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July 2000 Article Latest Leading Edge Tennis Article
The Tennis Server
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The Wimbledon Championships--an experience of a
lifetime!
The Wimbledon ChampionshipsI write this article after spending a full day at the All England Lawn Tennis Club Championships. I must say that it is quite an awesome feeling to be on the grounds where some of the most legendary players in our sport have wielded their racquets -- from Laver to Borg, from Court to Navratilova. They say that the English love their tennis--well I think that for many it is in their blood! I immediately saw what they meant--on the way into the tennis grounds, I saw a line of people, stretching for miles. Really, this is no exaggeration. The line was actually formed for people who did not have tickets to the event. Luckily, the I.T.F. and L.T.A. provided me with a pass, which I received a week earlier after speaking for them at the World Coaches Conference in Bath. I found out that people actually sleep over in the queue--tents portable TVs and all. Tennis lovers--more like tennis fanatics!
With so much tradition and elegance associated with Wimbledon, my excitement came to a slow crescendo as I approached the gates to the tennis grounds. The line of people only further proved to me how important this event was in our sport. I saw so many flags in the line it was like a United Nations of tennis enthusiasts. I felt so energized as I walked through the gates--instantly people were all around me. I noticed that there is lawn everywhere, which was appropriate and helped give the grounds a warm cozy feeling. Grand slams always have this special electricity about them, but this one in particular made me feel as if there was this underlying message--an "etiquette" about the way people were to behave.
Seeing all those players competing all at once...it is quite a site! I would walk from court to court just taking shot after shot of the worlds best. From court central where Sampras was showing off his brilliance, to court 11 where Enquist was banging away his forehand, to court 3 where Serena Williams was blasting away shot after shot. Memories and experiences like the ones given at Wimbledon last a lifetime! It is a tournament that has to be visited if you are a true tennis lover!
Contrast -- A key to successful tacticsI believe that players always need to understand what game style they have, relative to their player characteristics. A player with huge powerful groundstrokes who likes to stay on the baseline could be called a "aggressive baseliner." A player who possesses a big serve and punishing volleys, but rather average groundstrokes could be called a serve and volleyer. If a player can truly understand what type of player gamestyle they possess then they must learn how to use shot "contrast" to make their game more effective. Watching top players like Sampras, Agassi and up and coming players like Hewitt and Kournikova can teach you a lot about the use of contrast.John McEnroe possessed one of the most lethal serves in the game! Why? It was not because of his speed or power but rather it was so lethal because of the way he changed placement and speed. Big Mac was an artist when it came to the serve--he would keep the returner guessing as to what type of serve he was going to hit. Mac would place two serves out wide at say 75 miles an hour then he would turn up the heat to 95 miles an hour right down the middle. By showing different speeds the returner would have difficulty timing the return. By changing the location of the serve it adds a movement dimension to the equation. If these tactics are combined then watch out! Today, Sampras uses his serve much like Mac did, Pete continues to learn how to mix it up effectively. The bottom line is that speed and power are great but by using a contrast of speed and power--your 50 mile an hour serve could potentially look like a 120 mile an hour serve! Agassi first came onto the tour and tried to blast people off the court. For a while Agassi was successful--then as players began to get used to his pace his success wavered. Back then Andre was in my estimation very one-dimensional in tactics. All we would see from him was power. Today, with Brad (Gilbert) giving him advice and with his own playing maturity and experience, Agassi uses contrast to make his power game even more powerful. During the championships, watch how Agassi will mix up his returns and back court rallies. When Agassi returns he will often take all the pace off the ball and force the server to create his own momentum when volleying. Then at other times he will crack one back faster than the serve itself. When Agassi changes speeds with his return he forces players to adjust their timing and reaction. Sampras has developed his backhand drive to compliment his backhand slice return. For a long time Sampras used the slice return only at Wimbledon but with his use of drive and topspin returns he has taken some of the "pressure" off of his own serve. Sampras realized that by mixing up the kind of return the server was kept slightly off balance. Since I am in England, I think that it would be quite fitting for me to site an example from one of their players. Tim Henman uses contrast in order to make his volley even more effective. Henman will first establish a firm crisp paceful volley and once he shows the opponent its effectiveness he starts to use touch and drop volleys to compliment the speed. It is important to note that he uses the same preparation and similar actions so that the opponent does not "read" the shot. By using powerful and soft shots, Henman keeps his opponent off balance. I suggest using this strategy to make your volley feel like one of Henman's. A few hours ago, I finished watching Kournikova play against Testud of France on center court. Nice match, particularly, one thing that stood out in my mind was how she used her slice drop shot. It was not so much the shot itself but more of "when" she chose to use it. As the match progressed she would often slice her backhand using two hands, and the ball would stay low and make Testud hit with an arch trajectory. Then she would crack the ball with a powerful groundstroke, usually to one of the corners of the court. At times in the match, Kournikova would slice with two hands and then using the same racquet work (preparation) she would execute a drop shot instead of a deeply sliced groundstroke. Sometimes Testud would be totally fooled by the shot and not even attempt to retrieve it. At other times the shot would rush Testud into the net and force her to play an ineffective shot, then Anna would simply put the ball away. Other contrasting ideas to help your game:
HeightI suggest trying to use a high arching slow moving ball like a moon ball then complimenting it with a straight-lined trajectory drive. Agassi and Hingis use this contrast of shots as does Sampras--especially on his backhand.
SpinTry to vary the kinds of spin you hit to your opponent. If you are able to hit topspin, hit a heavy ball and then hit a slice backspin ball to your opponent. And when possible drive the ball (relatively) flat to keep'em guessing.
Over All Surprise TacticServe and volley when your opponent least expects it. Nicholas Kiefer of Germany effectively used this particular contrast of shots when I saw him play in January in Australia at the Open. Nicholas would be down in his serving game and then bam--suddenly a serve and volley--surprise! At other times he would not come into the net when returning only to sneak in behind a high arching ball or well placed return for a intercepting volley put away.
DirectionSimply put, use changes of direction not only for maneuvering your opponent around the court but also to keep your opponent guessing.I would recommend that you try to use "contrast" in your game, in your practice sessions and in your life. After all, a straight path is always predictable--but one filled with contrast contains diversity. And as we all know, diversity is the spice of life! Till next month friends, Reggie Thank you to the International Tennis Federation and the Lawn Tennis Association for hosting such a wonderful coaches workshop in Bath! Specifically I would like to thank: Dave Miley, Miguel Crespo, Ann Pankhurst and their teams of coaches. All my best to the hundreds of delegates from 80 countries around the world. Koritsimou, I hope you are well--see you soon! Hello to Ann from Australia, John from Suriname, Harold from Germany, Leif from Sweden, Ron and Kirk from the US, Hamid from Pakistan, and all the coaches out there with whom I have had the pleasure of meeting!
This column is copyright 2000 by Reggie Vasquez Jr., all rights reserved.
Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to Reggie by electronic mail at reggie@tennisserver.com. |
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This article will be have two sections--one
that discusses my first day at Wimbledon and a second column on
the use of contrast when choosing shot selection
during match
play.
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