'PARIS'

The French Open Tennis Championship has always been my favourite tournament for one reason or another but I believe that it may just be in the way that it asks the ultimate physical question of a professional. Not only that but it also demands a mind that only a few tennis players own, a mind that never accepts defeat no matter how hopeless the situation seems.
If you read through the results of this year's matches you will notice that the man who finally put Andre Agassi's career to bed, Benjamin Becker defied his ranking and logic to make the third round. After being down two sets to one against Bemelmans in the first round Becker scraped through a fourth set tie breaker before finding another gear to win 6-2 in the fifth.
Becker's second round match was rather outrageous as the score line suggests against Fernando Verdasco , the number 32 seed. After claiming the first set 6-4 against a player ranked 16 places higher and of a reputation that is to be respected the wheels fell off for Becker, big time. In fact Verdasco won the next two sets 6-0, 6-1, not unlike what Hewitt did to Becker in this year's Australian Open.
Hewitt smashed Becker in the first two sets 6-2, 6-1 before Benjamin finally woke up and realized he was in a tennis tournament then found a way to win the match in five.
Benjamin Becker finds another gear when he is down in a match, a trait of any top 50 tennis professional and one that is taken for granted by many who simply read a score but don't read the fine print. The man from Germany is nearly 34 years of age but is not retiring without leaving a legacy of a refuse to give in attitude that will see him walk into a coaching job no doubt when his time is up.
His longevity in the game is testimony to the fact that he is a player who will be respected for hanging around when many would have packed the rackets away for fear of failure.
So his effort in coming back from the two set obliteration from Verdasco was nothing short of a show of fighting spirit that cannot be taught by a coach, it comes from owning a heart as big as the forehand. The final two sets from Becker will go down in French Open history as a refusal to go away without a fight that ultimately turned into a victory, 7-5, 10-8.
Sometimes a player who is losing badly may just dig in enough to win enough games to make the score look better than the effort actually was. A score of say 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 is typical of a player who was outplayed for the majority of the match yet dug deep to extract some respect from both his opponent and himself. It's something to bring the player back for another crack at it the following year, a personal victory when things aren't going according to plan.
One of the greatest French Open come back wins in the history of the tournament came in 1984 when Chilean Hans Gildemeister took on the number nine seed Henrik Sundstrom of Sweden in round three. Gildemeister lead by the score of 6-2, 6-0, 5-1 and had 0-30 on Sundstrom's serve before making twelve unforced errors in a row. The Swede went on to win six games in a row to take the third set and won the final two sets 6-3, 6-4. How does that happen at that level ?
Ask Johnny McEnroe the same question as in that same year he lead Ivan Lendl by the score of 6-3, 6-2 and was up a break in the third set before losing it 4-6. He then lead 4-2 in the fourth and the match was on his racket at deuce in the very next game yet Lendl won the set 7-5 and the fifth by the same score.
It was another miracle recovery at the French Open in 1984 that typified the nature of clay court tennis, not just a physical and tactical surface to win on but without a doubt the toughest mentally to close out a match on. Whether it be the slowness of the court or the physical demands of the constant slide to the ball the matches in Paris bring out some remarkable efforts of human endurance.
Andre Agassi in 1999 came back from a deficit of 1-6, 2-6 to win the final against Andrei Medvedev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 which finally completed his Grand Slam accomplishments. It was an amazing come back by Agassi and one that typified an attitude of a refusal to give up.
When Bjorn Borg was just 18 years of age he came back from two sets to love down against the Spaniard Manuel Orantes, 2-6, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 to win the final. That type of win at such a young age typified a mind beyond it's years as many would have put the toys back in the toy box after the second set and went home. To lose just two more games for the match showed a true test of character that not enough tennis players own.
Some are happy to put up a good effort measured personally by games won whereas the champions of tennis do not look at anything but a win. Second place and 'respectable performances' are not in a champion's vocabulary.
I remember 1984 in Paris because I used to ride my push bike up to the local newsagency just to buy the Daily News Newspaper that published all of the French Open Tennis results each day with ridiculous detail. It was almost part of my training routine as a kid;
Do the bike ride, buy the paper, get inspired, hit against the garage wall at home until it was dark, read the paper again, cut out the article, stick it to the wardrobe door.
Dream of Paris........

