Tennis Prose




Mar/12

27

Watching Paes and Stepanek


Paes and Stepanek are on Court one for a doubles match vs. the Brits Fleming and Hutchins on Monday night at the Sony Ericsson. From the first point, it’s a tight battle and a terrific match to watch. Paes and Stepanek survive break points in their early service games and win the deuce-deciders to keep it level, though the Brits are holding serve comfortably.

I’m amazed at how much interaction and physical and eye contact Paes and Stepanek, both dressed in white shorts, different green shirts and white Nikes, give each other. They do double hand claps once sometimes twice between points. They look into each other’s eyes and discuss tactics. They smile constantly. I’ve never seen a doubles team with this much communication on court. They talk and touch each other constantly. On the other side of the court, the Brits are silent and businesslike, they may as well be wearing a suit and ties.

While the Brits have a grim, serious countenance about them, Paes and Stepanek are having a jolly good time playing the game they clearly love. But they show a glimpse of their competitive fire. After Paes somehow reflexes a smash volley back to hit Fleming and win the game, Paes turns his head and glares over at the Brits while strutting back to the changeover chairs.

Paes and Step are coached by Rick Leach, who sits right behind them in the first row, one row in front of me. Leach is mostly quiet but does offer a few “Come on Lees” and “Right here Lee.”

Paes and Step take the first set 6-4 but it very easily could have been the reverse, had Hutchins and Fleming converted on their early break points and duece deciders.

For the second set I begin talking with supervisor Gerry Armstrong who asks about the card in my fedora which is promoting my Rios book. We talk some about Rios before he tells me that Paes had tried to secure Stepanek as his doubles partner for ten years but Step wouldn’t commit as he was more focused on singles. Finally they did connect earlier this year and in their first tournament together they won the Australian Open with a spectacular string of three upsets over top teams including the Bryans in the final, in straight sets.

Paes and Step go up a break in the second set, 3-2, but Paes is broken at love, so it’s 3-3. But they break right Fleming right back at love, and on his way back to his chair, I can hear Fleming mutter, “F***** pathetic.”

Earlier, Hutchins made his voice heard on the court. Hutchins took exception to Paes and Stepanek calling balls “out” numerous times. Hutchins complained to the chair ump after another out, “they’re calling every ball.”

Paes is a wizard and his racquet is his wand. Stepanek even did his elongated bowing arm wave move to Paes after one miraculous touch volley. At their chairs at one changeover after a break Step and Paes leaned their heads together and touched foreheads, smiling lovingly. This team really loves playing with each other and their enthusiasm and excitement is a thing of wonder.

Another moment of the match that made me smile was when the Brits won a point after Paes had to lunge to get his frame on the ball but the ball mishit high into the air out of the court, to end the game. Strangely, the ball ended up landing perfectly on the fence railing right behind the Brits chairs. As the Brits trooped back to their chairs, the ball hit by Paes, which had bounced off the top of the fence directed right towards Fleming who had to play it off his strings just a couple seconds before sitting down. Paes had somehow inadvertantly managed to make his opponent play one more ball. I don’t think Paes even realized it either.

In the second set Armstrong told me a couple of strange stories from his career as an official, which I had asked him for. One was in Palermo when he was chair umpire, he said a section of the stands collapsed. Also, in Chennai, late in a set, on a crucial point, maybe a set or break point, remembers Armstrong, Wesley Whitehouse was about to smash an overhead when suddenly a bat, yes a flying bat, came out of nowhere and attacked the ball while both were in flight. Armstrong ended up calling a let and poor Whitehouse, ended up losing the game and the match.

Armstrong told me he sees Whitehouse on occasion, the South African now lives in New Zealand, and joked that he often reminds him of that batty experience. When I notice that Hutchins has totally sweated through his orange adidas shorts – and it’s a cool night (Armstrong is wearing a black sweater), Gerry tells me that Hutchins is an unusually heavy sweater especially in hot humid condition, which tonight is not. He said he remembers one time where Hutchins actually had to retire in a match in Mumbai because he was feeling so poorly because of the heat.

