[Tytta!.]

I'm dead :haha:

Thanks Peggy! :kiss:

 

[Cat123]

Everyone seen the boys singing Jingle Bells on the ATP site? Made me smile. Lost the link though, sorry.

 

[Tytta!.]

Read above.

 

[Cat123]

Ooops! Aparently I'm blind...

 

[Tytta!.]

:lol:

 

[Tytta!.]

2007 Davis Cup – Lessons Learned

Jim McLennan

Davis Cup is still fresh in my mind – from the drama, the extremely high level of play, the shot making, the fan involvement, to finally the recapture of this venerable cup after a 12 year drought. Last week our Joel Drucker covered this story in an article, "Davis Cup: Come Together," for our December 8th newsletter.

I would like to concentrate on what I took away from the matches (and I witnessed it from the stands in Portland) as a teacher and player and how you might apply the lessons learned to your game. Tennis is as much about tactics as technique. And more so about how certain tactics fit one’s style of play, and how those same tactics can expose an opponent’s tendencies and weaknesses. Roddick and Blake employed wildly different game plans, and those wonderful Bryan Brothers put on a veritable doubles clinic for the overmatched Russians, but there is much “between these tactical lines” that you and I can use on court.

Andy Roddick: Keep the Ball in Play

Roddick dispatched Dmitry Tursunov, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the first match to give the U.S. an opening lead. Roddick’s unreturnable serve and consistent backcourt play drained most of the emotion from the match. He secured one early break in each of the first two sets, two breaks in the third set, and faced just one break point in the entire match. Roddick finished the 2007 Davis Cup campaign with an unblemished 6 and 0 singles record, and in many ways his style of play – unreturnable serves and error free defensive tennis from well behind the baseline - presented insurmountable problems for all his Davis Cup opponents.

Certainly, Jimmy Connors has been retained by the Roddick camp to instill a baseline-hugging, moving-forward, offensive style of play. And though they still work together, Connors was no where in sight during the Davis Cup, nor was Roddick’s interpretation of Jimbo’s style of play. But though he may still work on that game, he chose to play defense against Tursunov and did it exceptionally well. Whenever the rally exceeded three shots, Roddick, often playing 12, 15, or even 18 feet behind the baseline, was always the more consistent. Heavily under spun one handed backhands, spiny rather than driving forehands, all used in service of error free play.

Tursunov, a capable top 30 player, plays without the necessary skills to counter the Roddick game plan. First and foremost when returning serve, whether Tursunov or you and I, the receiver must get the ball back in play. Blocking, chipping, floating, do anything to make the return. Dmitry hits big shots and this worked against him on the return game. Secondly, when an opponent plays way back from the baseline, move forward, find sharp crosscourt angles, and or approach the net because it becomes exponentially more difficult to pass from that deep in the court. But Dmitry played a straight-ahead power game with little feel for angles, finesse, or volleys. And from Roddick’s winning point of view, there was no need for him to change his game plan. When winning – continue to impose your tactics and style of play. When losing – change your tactics, change your style, change some thing or the end result will not be (nor was it) in doubt.

James Blake: Accept Risk and Withstand the Errors

The Blake Youzhny affair was a match of a far different color. Both men are big hitters and capable and nimble volleyers. And both made incredible shots from unbelievable positions, stunning the crowd with beautiful one handed topspin drives, and deadly forehands. As ever, the Blake forehand may be the most lethal shot in tennis, and his forehand return of serve, when timed correctly, is bigger I think than Agassi’s.

Youzhny did not serve particularly well, and escaped with some suspect second serves whenever James fell into his occasional spells of inexplicable inconsistent play. But as the match progressed, with both players truly neck and neck, James captured the fourth set tiebreaker; trailing 2-3 he delivered two unreturnable serves, followed by two steady return points, to finally finish the match with a forehand winner.

In James’ elated post match interview he commented on mental toughness and alluded to the persistent questions he received during the week about his ability to deliver in big situations. And, as he captured the first and second set, the overhead scoreboard showed that Blake had lost four matches over the years when ahead 2 sets to 0. But I disagree. Blake is mentally tough – in fact very mentally tough; the truth is that Blake plays extremely high risk tennis. His flat ground strokes lack margin over the net. He is prone to go for the big shot rather than keep the ball in play. And often he plays down the line for no discernable reason, where the net is highest and the player has a shorter distance to work with. The story, or the question to be posed by the press, should be more about his feel for tactics and strategy rather than the state of his mind.