 

'REKN I GOT THIS NEXT ROUND'

Just as the title suggests, let's have a crack at the Mens Fourth Round matches in Paris. Only Novak is safe I believe, the rest have their work cut out to make the Quarter Finals.
In the bottom half Roger takes on Monfils, tough one to pick considering Gael belted Roger on clay in last year's Davis Cup Final but I am leaning toward Federer in 4 sets.
Roger's mate Stan should get the job done against Simon in 4 or 5 sets but only due to the length of the match between Simon and Mahut that went the distance. I don't believe that Simon will have enough gas left in the tank to wear Stan out who had a straight sets win in his last match.
Tsonga seems to have regained his old form but getting past Berdych will be a tough assignment as Thomas doesn't mind playing guys seeded below him, he simply struggles against the players in front of him. Still a tough one to work out though as the Czech has every shot in the book, he obviously just lacks self belief.
Gabashvili is playing well but doesn't have the consistency of Nishikori though this match could go the distance. Kei in 4, maybe 5 but he will be fresh as he did not hit a ball in making the last 16. Benjamin Becker played ten sets and around nine hours worth of tennis in his first two matches. He was obviously physically spent so he took his big pay cheque and took a flight home.
Cilic is back in form and is playing well but has either Bolelli or the old war horse Ferrer in the next round, two clay court experts. In saying that though I don't think it matters who he plays, I believe he will make the quarters.
Nadal is going ok and should make it to the last 16 where he will meet either Coric or Sock, I am picking the latter in a long match. I don't believe either player will bother Rafa in the last 16.
So that leaves Novak up against either Anderson or Gasquet but I think the Frenchman will just sneak through leaving himself as cannon fodder for the Serb. I still can't see anyone touching Novak this year except for maybe an injury.
It's a tough draw in the top half but I believe Novak will get through and play either Roger or Stan in the final. My tipping of late has not been the best but we will see how these go. I can only improve.........
Sorry I forgot about Andy, he's playing well but Chardy will test him, Andy in 4 sets to meet Cilic in the quarters.
In Mens Doubles I will go for a slight upset and pick two teams who I believe can defy their ranking.
Jean-Julian Rojer and Horacio Tecau are seeded five and haven't dropped a set as of yet, these guys can play dubs. They look like meeting the number two seeds Pospisil and Sock in the quarters. I am leaning towards an upset then a semi against Dodig and Melo who may just sneak past Peya and Soares.
I believe the bottom half may just produce this year's Mens Doubles Champions. Rojer/Tecau or Dodig and Melo. Tough to pick mens dubs, like a chook raffle......

'WELL PLAYED MATE'

This is one of those feel good stories. I apologize in advance for not more detail however I am tired, it's late, I need some sleep, this is however the nuts and bolts of it all.
There is a tennis professional from Croatia by the name of Mate Pavic, he is 21 years of age, ranked 413 in singles and has won just 2 grand at the one on one format this year. Mate though is a doubles specialist, he's ranked 67 in the two on two format and has amassed $20,000 this year.
His partner for the Nice tournament on the French Riviera was a guy by the name of Michael Venus, a 27 year old battler from New Zealand with a singles ranking of 516, a doubles ranking of 63. These two joined forces against some of the best doubles combinations in the World and pulled off possibly the most remarkable win in years.
Rojer and Tecau are ranked 11 and 12 respectively in the World in doubles and should have won the title in Nice with a leg in the air, so to speak. With nearly half a mil' in the bank between them already this year in doubles they have formed a lethal duet. Tennis however is a funny game and there are no 'sure things', in fact it is almost an impossibility to pick a winning doubles combination until the last ball is hit in most tournaments. Nice was no exception.
Michael and his mate, 'Mate', just got over the line in a third set super tiebreaker 10 points to 8 and defied all logic as far as the seeding committee were concerned. Who were they ? Well it seems they are now a pair to be respected and I would imagine that they may have split around $50,000 Euros as prize money for winning in Nice.
That's a pretty handy pay day for two guys who have earned as much as the local garbage collector back home. No offence, the garbage guy earns his money too.
I love to read about these type of victories, inspiring for the battling players who are just hoping for a good draw and a little bit of luck to fund their sporting dreams.
Michael and his mate 'Mate', well done guys, good luck in Paris.........

