Talking Tennis with Gigi Fernandez

Wonder why Tracy Austin said that. Maybe the injuries 😉 not calling it an injury, but Henin was notoriously tough and somewhat fragile, always ill. Fair enough though, Austin knows what she saw

Sofia Kenin was very good. Not a real innovative game out there. Mostly power. Good serve. Loads of desire. Not my favorite!

My advice to Shapovalov and Felix: read Gigi’s article and make a point of winning slams now. Don’t wait! Federer didn’t ask permission. Sampras didn’t open the door for Agassi to waltz through to his first slam. Becker didn’t say sorry when he won his first Wimbledon. Gomez wasn’t apologetic for ruining Muster’s comeback, Nadal wasn’t sorry he ruined Coria’s chances on clay after 2004.

The champs don’t apologize. They just don’t. They saw sorry afterwards blah blah blah. But they are savages during the match.

Scoop, Agassi really appreciated Hewitt’s talent and that of Rios. He knew how good they were. We have to acknowledge that those screaming returns of serve, when big serves went back over the net – this was intimidating for players and those who believed they could serve their way out of trouble.

Hewitt brought that to the game as well. It may be like you’re saying another sign that Hewitt wasn’t intimidated to play stronger opponents. But he also spoke with the quality of his game.

But I get your point and you are right. Beautiful games don’t win slams. Ruthless players win slams. If a slam winner’s game happens to be beautiful, it’s also lethal and gives other players nightmares or trauma!

Andrew, I don’t remember all the things that Austin mentioned in comparing Andreescu and Henin, but two things were they are both shorter and and both have (had) a lot of variety.

Scoop,talent wins. Federer didn’t just let balls go by on court. That US Open semifinal was nuts – the shot Djokovic hit to un-nerve Federer on one of Federer match points (?), I’d actually seen Djokovic hit that shot two years earlier in his match against Nadal in the 2008 Queens final.

That’s talent. Better believe Djokovic had hit that shot before, a hail (name your saint) shot.

Djokovic was also smart enough to cut the chord with Todd Martin, who vastly improved the Djokovic volley but gutted the Djokovic serve. Sorry for the aside, just shows Djokovic was able to differentiate between what would move his game forward and what didn’t work. Same with Agassi – as much as that didn’t work out, Djokovic mined some gold as his backhand already copied Agassi and suddenly his forehands had a sharper cut on them once they were done. Djokovic just absorbs learning like no one.

Anyhows, what I’m trying to express is that verbal potshots don’t mean much if a player can’t back them up. Soderling had done the same thing but didn’t have the stamina, and gave players reasons to hate him. That isn’t what I think works.

But what works? Treating Federer as if he were Robredo, that works. A big match, but a match against a mortal. Anyone that watches Federer KNOWS that when Federer gets a few match points on his serve he sometimes plays it too safe. Roddick would knock you in the stomach if he had that kind of chance to put a match away vs Federer.

Federer seemingly floats that serve – still hard, just almost predictable that he prefers to get it in rather than give you another look.

So Djokovic was smart enough to send a suck serve back from Federer back at a gazillion miles per hour.

Federer by the way did the same kind of thing in his match against Nadal 2005 Miami. Nadal was up two sets to none and heading into match points. Federer then became brat pack Federer and smashed his racquet.

It broke Nadal’s concentration and Federer went on to win that match. That match STILL counts to Federer!

And Djokovic still gets on everyone’s nerves. He doesn’t mind renting out all the available space in Federer and Nadal’s psyche. Doesn’t mind it at all.

These guys, all three, are ruthless! Anyone that gets sucked into how sweet they are should go play golf with Nadal. He’ll make them hate him.

Hartt, Austin knows what she sees! Andreescu is a fine, fine player. Canada is doing something correct up there. They are failing on the k-instinct side so I hope Shapo, Felix take some notes from the Andreescu match and notice something…

I think Serena has enough experience that she knows what to expect from the crowd. She could use it to motivate herself even more.

She has won the Rogers Cup 3 times and if she wins tomorrow she will tie Seles for the most at 4.

Medvedev shaping up as a U.S. Open title candidate.

My dark horse to win it all: Taylor Fritz.

Nadal vs a Medvedev already talking trash. This is an easy call. That said Medvedev has done well to make two finals in a row.
He reminds me of Kafelnikov light. If some guys on tour played with Medvedev’s ability to keep opponents guessing…

Sorry Monfils couldn’t play Nadal. I don’t get it, but he may not have wanted to lose badly in front of a friendly crowd.

Speaking of Khachanov – he plays like Safin. Hits a huge ball. But… nowhere near as good.

What’s amazing – these guys are huge. Medvedev’s six foot six. Khachanov is big, no? Zverev’s big.

Sheesh, Serena Williams elevated her game to take Bouzkova out. My goodness. Bouzkova had her on the ropes yet from the first game was huffing and puffing. Nice game from Bouzkova, wow – showed form that 9 times out of 10 wins big time matches. But slowly and surely Serena Williams began wrong footing Bouzkova – making her come forward when she didn’t want to, making her move in directions she didn’t want to.

Bouzkova suddenly didn’t want to chase down any more drop shots. Because she couldn’t – she tried to get to as many balls as she could and Serena used Bouzkova’s strengths against her. Serena was up for this match! So many many times players lose that match.

For what it’s worth below is an excerpt from an interview that Jarmere Jenkins of past NCAA fame, currently Serena’s hitting partner, said in January. How on the mark is this?! This is how players should approach big players, because this is how big players approach the field.

