I call twins!

But twins, would mean a noisy plane ride for the master.

Righty v Lefty - "The Struggle"

I have never given it much thought that a big factor between the winner and the loser in the great rivalry between RogerFederer and Rafael Nadal is not the surface but whether the player's are left or right handed. This weekend, after playing a very difficult lefty in a USTA League tennis match, I finally understood what it must be like for Federer to play a left handed player, and one as talented as Nadal, for 5 excruciating sets.

First off, Left handed players have an advantage when it comes to playing righties. They are accustomed to playing righties because most of the world is right handed. A righty practices with righties about 80-90% of the time, and not often enough, encounters a left handed opponent. So left handed players are adept to playing righthanders. But we, right handers are always thrown when we face the dreadful lefty spin.

Now, I'm considered a pretty good 4.5 player in my neck of the woods and usually have no problem breaking players with my excellent return of service. One time, while playing college tennis I broke my opponent every time they served, I held ONLY once and won the match! Score, 7-6, 7-5! Unfortunately, my return of serve (my biggest weapon) is neutralized when I play a lefty spin. And usually, my left handed opponent zeros in on his God-given advantage.



In my match this weekend, the match came down to one singular tactic. My opponent diligently figured he could diffuse my slice backhand with his lefty spin. He would come in behind every short ball he hit to my backhand and finish the point with him at the net. What he did in essence is kind of the way,Nadal uses his lefty spin to Federer's backhand for the entirety of their matches. Taking away the rest of Federer's magical repertoire and focusing the game on one thing, Nadal's left hand forehand to Federer's backhand. Well, that's exactly how I felt playing this guy. Frustrated, I yearned to see a good ball that I could rip with my solid forehand. Unfortunately, this was the typical battle of the 'lefty v therighty.'



Here are some tactics to consider next time you play a left-handed player. Some of these in combination can work to perfection.

Return of Serve
1. Consider stepping into the court, to receive serve, and hit the ball early off the bounce before it generates too much spin.
2. Swing from low to high, to return. Swinging upward will not clash with the ball's projected spin.
3. Follow through completely on your swing, don't hesitate upon contact as you will lose control sending the ball flying into outer space

The Match
1. Don't let you're opponent control the point. Stay aggressive and take charge.
2. Attack their weakness, lefty's too have a weakness and it's usually in the form of their backhand.
3. Nail them to one corner, until you have the perfect ball to put away to the open court.

Serving
1. Be EXTRA focused on holding serve, their serve may be difficult to register at first, so hold serve until you become familiar with their patterns.
2. Hold serve, again, nothing might work but at least you're holding.
3. SURPRISE: Use righty spin on your serve to wreak havoc on their return.

It can be a struggle out there, when you're opponent doesn't let you see anything else but one tactic for an entire match. So what to do when you're playing a lefty? Give them a similar medicine and zero in on one tactic.this can be, usually hitting to one side of the court for the entire match.

I didn't have the most pleasant day playing a lefty, nor did I win my match. Like Federer, I faced a very good lefty, and I can only hope to beat them next time.

Federer: Mirka is Pregnant

Dear Fans

I arrived in Indian Wells earlier this week and I am eager to get back out on court. My back is feeling much better and I am ready to go.

I also have some really awesome news to share with all of you: Mirka and I are excited to let you know that we will be parents this summer! Mirka is pregnant and we are so happy to be starting a family together. This is a dream come true for us. We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well.

Speak soon and thanks for all your continued support!

Roger

The Split

The pairing of Roger Federer + Darren Cahill is over before it even began reports The New York Times:



Federer, the 13-time Grand Slam singles champion from Switzerland, and Cahill, one of the most successful coaches in tennis, have long been considered a likely match. Both are understated and analytical, and Federer has a strong connection with Cahill’s home country of Australia.