'OPEN DE NICE COTE D AZUR'

Now this is a nice part of the World, pardon the pun, Nice, in the south of France on the way to Monaco. I travelled through Nice from St Maxime and St Tropez in 1991 as I made my way to what I still consider the pinnacle of my trip, Monte Carlo.
I played a hard court tournament in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, around 15 kms from Nice just after playing another tournament in St Maxime where I stayed for a week. Looking back I saw some great tennis clubs in France, particularly on the Riviera as they certainly do not spare expense or views in that area when it comes to tennis club back drops.
Just like they do with the Monte Carlo Country Club the tennis courts are built with the idea of a picturesque setting first, followed by the club, tennis on the Riviera defies logic. Where a hotel or apartments could perhaps have been built it is instead a place of magnificence to hit a tennis ball, the French are blessed with ideas of grandeur.
The Open of Nice is currently being played and an Australian by the name of James Duckworth has found himself in a rather unique situation that I do not believe has happened in a very long time, a one in a thousand event perhaps. For a battling tennis professional it is one thing to make it inside the World top 100 players but to receive a draw as 'Duckman' did well it may just be one of those occasions where all of those years of battling finally paid dividends.
Usually a player of the Australian's standard and ranking would come up against a player inside the top 30 in the first round, perhaps even a top tenner, check this one out, this is remarkable. Duckworth drew Frances Tiafoe of the US who has won a total of just under $15,000 for the year with a ranking of 291. A good young prospect is Frances and he has only just turned 17, coached by former clay court wizard Jose Higueras of Spain, a man who used to give Mats Wilander some nightmares on the dirt. 
The Aussie just squeaked past Tiafoe, 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 and earned the right to play the top seed from France Gilles Simon, or at least that's who he was expecting to play. Little did he know that Gilles had withdrawn due to a neck injury and instead he received a second round match up with another lucky loser who was brought in to replace Simon.
Quentin Halys of France has won less than Tiafoe, just $11,000 and owns a ranking of World number 304. This is where the realistic side of tennis kicks in. Most people would look at the ranking of James Duckworth at 88 and expect a one sided affair against a player ranked outside 300 just as they would have with Tiafoe.
Both Tiafoe and Halys did not make it through qualifying, in fact Halys withdrew due to injury before even striking a ball against Sam Groth in the final round. They both received a 'gift' into the main draw as Lucky Losers. So a 7-6, 7-6 win by Duckworth was one that many would shake their heads at in disbelief but it puts tennis into perspective when dissecting the finer points of the sport.
Sure James received a 'dream draw' in the eyes of many but I am sure he was under no illusions as to the task that was presented to him just to reach the last eight. He made it through both matches by the hair on his chin and now he faces arguably the World's best teenager Borna Coric, a player with a current ranking of 53 and over a quarter of a mil' in the bank just this year.
Usually a player ranked 88 would be happy with an opponent ranked 53 as a quarter final matching but this match will be decided by mindset more than ability, these two are of similar standard. If our boy James gets over Coric he will then play Juan Monaco or Leonardo Mayer, both of Argentina who have clay on their toast for breakfast. These two have won nearly three quarters of a million between them already this year and they both know the intricacies of playing on the dirt.
So if anyone wishing to break into the elite group of World tennis is under any illusions as to how brutal the sport is then I suggest they do the sums on the tournament on the French Riviera that is currently being played. There were also around 24 guys battling for just 4 positions in the main draw who picked up between 350 and 700 Euros for not making it to the main stage. The 4 players who were good enough probably picked up around $12,000 just for making it into the main draw, double that for a first round win.
The 'Duckman' regardless of whether he beats Coric or not has made some good dollars this week, enough to pay his way to Paris where he will receive about $30,000 even for a first round loss, good money if you are good enough. Earning that sort of money while enjoying the surrounds of picturesque tennis clubs in the south of France sure sounds like a job worth having.
If only it were that simple..........
***FOOTNOTE*** Coric beat Duckworth 6-3, 7-6 in their Quarter Final match. As predicted, not a lot in it, one break of serve in the first and a whisker in it in the second. Only a few points and a sharper mind separates most matches......