Back to the match: Paes and Step broke Hutchins to win this marvelous match 64 63. The Czech and Indian veterans embraced, shook hands with their conquests then stood at their chairs and chatted away while spectator kids asked them for wristbands, headbands and finally the tape wrapped around Paes wrist. I couldn’t wait to watch anymore of what they did on court, the Federer-Roddick match on stadium was calling…

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10 comments

  • Andrew Miller · March 27, 2012 at 2:59 am

    What? Roddick over Federer? I guess I can stand on my Roddick’s record may look awful vs. Federer but Federer respects him line.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 27, 2012 at 3:43 am

    Federer sure does respect Roddick, he said after: “I’m happy to see him play really well. He’s a great champion and yeah, enjoy him while you have him. I hope you guys give him more credit than he’s getting at the moment. It was a great night for American tennis I guess.”

  • Dan Markowitz · March 27, 2012 at 9:03 am

    Geez, Scoop, you’ve got more energy than Paes, himself. You’re all over Crandon Park. I watched the Roddick-Fed match and Roddick, right down to the final ace, was playing Fed well. He force-fed (sorry for the pun) the ball to Fed’s backhand, made Fed’s bh return of serve look feeble and he never let Fed play his game.

    These are the kind of matches where you say Fed doesn’t have another chance at winning a major. I know Djoko lost to Isner last week, but I can’t see him losing to Roddick like Fed just did.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 27, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    Dan, it’s an okay loss by Roger, he was almost all smiles after at the press conf, not at all upset, said he felt a little tired after all the recent matches, feels it was about time he came up with a sort of flat performance, though when Roddick was told about the “tired” comment Roddick nicely but sharply said, “I’ve never seen Roger tired.”

  • Steve · March 27, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    Last good win of Roddick’s career?

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 27, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    Steve; He beat Djok in Cincy in 2010 64 75, Greg Sharko told me this last night, we were talking Rod’s last big win, I thought it was beating Nadal here two years ago in final. I think beating Raonic in Memphis late in the third set was a thrilling win too, that win seemed to take something out of Roddick for the remainder of 2011.

  • Gans · March 29, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    Scoop,
    Enjoyed the read. Paes is vivacious and that’s a great thing for doubles.

    Fed was flat for major part of the first set, but as soon as he got his game back, there was no contest. He broke Roddick three times to win to win the second set 6-1.

    Fed did see a 0-40 on Roddick’s first game in the third, but just couldn’t convert. Plus, he played some really bad approach shots (right into Roddick’s forehand with time in hand) to lose his own game.

    Once Roddick got that break, he never let Fed off the hook.

    Dan,
    Although, I don’t think Fed will win another major….hope to be proven wrong though, but I have a feeling that this is the kind of match that wouldn’t hurt Fed, but could boost Roddick’s confidence. However, he ran out of juice against Mayer the next day. So much for that.

  • Gans · March 29, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    I saw this coming even during Fed’s match against Ryan Harrison.

    Scoop, do you recollect what I wrote after the match? Fed started shanking out of no where, he had no pressure, but yet, he couldn’t find the court on both BH and FH- happened all of a sudden. That’s why I think, I wasn’t impressed with Ryan that he couldn’t push Fed to third.

    Although Roddick is correct that Fed is never tired, but times are different. He may be truly tired and may be happy to rest. After all, he had won so many tournaments since USO.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 29, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    Gans Paes is such a pleasure to watch, not only his amazing talents but also his personality and expressions, I’m really looking forward to see the Paes/Step rematch with the Bryans later today on the stadium.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 29, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    Gans Fed might have lost the feel because perhaps Harrison started to hit the ball just a little harder or with more spin that threw off Fed’s timing? Or he was having a mental lapse possibly. Fed is human and after his long season so far, he was due to hit a rough patch as he did in Miami. I think this is the perfect time for him to catch a breather, he’ll be fresh and recharged for the clay season. He’s made his big statement on hard courts.

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