Serendipity: Tennis Articles on Slate

Here's an Andy Roddick article that I found on Slate while reading about Rafael Nadal's awkward non-textbook strokes. Rock 'n' Roll Tennis by Joseph Nocera dates back to 2001--Roddick's first year on the ATP Tour.

"So what's Roddick got? For starters, he's got two serious weapons: a monster serve and a killer forehand.... But he's not just a baseline player (thank goodness); he likes coming to net, and he's got a wonderfully feathery touch with his volleys."

What?!? If that's really how Roddick used to play, I seriously must have missed something. I had stopped watching tennis in 1999, and up until 2002 I was completely unaware of the newcomers. That changed at US Open 2002, when Pete Sampras defeated some kid in a blue shirt during the semifinal to meet Andre Agassi in the final. That kid was Roddick, and I began watching tennis again after that.

I don't recall Roddick willingly coming to net until he and Brad Gilbert consciously began working on it late last year. Of course, the two have parted ways since, but Roddick's new coach Dean Goldfine seems to be on the same attack plan because they know his relative lack of net ability is something better players can exploit. Just ask Federer.

Feathery touch? Commentators have been saying that about Roddick's volleys only recently (and very infrequently).

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More article-surfing brought out a more recent piece on Wimbledon. Mike Steinberger looks back at how players used to trash the grass-court Slam and how today's players love it.

Steinberger writes:

"...the praise they lavish on Wimbledon isn't calculated; it's genuine, which suggests that there is more to it than just a desire to show the world (and potential sponsors) a happy face. I suspect a bigger reason for all this veneration, especially for the male players, may be the lingering influence of Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, and Pete Sampras, all of whom made a fetish of the lawn tennis championships."

Even the claycourters (Nadal and Coria) like Wimbledon now.

posted by Noelle De Guzman @ 12:29 PM