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As someone who over the years played over 400 hundred international open prize money tournaments all over the world, when I went to the ATP site one thing struck my mind above all the fuss about the Wimbledon final.
Below the big flashing pictures with captions about the matches a little to the right I read:
- Next Tournament!
Regular people can get all embroiled in what happened, how it happened and why it happened? Tennis players have to go back to the hotel, pack their bags, have someone take them to the airport and go to the next tournament.
This is the most fundamental thing you learn when you tour the world playing tennis, whether you win or lose there is always a next tournament, you leave your wins or losses behind and start preparing mentally and physically for it right as you leave central court. Some call it bouncing back, I call it survival of the fittest!
Roger and Nadal are in that process right now, however interesting the Wimbledon party and dinner, however alluring the chit-chat may be, it is all just a fleeting moment, deep down in their minds, their reality is tennis, their goal is the next tournament!
And the next tournament that really counts is the US Open.
Now, before I finish this article I would like to leave you with some important facts that I ignored because I wanted so much that Roger would win Wimbledon. And that is Statistics! They are unforgiving and no one is impervious to them Roger Federer included. From the tennis coaching and tennis training perspective I always look at match stats and the ATP has an excellent tool that allows you to analyse how players are fairing year around.
Previous to Roland Garros I had taken a look at the ATP statistics and what startled me was how Roger Federer’s and Rafael Nadal’s stats in November 20, 2006
compared to, June 23, 2008:
Service Game Leaders
November 20, 2006 June 23, 2008
ACES ACES
3. Federer, Roger 656 95 7. Federer, Roger 317 45
48. Nadal, Rafael 240 69 1. Nadal, Rafael 37 55
Second Serves Points Won Second Serves Points Won
1. Federer, Roger 59 95 2. Federer, Roger 58 45
2. Nadal, Rafael 57 1. Nadal, Rafael 60 55
1st Service Percentage 1st Service Percentage
14. Federer, Roger 63 95 15. Federer, Roger 65 45
5. Nadal, Rafael 69 69 3. Nadal, Rafael 70 55
Service Games Won Service Games Won
1. Federer, Roger 90 95 3. Federer, Roger 88 45
5. Nadal, Rafael 86 69 13. Nadal, Rafael 85 55
1st Service Points Won 1st Service Points Won
3. Federer, Roger 77 95 10. Federer, Roger 76 45
27. Nadal, Rafael 72 69 36. Nadal, Rafael 71 55
Break Points Saved Break Points Saved
1. Federer, Roger 70 95 18. Federer, Roger 64 45
4. Nadal, Rafael 68 69 28. Nadal, Rafael 63 55
Return of Service Leaders
Points Won Returning 1st Serves Points Won Returning 1st Serves
1. Federer, Roger 35 95 5. Federer, Roger 34 45
14. Nadal, Rafael 32 69 1. Nadal, Rafael 37 55
Break Points Converted Break Points Converted
14. Federer, Roger 43 95 21. Federer, Roger 43 45
15. Nadal, Rafael 43 69 10. Nadal, Rafael 46 55
Points Won Returning 2nd serve Points Won Returning 2nd serve
5. Federer, Roger 54 95 7. Federer, Roger 54 45
7. Nadal, Rafael 54 69 2. Nadal, Rafael 56 55
Return Games Won Return Games Won
5. Federer, Roger 32 95 10. Federer, Roger 29 45
12. Nadal, Rafael 29 69 1. Nadal, Rafael 38 55
* Statistics From ATP tennis site as of Jun 23, 2008 and November 20, 2006
As I compared the stats it was obvious that Rafael Nadal had grown into a much better player than Roger Federer.
At Wimbledon I tried to stay positive on Roger because I know how much a player can change from one surface to another and Roger did but, when you look at the above statistics you can tell that what Roger did at the Wimbledon 2008 final was a stretch of almost all of his resources.
Another point that I want to make as far as a player allowing his opponents to play or not to play.
Roger made three major mistakes on this final:
- He started still intimidated from the Roland Garros final. (He needed to have talked it over with a Coach he respects before the match, unfortunately he does not have that!)
- Unlike what he did in previous matches against other players Roger seldom used his backhand slice, instead he engaged in the usual ego fights of trying to beat Nadal at his own game with the topspin backhand.
- Roger did not serve an volley almost the whole match.
Lastly if you look at the statistics in the first two sets Roger in 30 times he had gone to the net in attacks (not serve and volley) he had won 22 points I do not need to elaborate on what a difference the addition of the serve and volley would have made to the equation.
From the tennis coaching and tennis instruction point of view, a player facing a much improved opponent must use all resources available and Roger Federer just did not do it.
Today at Wimbledon there were three winners. Rafael Nadal who deservingly and brilliantly won the trophy, Roger Federer that fought his way back into an apparently hopeless match and deserved to win and Tennis itself because these two players honoured the age old tradition of battling it out to the very end.
Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7
Olé Rafa, great match!
* You might find it useful to adapt this idea to improve your game, especially if you use statistical sheets or a computer program like a Professional match charting and analysis software for PocketPC and PC
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