That said, when you or I encounter a high risk, aggressive player, the trick is to keep the ball in play, and favor crosscourt ground strokes. This countering style encourages the high risk opponent to play down the line. Further, under spin backhands tempt these big hitters into extremely difficult approaches. Youzhny, however, appeared to play equally big high risk tennis – pleasing to the audience but not exactly a countering strategy. If, on the other hand, you are the big-hitting, high-risk player looking to hit winners and force errors rather than simply waiting for the opponent’s mistakes, the secret is to accept the risks that go hand-in-hand with this style of play, and not dwell on missed opportunities. James did quite well on this score, and we saw the evidence in the fourth set tiebreaker.

Mike and Bob Bryan: Move Forward and Dominate

The Bryans, on paper, the world’s number one ranked team entered the match heavily favored. The wily Russian coach inserted Davydenko and Igor Andreev, each without any real doubles results on their professional resumes. That said, the first set showed a glimmer of the Russian tactics with Davydenko and Andreev playing mostly from the baseline, rarely venturing forward or playing competently when at the net. But with both teams holding serve and through to a first set tiebreaker.

In the breaker, the Bryans fell behind a mini-break with Davydenko serving at 3-2, at which point the Russian wheels fell off. Davydenko lost both points on serve, Andreev ended the tiebreaker with a double fault, and Davydenko proceeded to be broken once in the second set and twice in the third, as the Bryans ran out the match and captured the cup.

Doubles Tactics

Get your first serves in, make all your returns, and dominate at the net. On this score the Bryans play picture perfect doubles. Both serve consistently, both return serve simply, favoring placement over brute power, but oh, at the net, these guys really dominate. As they pressed their advantage at the end of the first set, and then began to steamroll, I counted more than one dozen spikes. And though that may not be the normal term to describe volley winners, Bob and Mike move so darn close to the net that they often hit sharply down on the ball, almost like a volley ball spike. And their spike volleys and reflex overheads were unreturnable.

Normally when players crowd the net, they may be susceptible to the lob, and in fact there were two well placed topspin crosscourt lobs by the Russians. But two lob winners in no way overcome more than one dozen spike winners. When you get the chance, watch these guys and marvel at their explosive quickness, and make your own count of their spikes.

A Disclaimer

This Davis Cup team, and in particular, Andy and James, have labored under the unfortunate scenario to play in the shadow of our greatest generation. Pretty tough to follow in the Davis Cup and Grand Slam footsteps of Sampras, McEnroe, Agassi and Courier. But Andy and James consistently put it all on the line, and endure persistent criticism about aspects of their games that might be improved. And certainly this writer continues to be one of those “technical” critics. But I say, celebrate these guys. They love the game. They love captain Patrick McEnroe. And they have captured the Cup. Bravo! As to the Bryans, I expect they will eclipse all Davis Cup records by any twosome for most wins – these guys will be around for a long time.

 

[Tytta!.]

If you don't like this, complain to me.

 

[Cat123]

Great article, good read! A hell of a lot more interesting than my dissertation which I'm meant to be finishing now....

 

[Tytta!.]

:lol:

Good luck with that!

 

[Veronique]

Vote for a D Young forum here http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?p=6347275#post6347275

 

[Björki]

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23077912-5012689,00.html

Twin-win situation for Bryans
Article from: The Sunday Telegraph

By Chico Harlan

January 20, 2008 12:00am

AFTER their latest straight-sets victory - their 14th in a row at Melbourne Park - the Bryan brothers, reclining in the Rod Laver Arena cafeteria, were halfway through lunch and a card game when a visitor interrupted.

The brothers looked up from their table to see Martina Navratilova.

If the Bryans hadn't yet certified their reign in doubles tennis with their five grand slam titles, or with their two championships at Melbourne Park, or with their images alongside that of Roger Federer on the cover of the ATP media guide, or with their 77-9 win-loss record in 2007, then Navratilova's greeting sealed the deal.

Before making further small talk, she bent down and kissed them both.

Navratilova told the brothers they had done an awesome job in the Davis Cup final in December, where their doubles performance clinched a US victory.

"I tried to text you but I don't think you got it,'' she said.

"Maybe I don't have the right number.''

For years now, twins Bob and Mike Bryan have created the most recognisable (maybe the only recognisable) presence in doubles tennis. They've done this not by asserting their individual personalities but by combining them. Bob and Mike are two people only in the manner that fish and chips are two meals. On the court, they wear identical Adidas outfits, pull their socks up to identical lengths and win points with the announcer declaring:

"Game, Bryan-Bryan.'' Often, in celebration, they bump chests.

