defensive abilities, he really is not setting himself up with the best chance to win. Dimitrov has incredible shot making ability and if he is on, playing defensive is simply not going to work out for Monfils. If Monfils chooses to play more offensively, this could be a slugfest. I expect Monfils will draw substantial confidence from his performance against Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati and in the end find a suitable balance between offense and defense that will be too much for Dimitrov to counter.
Prediction: Monfils in 4
Ivo Karlovic v. Fernando Gonzalez- Many people might be surprised to find out that Fernando Gonzalez in fact still does play tennis being he has only played 6 tour level matches this season. Plagued by a knee injury in the first half of 2011, Gonzo faces a formidable challenge in the big serving Croatian. I really see this match as one that is going to be very difficult for Gonzalez to win. Only having played one hard court match this summer, Gonzo is lacking match play and there is no worse player to try to develop rhythm against than Karlovic.
Prediction: Karlovic in 4 (expect a few tiebreakers)
Kohlschreiber v. Stepanek- Stepanek has enjoyed greater success on the American hard courts than Kohlschreiber this summer and leads their head to head 4-1. Kohlschreiber is a personal favorite of mine but unfortunately the craft and finesse of Stepanek will prove too much for the German.
Prediction: Stepanek in 4 tight sets
Other Matches:
Malisse v. Granollers- Toss up match. Neither player has won a hard court match this summer and Granollers has not even played in a hard court tournament. This is a tough call, but I am going to say the X-man in five unentertaining sets.
Prediction: Malisse in 5
Monaco v. Seppi- This could be a long, drawn out match as both of these guys prefer to grind it out from the baseline. Monaco definitely has a greater ability to turn defense into offense and pull the trigger.
Prediction: Monaco in 5
Rounding off Day 1…
Montanes over Kukushkin in 5, Ferrero over Andujar in 3, Dolgpolov over Gil in 3, Petzschner over Ramos in 3, Fognini over Zeballos in 5, Llodra over Hanescu in 3, Tipsarevic over Gensse in 3, Nishikori over Cipolla in 3, Gasquet over Stakhovsky in 3, Haas over Dasnieres De Veigy in 5, Troicki over Falla in 4, Berdych of Jouan in 3, Anderson over Soeda in 3
Upsets: Sela over Bellucci in 4, Jaziri over De Bakker in 5
For most of us, coordination is something innate and we don’t believe it is possible to improve it. Let’s look at coordination and see what new concepts and what kind of training is available for it.
Hand-Eye Coordination
We have experienced an evolution in our concepts of coordination. I remember first reading about hand-eye coordination three decades ago. This was the idea that explored the relationship between what we saw and what action we were able to take as a result. So, this concept talked about seeing the ball and being able to take a swing and hitting the ball. It was a very good concept for helping us understand that there was a relationship between what we saw and what actions we could take because of it.
Rhythm and Timing
The latest ideas about coordination are based in the concepts of rhythm and timing. This concept gets us a little deeper into the relationships between our brain circuits and the rest of our body. This concept explores timing circuits in our brain and how they relate to our muscles, our sensory mechanisms, and our perceptions.
It looks at something called “motor sequencing and planning.” Basically, our coordination is about which muscles are fired off, in which sequence, to achieve some action. Coordination happens when those muscles are contracted and relaxed in the proper form at the proper time. I know that this all sounds very complex, and in reality it is incredibly complex. But, we don’t have to know exactly which brain cell or which nerve path, or which muscle gets involved with these actions. All we need to do is swing the racket and hit the ball where we want it to go.
What are Rhythm And Timing?
Timing is about the action happening at the appropriate moment to achieve the outcome. In a tennis serve, if the athlete hits the ball too early, the ball will go beyond the line and if the athlete hits the ball too late the ball will hit the net. Timing is about hitting the ball at the right time.
We often hear broadcasters telling us that an athlete has lost their timing. They (and we) see this when the player starts making double faults and unforced errors. The athlete is not hitting the ball at the precise time needed, so the ball is not going to the appropriate place.
Rhythm is about the flow of events. For the highest level of performance, an athlete needs to recognize and enter the flow of the play (often referred to as the rhythm-of-the-game) and then match it or manage it. Roger Federer is a master at entering into the rhythm of the other player’s game, and then changing the rhythm and ‘confusing’ the other player, which causes the other player to make an unforced error. Broadcasters often refer to Roger “stealing” the other player’s rhythm.
Athletes with the highest capability in rhythm are able to enter any rhythm, can change their rhythm whenever they want, and are not confused when the rhythm changes. The most common problems in rhythm is inability to recognize and match the rhythm of the other player and the inability to maintain themselves steady in their own rhythm.
Scott Hamilton talks about an ice skater entering a jump for 3 revolutions and “popping-out” after only one revolution. I really like that term to describe what I see when an athlete loses their rhythm in the middle of their play. As they lose their rhythm, they stop their own flow of play. Maintaining a steady rhythm and adapting to the existing rhythm are essential for the highest level of play.
What Affects Rhythm And Timing?
Poor rhythm and timing can be improved with proper training. This training involves tens of thousands of reps of very simple exercises maintaining a precise rhythm. It involves testing to track improvement in rhythm and timing.
Good rhythm and timing can be reduced by a variety of things. Injury, surgery, and some illnesses can disrupt the timing relationships between brain circuits and muscles and this requires training to re-establish the proper timing relationships.
Improper diet, environmental toxins, and emotional or physical trauma can temporarily degrade rhythm and timing. These can be avoided with proper precautions or overcome with some mental and physical techniques.
Rhythm And Timing On The Tennis Court
Want to see your favorite tennis player testing and activating their good rhythm and timing? Watch the player prepare to serve the ball. Notice the bouncing they do before the serve? They are verifying their continued good rhythm and timing. If they cannot maintain a good rhythm in that bouncing and catching exercise, they will perform poorly in the next point.
The same goes for receiving a serve. The swaying back and forth is a way of verifying and activating their own good rhythm and timing. Some (like Juan Martin del Potro) even do a little dance to test and re-connect with their good rhythm and timing, when waiting for a serve.
Rhythm and Timing, So What?
From my perspective, Novak Djokovic is doing so well this year because his rhythm and timing are so precise. And, Roger Federer, James Blake, and Andy Roddick are players who could move up dramatically in the standings by improving their rhythm and timing.
Roger Federer is still wanting to play mixed doubles at the Olympics with Martina Hingis. Roger has now stated that he would speak with Martina about the possibilities of playing for Switzerland at the 2012 London Olympics.
“Might as well just see if she is available,” Federer said.
“Even if she is retired, she might think about it at least.”
Hopefully we will have some news from Martina within the next few months.
Roger Federer has commented about how the tennis has been growing and how most players dont like combined events.
Speaking from a players perspective they like combined events because it is a lot more fun to have all the players in one place. However, its not great because there are simply too many players. Its hard to get practice courts, hospitality, etc.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga knocks out yet another seed in Montreal. Roger Federer fell to Tsonga 7-6 4-6 6-1.
Tsonga played a very powerful match in which he never let up. Tsonga ran away with a 5-0 lead in the final set and was able to close it out quite easily.
Now Novak Djokovic is the only one of the top four seeds left. Is this a sign of things to come at the US Open?
