Tennis Forever

[venkkiram]

Djokovic advances by taking first 2 sets. Youzhny looks hopeless. I believe in Wawrinka that a tough match guaranteed against Djokovic!

[venkkiram]

Third set looks so interesting as Youzhny finds his rhythm. 4-3.

[Arvind Srinivasan]

Some intense stuff out there. Will be great if this goes to another set or two.

[Arvind Srinivasan]

Youzhny gets the third and the match is alive.

[venkkiram]

Yes. His careless single handed shots are top notch. Simply Youzhny and Wawrinka are the best in single handed business.

[venkkiram]

While Djoko uses the drop shots to drain Youzhny's energy, Youzhny simply frustrates Djoko by engaging in long rallies.

[leosimha]

Speed and Spin: Nadal’s Lethal Forehand

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011By JOE WARD | XAQUÍN G.V.

Rafael Nadal’s forehand is a rare combination of speed and tremendous topspin, making it one of the most lethal weapons in tennis.


http://www.nytimes.com/video/2011/09/01/sports/100000001028436/speed-and-spin-nadals-lethal-forehand.html

Good Video.

[leosimha]

'Rafael Nadal Is the Leonardo da Vinci of Tennis'


It’s usually Roger Federer who gets compared to intellectual heroes, but a remark by John McEnroe rightly appreciated that Nadal's best, most underrated weapon is his brain.

Despite the mentions of Nadal’s “baseline bashing” and “extremely physical style of play,” it’s come to light in recent years that Nadal is unquestionably one of the best thinkers in the game of tennis, with a terrifyingly deft understanding of its science and strategy.

Last night, McEnroe instructed all the junior players watching the broadcast to closely observe Nadal’s play because, by subtly identifying his opponent’s movement patterns and adjusting and re-adjusting his service motion and returns accordingly, he was putting on what McEnroe called “a clinic” in shot placement. (The importance of being able to analyze and respond to an opponent’s play during a match shouldn’t be underestimated: Earlier this week, as The New York Times’ Geoff MacDonald noted, Federer made his earliest exit from a Grand Slam in 10 years because he failed to readjust his game plan against Tommy Robredo in the fourth round.)

Gilbert and McEnroe also made mention last night of a 2011 New York Timesvideo feature that delved into the physics of why Rafael Nadal’s lethal lefty forehand—sometimes affectionately known as the “fearhand”—causes so much trouble for his opponents.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...tennis/279383/

Good read!!

[leosimha]

For Federer and Nadal, Best Debate Is Still Ahead

Oh, but wouldn’t Federer, despite his three-set loss to Tommy Robredo in the fourth round, have challenged Nadal with a greater arsenal than Robredo, who at best could be characterized as a poor man’s Nadal?
Yes, in theory. But if we have learned anything over the last nine years, it is that Federer does not hold up well against Nadal, the swashbuckling Spaniard. Nadal defeated Federer in straight sets on Florida hardcourts the first time they played, in 2004. Since then, he has beaten Federer about two times for every loss (21-10 head-to-head).

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/sp...come.html?_r=0

Another good read!!

[JamesDap]

The other day, in his match against Kohlschrieber, Nadal actually picked up a short ball off the air to make a forehand volley winner. That is, he is doing the stuff Federer is supposedly renowned for. Even as Fed has got defensive and tentative, Nadal is growing in confidence and taking the attack to his opponent. He has looked more of a hard court player in that sense than either of Fed, Djoko or Murray in this US Open. It is sad that Fed has lost trust in his weaponry to an extent....what else would explain his defensiveness.