They attended the same university. They pledged to the same fraternity. They live together in Florida. They holiday together. They've gone on double dates together. They play in a band together called, naturally, the Bryan Bros. They are doubles partners nonpareil because they don't view themselves as partners.

"I look at him,'' Bob said yesterday, motioning toward Mike, "and it's almost like looking at half of myself.''

Even their principle differences, being that they are so minute, reinforce their oneness. Mike is older by two minutes. Bob is left-handed. Mike is 2cm shorter and 4kg lighter. Bob's jawline swells where Mike's tapers. Bob plays the keyboards, Mike plays the drums.

"He's more right-brained and I'm more left-brained,'' Mike said. "Or wait - maybe I'm more left-brained and he's more right-brained.''

When starting their professional tennis careers 10 years ago, the brothers - Bob especially - experimented with a run at the singles life.

The circuit's higher profile provided the motivation: singles tournaments carry more prizemoney, attract more spectators and almost always lead to more lucrative endorsement deals.

But singles also prevented the brothers from playing together - for them, a privilege, not a sacrifice. When Bob ranked just outside the singles top 100, on the cusp of qualifying for grand slams, Mike went out, found some partners and entered doubles tournaments. He won two titles. The brothers soon decided to combine forces, focus exclusively on doubles and hope that greatness in a secondary circuit would trump mediocrity on centre stage.

From almost the moment they became a doubles-only team, they also became its best. Even their apparel sponsor, Adidas, tied incentives into their performance as a team: as a brand, they carried more worth together than they did alone.

"We had a lot of dreams,'' Bob said, "and the only way to reach them was to cut singles out.''

"Now we're trying to make doubles more popular,'' Mike said.

"Still, it needs to be on TV. It was dying a few years ago. They were cutting into prizemoney. The top executives at the ATP wanted to do away with it. They were saying doubles doesn't sell a lot of tickets. But it's a great part of the game's history. It might not be the main course ...'' Bob interrupted and finished the sentence. "But it's a great appetiser.''

On the court, they form an ideal tandem, Mike specialising in the volley game, Bob dishing up a near-unbreakable serve. In 2006, when Navratilova played her final mixed doubles grand slam tournament, she chose Bob as her partner.

"I'm wondering why Bob's not playing singles with that serve - bloody hell!'' Navratilova said after they won.

But the Bryans have developed an answer for those who wonder. First of all, they grew up playing together, starting from age two. Their unspoken code of communication - the kind known only between twins - helped in doubles tennis, where spacing and timing determine effectiveness.

They never experienced sibling rivalry. When they began training in Florida, alongside singles players James Blake and Mardy Fish, they developed a keen awareness of the singles existence: it caused greater stress and provided less reward.

"I mean, Mardy finished 40th in the world last year and that's really good,'' Bob said.

"But he only won half of his matches. I don't know how much fun that is, to bat .500 and not win that many tournaments. That's probably what I would be, if not a little lower, in singles.''

Doubles, unlike singles, can love you back, especially when a team like the Bryans sweeps through early rounds of tournaments against hodge-podge partnerships formed only weeks, or days, earlier.

Playing together, the Bryans have won 44 titles. Before retirement, they'd like to surpass the record of 61 established by Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

"Maybe a lot of the doubles specialists don't get the respect,'' Bob said. "It's like, they don't work as hard or they're not as skilled. Like it was just a fallback. But I think (other pros) know this wasn't just our fallback. It was our choice.

"I don't regret the decision one bit,'' Mike said.

"We've had too many highs to look back.''

 

[Deboogle!.]

Bryan brothers enjoy their doubles life
By Darren Sabedra
Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
Article Launched:02/17/2008 01:44:51 AM PST

They're as anonymous in the sports world as middle relievers and third-string quarterbacks, but twin doubles aces Bob and Mike Bryan wouldn't have it any other way.

"I think we've got the perfect deal," Mike said.

The Bryans, who will come to San Jose this week for the SAP Open, have each topped $4 million in prize money. They're widely popular in tennis circles - so much so that they command appearance fees to play - but neither has to worry about being noticed at the grocery store.

"Mike and I have a great niche in the sport," Bob said. "(Andy) Roddick has to deal with a lot of pressure and media commitments. I'm sure he would like to go through an airport one time and not sign an autograph.

"Mike and I are famous in the tennis world, and that's great. It's great to go to a tennis tournament and have fans root for you and take pictures. But when we go home and want some privacy, we have it."