But according to Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, Federer and Cahill will not be working together going forward, in large part because Cahill was not prepared to travel as extensively as Federer would have required. Cahill has two young children and is now based in Las Vegas, where he moved when he was coaching now-retired American star Andre Agassi. Cahill also has a second home in Adelaide, Australia.

“Darren’s a great guy, and personally I think it was a good fit, but it just didn’t go much further once it came down to the traveling,” Godsick said. “Darren thought about it once he got there. Roger is a guy who lives in Switzerland and trains in Dubai, and Darren has kind of set up a comfortable life in Vegas. And I think he realized that just being on the road 20-plus weeks would be too tough a go for him with his young family.”

trackback

look, it's going to be a while

From Roger Federer's official page:

Dear Fans,

Today I am disappointed to announce that I am withdrawing from both Dubai and the Davis Cup tie in the United States. This was a hard decision to make as I am missing not only one of my favorite events on tour in Dubai but I am also missing out on an opportunity to help my country try and move on to the next round of Davis Cup. After injuring my back last fall, I did not have enough time to strengthen it completely. As a precautionary measure, I will use the next few weeks to make sure the back injury is fully rehabilitated and I am ready for the rest of the 2009 season.

As always, thanks for your continued support.
Roger

If u ever have had back pain, you know it doesn't go away permanently with a little rub. I hate to be a pessimist but once the back pain starts, it's never the same again. It's chronic, it's nagging, it's a frustrating pain to have to play with. And he's saying he's been having this pain since last fall? Oh boy, that doesn't sound good. Poor Fed, I wish him a speedy recovery.

Broken Psyche

I'm still trying to process the trophy ceremony, which left me in tears, though I had cheered for Nadal the entire match. I like what Laikhuran P, from India had to offer as a response to the article, Dealing with the hurt

"That moment when Roger's emotion burst ,I thought, well, it was not just a game. It was a lot more than it. He perhaps realized that he has reached a point in life where he needs to start thinking beyond tennis. Even if he continues for another three years, something on his face tells me there is something going on in his mind other than tennis . As for the game, I think Roger himself knows he is against this huge thick high wall which he may not be able to dismantle. Ever. I think he knows this was the best moment to achieve that 'pinnacle' which has still eluded him."

No Changes at the Top

Rankings, Rankings, I love rankings!

No Changes in the rankings for the Top 4 after Aussie, regardless of the Final.

Rafa is ahead of the pack... by a mile.

And Muzz made no in roads towards the top despite coming to Oz red hot.

Novak's dream of becoming No.1 ... is only a dream at the moment.

Federer in 5!

Phew! Can you say "stressed out"? Being a hardcore Federer supporter and fan, I was so worried to see him go down 2 sets to Tomas Berdych in the Round of 16 at the Aussie Open tonight. The hard-hitting Czech was in complete control during those 1st two sets. His forehands were crisp and literally hitting the line, time and time again.

But in the 7th game of the 3rd set, a combination of increased performance by Federer and a couple of unforced errors by Berdych, found the Fed Express turning the tide for the first time during the match. Roger had found his stride and starting believing in himself again. He took the match 4/6 6/7 6/4 6/4 6/2. Wow! I was sweating beads! I actually took a shower break just to calm my emotions down. Haha! In a night that saw Jelena Jankovic make an early exit, this would have been an even bigger upset! Luckily for JJ (and Federer), her headline is safe.

The true sign of a Champion is his ability to dig down deep, and to find the courage to fight no matter what. It was so refreshing to see Federer showing so much emotion.

This win will give Federer a lot of confidence heading into the Quarterfinals. Look out del Potro!

Who’s the djoker now?

Roger Federer was playing some mind games with Djokovic, stating that he may have made a mistake switching from Wilson to Head right before a Grand Slam.

“I mean it’s tough because there’s always a factor with the weather, how do you play, day form, you know, other contenders, the pressure, now a new racquet. I’m quite surprised he made a switch like this in the best phase of his career. He can for sure play good tennis, but I think when it comes down to the crunch you just have that bit of a doubt maybe, because you are not quite that comfortable with that racquet. But we’ll see what happens. It’s going to be a big test for him."