“The best way I can explain it is that I’ve been working with Serena for one year and two months, and not one time I’ve been on the tennis court with her have I felt comfortable,” Jenkins says.

“It is how she hits, how she moves.

“I have never felt I could have a lazy practice with her. If I feel that way I can only imagine how the girls who play against her feel.”

Bouzkova smiled after the match until she was nearly off the court and then she couldn’t stop the tears. As you’d expect, she was bitterly disappointed to lose the match. She proved what a relentless competitor she is during this tourney and I expect that we will see much more of her in the near future.

Bianca has said she is excited to play Serena, but her basic attitude seems to be “bring it on.”

Serena, with her experience, is the obvious favourite, but I expect Bianca to battle hard, whatever the outcome.

The Canadian media is giving lots of coverage to Bianca and to the final, which is so great for tennis, which is still overlooked compared to hockey, basketball, etc.

Scoop, Bouzkova was sticking with a winning game plan. She was thrilled. She was excited. Executing like an Executioner. Ready to send Serena into retirement. She didn’t know Serena had other plans. That Serena would make Bouzkova twist her own ankles. That Serena had resolved for Bouzkova to head to the emergency room with a bouquet of “Get well soon” flowers following her check in.

Scoop, your phrasing is right. Djokovic even says this, he says Federer has set a good example…for Djokovic. That as Federer reaches slam finals at age 37, Djokovic says it’s great…for me, Novak, because I expect to be able to make it at least as far if not…

That kind of mentality? My goodness, these players are psychos!

Do we benefit as fans? Absolutely. The competition elevates the sport. All the better that they do so mostly fair and square – a few nutty freezing techniques here and there and odd knee treatments but fine, fair and square.

Just that within the lines, it’s always a horror show. The tennis is beautiful but as we’ve discussed, it’s beauty in the service of “lethality”. Hammer the opponent. Relish a ball they can’t get to. Make them believe they have it in thw bag, while you’ve had the bag in your chair the whole time.

Off court, nice people. Sweet. Lovely. Statesmen. Whatever. On the court? My goodness!!!!!!!!!!

More from Bianca: “On playing Serena, she added: “I’ve watched Serena play so many times. It would be really cool to play Serena. It’s going to be an amazing experience, for sure, playing a legend. It would be an honor to share the court with her.

But when I go out there, like I said, I’m fearless. So hopefully that will be the case when I play her.” (Tennis World)

So she has the combination of respect off the court but ruthlessness on it that Andrew talks about.

Bianca is creating excitement about tennis among the general media, which is so important for the sport’s popularity. The Toronto Star has a big photo of Bianca after yesterday’s win on its front page, with the headline “Roaring Ahead.” In this country that is obsessed with hockey and basketball this is huge for tennis.

Bouchard had “it” and lost it. I guarantee she found something else the sport gave her more addictive than the winning – such as the attention.

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I say all this because it’s odd to see guys like this or women like this in sport who love adding to their trophy cabinets. There are never, ever enough and there never will be.

Not normal. But, their love of the fight? Worth paying for. Thirst for competition, knowledge that a pretty ball isnt the same as a winner? That’s good tennis. Something very few players learn. What separates the Boogerts of the world from the Muguruzas.

Well – I didn’t see the match (Microsoft assaulted my computer) but I didn’t miss much it seems. Back spasms ?
Panic attack ? Please explain. Bianca walks away with this tournament.

I’m sorry – I’ve had a look around the final (?) and to me Serena got gripped by tension and anxiety and it all went to her back, as those things often do, and she threw in the towel. Bianca was going to be the toughest opponent Serena has played for a long time (well, since W’don)- she hadn’t played her before and mentally she wasn’t up for a long match stretching out ahead. I suspect this result will have repercussions. Feel a bit sorry for her but she’s had her days in the sun.

Bianca came out of the whole thing well.

Hartt – yes I know about back spasms but Serena is a professional player and if she wasn’t feeling fit she should have withdrawn before the match. As it is she’s probably suffered a significant loss of prestige in the eyes of her opponents.

I have doubts whether she is fit enough to play two days in succession now so she’ll probably be ok for the USO.

It’s ok to retire after four games and pain. It doesn’t take away from the enormous victory of another Masters title for Andreescu and the boost in front of a home crowd.

I’d rather do things Serena’s way here – see where you are and then call it. It’s better to retire like Catherine said at the time of the match, but four games in is a few balls struck, not much at all. Enough to get a soda or beverage.

For what it’s worth, yesterday’s semifinal was really, really really tough. I don’t even know how Serena threaded the needle there, and it’s no surprise she’d need time to recover from that one.

Andreescu is having a nice breakout year. Once again the WTA has proven it has a lot of good storylines – better than the ATP and its “Big Three plus a gang of young guys and old foes that can’t for the life of them win any slams”. Harsh but it’s a soundtrack that’s been playing for fifteen years!!!

The Big 3 aren’t just winning all the Slams but they are winning most of the Masters as well. Those guys are so greedy! 🙂 As Andrew said, they will never have enough trophies.

I think Bianca is another player who is hungry for titles. She has the most match wins of any woman player this season, despite being away for several months.

One thing that impressed me this past week is how well she dealt with the pressure of winning the Rogers Cup, with the huge expectations of Canadian fans. Her coach said she actually loves pressure, that he saw that when she was a youngster basically carrying the Fed Cup team. And I think that she will never have more pressure than she faced this past week.