Agassi - Attack with Nick Bollettieri 5/6

Have a look at Agassi's looped backhand at around 1 minute 30 from the beginning of this video. That's the shot I refer to at the end of my last chapter. That's the shot I believe every kid needs to learn. It's not that difficult, it's all in the racket head acceleration through the ball and the follow through as Bollettieri explains.......

'THE LOOP'

My earliest memories of tennis were of Swede Bjorn Borg and the way in which he cleared the net by a huge margin with the amount of spin he generated off both sides. He could flatten the ball out on the passing shot or he would sometimes go with a high pass which made his opponent stretch both wide and high. Borg was a genius.
Kent Carlsson in the mid eighties took topspin to another level, arguably considerably more than Borg, fascinating to watch. The 1987 French Open quarter final against Yannick Noah, the '83 French Champion was a classic match of two contrasting styles. I still have not seen too many players hit the ball with more loop, perhaps Rafa being the only exception.
The loop in tennis has somewhat given way to the harder and flatter style of today but the clay court season tends to bring the 'loopers' back. You cannot hit every ball flat and hard in a best of five sets match on clay as you would need to be outrageously fit to do so.
The thing I like most about a looped ball is that it makes life uncomfortable for the opponent with it's high bounce. Players like Novak don't seem to mind it because they have impeccable timing and can take a high looping ball early and flatten it out, as could Swede Robin Soderling. The last man to beat Rafa in Paris could flatten Nadal's looped shots out with a minimum of fuss, his timing was also brilliant.
Most players can loop a ball from the forehand side with ease but the backhand is a little different.
Many players go with a 'conventional' style but David Nalbandian of Argentina owned a backhand that defied logic. The angles he could hit with that shot were nothing short of remarkable plus he had the ability to hit down the line winners to finish a rally seemingly at will.
Andre Agassi could do many things with his backhand but I loved it when he looped it high over the net because it gave me many ideas on how to teach it. A shot like that I believe was possibly one of the hardest balls to get back as most of his opponents also found out.
Agassi's looped balls were all part of Gilbert's idea of a 'holding' shot, a shot that asks the question of the opponent, not an attacking shot. Agassi's backhand in the video I shared on this site is the type of shot I refer to. Not a lob but a high ball.
As far as the backswing is concerned if you look at the way Agassi does it he slightly dips the racket head before impact which creates an almost flicking effect. If the racket head is not dropped then the amount of topspin generated will be considerably less. Many kids are not aware of the 'flick' yet it makes a huge difference.
If you can learn to hit a looping ball off both sides consistently then I believe you can win a tennis match through consistency alone. It's one thing to drive a tennis ball but you cannot possibly keep driving it without wearing yourself out.
I have seen many players, not just kids who own just one style, the driving flat style of play and I refer to them as 'a dime a dozen'. No variety. It's where perception of the game has got muddled up with logic.
I am not sure who this person is who asked me for some advice but I send them a thank you because it has reignited my own thoughts on the game that have been stagnant lately. Must be that time of year, the off season.
Thanks Champ for the enquiries, hope it all helped......

