Following a good discussion on Tennis being a mental game, I thought it was important to define how mental today's tennis was.
My main point is that I don't think we can compare mental strengthes between players who have different styles.
On one side you have the "mentally strong" tennis styles (if not kamikase) , like Federer, Gasquet and Nalbandian...taking lots of risks with their shots but usually ending up mentally weak, especially under pressure. Fed being the exception here.
And on the other side you have fearfull tennis styles (hating making UEs), like Nadal, Murray and Djoko who play with lots of margins but are known to be tenacious fighters which gives them a strong mental reputation that their tennis styles don;t quite back up.
SO it essentially goes down to fitness. When Fed and Nadal play against each other for instance, we cannot compare the mental stress Federer's shots demand comapred to the high margins of Nadal's. Why is one so stressful and the other less so (high margins)? Simply because one relies, compensate should I say, on phyisque ability much more than the other which rely on shot-making and risky timing. In other words, what you cannot do technically, you compensate physically.
It's best demonstrated when returning serve for instance. If you take the ball early on the return, you need great timing skills but you don;t have to move so much on the sides to retun the serve, however this is a high risk strategy, requiring mental strength (confidence in own ability) on big points. But then you use th eenergy of the ball and the return is easier physically. However, If you stand 4m behind teh baseline, you don;t need those timing skills and mental strength as much as the ball has slowed down but you need more energy (physique) to get to the ball (gone wider by then) and hit the ball harder to compensate for loss of the ball's pace. Over a 3 or 4 hour matches, those physical differences play a great role in its outcome.
So in summary, It's inversely proportional a mental game that it's not a physical game....in a nutshell. ....and we know today, tennis is a very physical game!!!!
Tennis: The Mental Game......or is it?
posted on 23/8/12
...which allows him to attack sooner.
posted on 24/8/12
LK that is a good quote....though in Golf, it's a bit different...cause if you are neck and neck with an opponent for the title, you might be forced to go for too much, cause if you opponent does and succeed, then he has the title.
So sometimes you have no choice but to play out of yoru comfort zone, and those who do it often (gutsy, couragoeus) then tend to be better at it at pressure time. That's the problem with Murray, he lacks (or lacked) the gut to attack under pressure and when he did he was making UEs...cause he was not used to.
posted on 24/8/12
I don't know why you refuse to see Novak's attacking game, you somehow seem to see only his safe shots, and Federer has loads of those, as well when rallying.
Federer is not a S&V player, in fact, he chooses to stay on the base-line 95% of the time hitting cross-court forehand or bakchand down the line as attacking shots/winners.
Same as Novak.
==========================
Watch the Cincy final again. You can be on teh baseline and yet attack...plus look at how many times Fed ventured to the net on important point to force the issue.
That's Titanium balls!!!
posted on 24/8/12
"Watch the Cincy final again"
first set, do doubt
posted on 24/8/12
"plus look at how many times Fed ventured to the net on important point to force the issue. "
I've noticed the trend since this Wimbledon, in fact.
Nole's started doing the same this year. He knows he can't last playing out-Nadaling tennis, and Nadal out of the picture, he doesn't have to, which is great!
I noticed that Murray is now playing almost the same as Nadal minus the moonball.
It will be really interesting to see him and Fed in the USO semis .
Fed played really well in Cincy and I dare say confidence he gained after winning Wimbledon played a huge part.
Just can't figure out what happened in that Olympic final quite yet...
That's what makes this USO very interesting.
posted on 24/8/12
Nole's started doing the same this year. He knows he can't last playing out-Nadaling tennis, and Nadal out of the picture, he doesn't have to, which is great!
--------------------------------------
And this is why Djoko lost more often this year. Cause attacking requires skills (which I grant you Djoko has) and nerves cause under pressure those
winners are harder to pull! This is why I think Federer is actually by far the mentally strongest player cause he delivers those attacking shots under the toughest situations...
Djoko did it in USO10 semi....that was gutsy....in USO11 was a bit different in my view.
posted on 24/8/12
"And this is why Djoko lost more often this year."
Interesting. I hope not.
In my opinion he needs to gradually revert to more flat-hitting on his forehand es from the base-line. He lost it once he switched from Wilson to Head.
It's not easy with the conditions being the way they are.
Federer did start playing very aggressively against Novak and took the time off him and messed up his footwork and rhythm in Wimbledon.
Nole is a smart cookie, and I can't wait to see how he addresses the "new" Fed.
posted on 24/8/12
...next time they play, hopefully in USO final
posted on 24/8/12
Interesting spin on the subject matter.
Personally, Nadal has more mental fortitude out of the holy trinity.
Even as a Fed Fan, the amount of times Fed has crumbled during the 'crux' or his inferiority complex towards the Majjoran Moonballer is astonising
posted on 24/8/12
Red, I am surprised you don't see the point I make. There is not much gutsy and mental hitting moonballs all day and take no, or little risk.
Just that for those sitting on their chairs, they expect Federer to pull risky winners after risky winners and don't see that as mentally taxing, and even more difficult to produce as teh match lengthen.
If Federer had an inferiority complex v Nadal, he would not start 90% of his matches the stronger and leading. As far as I can see, it's Nadal who has fears in his eyes and panicks as Federer usually start off teh blocks much faster. But certainly after a few long rallies, Fed starts to shanks and Nadal takes heart knowing that the longer the match the better his chances.