The Bryans, 29, are identical twins with far from identical personalities. "Bob is more of the leader of the team," Patrick McEnroe said. "Mike's a little more of a worrier. He's always worried about something.":lol:

McEnroe knows the Bryans as well as anyone in tennis. As captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, he was on the sideline two months ago in Portland, Ore., when the brothers clinched America's first Davis Cup title in 12 years.

The Bryans are a machine on the court. They have finished No. 1 in the year-end world rankings four times and have won five Grand Slam titles, most recently at the 2007 Australian Open.

Off the court, the twins have never spent more than a week apart in their entire lives. They share homes in Tampa, Fla., and Camarillo, where they mostly resemble the odd couple. As Mike put it, "I'm doing the laundry, the dishes and packing the bags usually, and he's just watching TV on the couch."

Mike, who is two minutes older, is the one with the longtime girlfriend, and both joke that it will be a little weird when one or both of them marry. "I think we're going to eventually live on the same street or something," Mike said. "Twins got to stick together."

Despite the differences, the former Stanford stars co-exist with only occasional spats.

"I'm more left brain; he's more right brain," Mike said. "I think more (about the) future. I'm more of a planner. He's more creative. He's never on time. He's messy. I'm the one who has to keep the ship sailing smoothly."

Bob doesn't disagree. But, he adds, "He knows nothing about computers. I'm kind of the technology guy. We're a good match."

They've been a good tennis pairing since they were 6. The sons of former players - Wayne Bryan played in college; Kathy (Blake) Bryan played professionally - the chest-bumping twins were raised with rackets in hand. And doubles was always their forte, largely because Wayne Bryan, who managed his own tennis club for 25 years, wanted his sons to play together in college.

In many ways, playing doubles was the best of two worlds for the brothers. If one or both lost in singles, they'd always have a doubles trophy to bring home.

Bob would go on to win college tennis' triple crown for Stanford in 1998 - singles, doubles and team titles - and was on the cusp of a singles breakthrough as pro when he turned his focus strictly to doubles.

"He kind of made the sacrifice for me," said Mike, who also played singles but was slowed by injuries.

Bob isn't complaining. After all, he and Mike set an Open era record by reaching seven consecutive Grand Slam finals in 2005-06 and have won every major at least once.

"To be No. 1 in the world and to win Grand Slams and to win Davis Cup, it's a dream come true," Bob said. "I wouldn't change a thing. Every day I wake up, and I can't believe the way it has gone."

The Bryans' dominance is a welcome sight for teammates on the U.S. Davis Cup team.

"We wouldn't want another doubles team, that's for sure," Roddick said. "The amount that they do for tennis as far as kids clinics, they're always involved in that sort of stuff with their dad, really promoting the game of doubles. Their passion for tennis is up their with anybody."

Dick Gould, the twins' coach at Stanford, isn't surprised by their success. If they stay healthy, he believes they can flourish into their mid-30s.

"You learn you never underestimate what someone can do," said Gould, who will be at HP Pavilion on Tuesday to watch the Bryans play. "Being on the Davis Cup team has been a big boost for them. They love the team concept."

The twins enjoyed the ultimate team experience - and fulfilled a major goal - when the United States defeated Russia in the Davis Cup final two months ago.

"We never dreamed that this career would be as sweet as it has been," Mike said. "We always had dreams of maybe being No. 1, but never dreamed that we'd be No. 1 four times and dominate like we have the last few years."

 

[Tytta!.]

"I think we've got the perfect deal," Mike said.

Thanks captain.

The Bryans, 29, are identical twins with far from identical personalities. "Bob is more of the leader of the team," Patrick McEnroe said. "Mike's a little more of a worrier. He's always worried about something."

:haha:

Off the court, the twins have never spent more than a week apart in their entire lives. They share homes in Tampa, Fla., and Camarillo, where they mostly resemble the odd couple. As Mike put it, "I'm doing the laundry, the dishes and packing the bags usually, and he's just watching TV on the couch."

:haha:

Mike, who is two minutes older, is the one with the longtime girlfriend, and both joke that it will be a little weird when one or both of them marry. "I think we're going to eventually live on the same street or something," Mike said. "Twins got to stick together."

Oh man :haha:

Bob doesn't disagree. But, he adds, "He knows nothing about computers. I'm kind of the technology guy. We're a good match."

:haha:

 

[Kate87]

now I understand why I always felt Bob closer to me:lol: (although I loved both maths and English )

thanks Deb

 

[Tytta!.]

Maths and English rule.

 

[Kate87]

of course:dance:

 

[Tytta!.]

 

[Kate87]

 

[Tytta!.]

 

[Kate87]