'INTIMIDATION'

Mats Wilander once said that he felt he had three games in the bag at the start of each match due to his ranking, reputation and ability to play the game, fair comment. The young fellow from Croatia, Borna Coric played Federer not long ago and won just three games. Wilander's theory once again came into play, many games in the bag in that particular match.
It doesn't matter how old you are, a junior or a senior, intimidation is something that the strongest players use to their advantage to perfection. I remember when I was training full time as a 16 and 17 year old in Brisbane and there were guys at the Coops Tennis Centre who I idolized. The funny thing was this, when I trained with one of them once I got just as many balls back as he did, my standard lifted to a level that surprised the hell out of me. I mean no offence to my regular training partners however they were not of the same standard as the top squad players. 
One player in particular, Neil Borwick was on the next court to us younger guys regularly training with the best players available, he was a genius with everything he did. I was never fortunate enough to train with him but I hit with him around two years ago when he was in town. I loved the challenge as Neil beat both Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl, two former World Number 1's in the early 90's. 
He also once teamed with Swedish legend Jonas Bjorkman and defeated Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis who also were World number 1's in doubles, that's a rare distinction. So was I intimidated to hit against Neil nearly 30 years later ? You betcha, the guy still has a ridiculous ability to play tennis.
Intimidation never ends until you become a top player yourself so is there a solution ? Absolutely. Who are you training with and are they players you can beat on a regular basis ? If so then why are you still training with them ? You only ever stop being intimidated by players once you start beating them and it all starts in practice.
I will never forget my training session against Justin Stead, a former professional who I looked up to at Coops not only for his on court ability but for his philosophical attitude towards life in general. He once asked me for a hit as his practice partner had not showed, right place, right time GT.
My standard for that hour or so was one that I did not know that I owned, I barely missed a ball. So what did that tell me ? I needed more sessions against those types of players because after my initial nerves, albeit in practice, I realized that the good players who I idolized weren't that much better.
The biggest difference was that they simply didn't miss much and they were thinkers. I have often stated that the best players in tennis were not the best ball strikers but the best thinkers, I will always believe that.
So to the question from the young fellow who looks for an answer to playing the big guns and how to handle the occasion; It all starts with the build up Champ and what you are doing to prepare for tournaments.
If you can find a player who will beat you regularly then 'employ' them as your hitting partner because they are your ticket to improvement. Practice with them for as long as you can but do the right thing by yourself before you go into a tournament, find someone who you can beat to get the confidence back on the right track.
Don't look for a 2 and 2 win, look for a couple of bagels, that's always a good mental test and a test you should always give yourself. Anyone can win 2 and 2 but the really good players can do the bagel job.
Tennis is all in the head Champ but it begins on the practice court. The 'dicks' you talk about are always going to be 'dicks' until they get beaten because it's the nature of the sport. It's egotistical to win at an individual sport, particularly at the junior level as it creates a feeling of superiority. The reason they keep winning is because their training is superior to the rest.
In one of my chapters 'The Wall And The Court' I spoke of a kid who all the other kids followed around like ducklings after their mother. I was unfortunate enough to play him in my first ever tournament, I received a belting. I was more shattered though when I heard him tell his mates I was 'weak'.
A year later I belted his brother in the very same tournament and I received some respect. I wanted revenge on the 'hero' but I settled for a win against his brother who wasn't far off his standard. I told myself from that very first tournament that I wasn't going to accept defeats like that ever again. That's when I started attacking the wall and every good player I could find to get my game up to speed. Have you read the Andre Agassi book ?
As egotistical as the 'Summer Of Revenge' was it was also something for Agassi to focus on to improve. He despised Becker and he wanted to beat him, if nothing more than to gain respect. It gave him a goal.
Tennis is full of 'dicks' and ego freaks but once you start beating them it all changes. Change the routine, find a 'hero' to hit with, that's when you will realize your potential and you will fear no one....