Federer gets tough draw!

It seems everywhere I look, journalist are writing about the "difficult" draw Federer was handed for the upcoming Australian Open. According the Tennis Experts Blog by Martin Rogers (Federer slammed by Aussie draw),

Roger Federer finds plenty to get angry about these days, and his Australian Open draw likely won't improve his mood.

Tough draw? Are you serious? Federer is lucky to be in the bottom half of the draw. At this stage of the game, it's more psychological for the Fed Express. And the only true psychological competitors that Federer currently has on the circuit are Nadal and Murray. But for good measure, let's take a look at his competition for the upcoming Aussie Open.

Seppi - In Federer's 1st Round, he will have to face the very capable Andreas Seppi. But despite the skill level of the Italian, Federer holds a 3-0 record over him. Their latest meeting was in Doha, where Federer out-played Seppi 6/3 6/3.

Moya - To date, Federer holds a commanding 7-0 lead in head-to-head confrontations with the Spaniard. And this takes into account when Moya was at his very best. In their latest match-up, Federer showed impeccable form in downing Moya in straight sets at 6/2 6/3.

Safin - The last time Safin took down the King was in 2005 at the Australian Open. That was a different Safin. Since then, he has lost every encounter to Federer. Their last match was at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, where Federer took Safin out in straight sets, 6/3 7/6(3) 6/4. En route to that match, Safin was showing his best form to-date. Even at his best, Federer showed no signs of weakness to the Russian. Their current head-to-head stats show Federer up 9-2.

Djokovic only potential roadblock Federer is likely to face on his way to appearing in his 18th Grand Slam Final appearance. And even then, Federer holds a 7-2 head-to-head lead over the Serb. The Djoker hasn't been playing his best tennis as of late either, losing twice in two weeks to players outside the Top 30. He will have to improve his form prior to his meeting with Federer if he wants to put a dent in the King's armour.

So, tough draw? I hardly think so! These are players that Federer holds a competitive advantage over, both psychologically and physically. The real competition is in the upper half of the draw, where many of the younger, up-and-coming talents will have to out-gun and out-play each other just to make it to the Final.

Although the media is oh-so eager to create drama, I highly doubt that Federer is all that worried about his half of the draw. See you in Melbourne!

Australian Open Draw Out - ATP

Looking at the men's draw for this years Australian Open, we're in for a good one.

Upper Half of the Draw
Nadal gets the BIG Names, Half the city of Paris, three compatriots and four Argentines.. and a very long road to the Final.

Murray and Tsonga look primed for a Quarterfinal match-up at Rod Laver Arena. But Tsonga may first have to pass an impromptu exam sometime in the 3rd or 4th Rounds with veterans Blake and/or Schuttler.

Lower Half of the Draw
Djokovic, not playing his best tennis, comes to the Australian Open as the defending Champion and could face Jarkko Niemenen in the 3rd round. He lost to Jarkko in straight sets at the Medibank International in Sydney last night. But, if everything goes according to plan, Novak will await the winner of Nalbandian/Roddick in the Quarterfinals. This match-up is sure to be a healthy check-up before a potential rematch of last year's Semifinal with Roger Federer.

Federer has two former champions, Carlos Moya and Marat Safin, both nowhere near their former best. Facing little to no resistance, Fed could walk his way right into the Championship match simply by passing his first hurdle in the Semifinals.

Novak denied!

I guess the old adage of "the 3rd times a charm" doesn't hold true for Nole! And to top things off, he lost yet again to a tricky lefty! Federer can breath a sigh of relief, as his No. 2 ranking is still intact. Congrats to Jarkko, on a hard-fought, smart match against the world No. 3. At 27, this is his first win over a Top-5 player. Fun match to watch!

Thanks to channelsurfing.net for providing FREE, live streamed matches from Sydney.