Roger back on track?

By 

HARTMUT HESSE

Roger Federer won the ATP-1000 Event in Cincinnati yesterday to capture his second title of the year. On his way to the final against Mardy Fish, he played only 2 full matches against Marcos Baghdatis and Nikolay Davydenko, which he won in straight sets. He had a bye in the first round and in his second round match Denis Istomin retired at 5:2 for Federer. In the next round Fed was even more lucky when he had a walkover, because Kohlschreiber was unable to play the match due to injury. Playing Mardy Fish in an ATP-1000 final can also be considered as quite lucky. By no means it was only luck that brought Roger back to winning ways on the ATP-tour, but he has seen tougher opponents on his ways to titles.

He himself was very pleased with his performance and was happy the way he was able to implement new strategies into his game, after having enough time after Wimbledon. He said that he was playing more aggressive than before and felt much fitter and healthier than before and during the Wimbledon tournament.

I have to say that I don’t see anything new in his game. I think that he played many slice backhands, because he does not have the confidence or aggression to play more top-spin. On top of that I don’t see any improvement in his fitness. Many times he looked tired and a bit slow to me. Nothing compared to the Federer of the old days…

But no matter what, this win will give him confidence for the US-Open, since the other favorites were not very convincing either. Berdych, Djokovic, Soderling and Nadal all need to improve a lot if they want to win the Open. It will be an interesting tournament this year with Nalbandian and Davydenko back in the game. Especially Nalbandian will be a big threat going into the US-Open unseeded. It is just too bad that Del Potro will not be able to defend his title. He could have made the draw even more open.

Let’s see who will be the Champion 2010…

HARDY HESSE

HESSE TENNIS TRAINING

High Performance Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

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Nadal on Top of the World

by HARTMUT HESSE

Nadal wins his 8^th Grand Slam final and captures his second Wimbledon title to secure a big lead in the ATP world rankings.

He is now almost 4000 points ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who is only ranked at No. 3 for the first time since 2003. And Federer is almost chanceless to take back the top spot from Rafa by the end of this season, which was one of his big goals for 2010 (having the No. 1 spot at the end of the year and breaking Sampras record of 286 weeks at the top of the ATP-Rankings).

What a great turnaround for Rafa Nadal who had to watch how Federer was taking everything away from him last year, while he was in pain about his knee injury and his parents divorce. When Nadal lost to Soderling last year at Roland Garrros due to his bad knees, Roger took this opportunity and captured his first French Open title. And when Nadal had to withdraw from Wimbledon as well and was not able to defend his title from 2008, Federer also took this title from him. But Rafa not only lost these two titles to Roger, he also lost his No. 1 world ranking to Federer without being able to fight for it. What a hard time for Rafa this must have been, especially if you consider that his knee problems could be career threatening.

So, he had to watch how Federer took everything away from him he had worked so hard for. Much harder than Federer ever worked, even though he is always telling everybody how hard he does. But I have seen both practice and I can assure you that Roger does not even come close to Rafas work ethic… He is all about talent.

But all this makes Nadals victories even sweeter and he will enjoy his place on top of the tennis world for the rest of the year. Even if Roger wins all 3 ATP 1000 events, the US-Open and the World Tour Finlas he will probably not be No.1 at the end of the year, because Nadal will play a much better hard court season than before and will also gain more points. And I don’t see him losing to Roger Federer by the end of this year and maby not so soon again at all, unless his knees hold him off again.

Maybe Roger will never be No. 1 again at all and it is time for a new generation of players like Berdych, Soderling and hopefully a soon recovered Del Potro. But if Nadals body is not breaking down, he might sit on top of the world for a long time. Maybe even longer than Pete Sampras…

HARDY HESSE

HESSE TENNIS TRAINING

High Performance Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

WWW.HESSETENNISTRAINING.COM

Sweet Revenge For Nadal

It was the 21^st match between Federer and Nadal, and even though Nadal won 13 of the previous meetings, he has never been this eager to win against Roger like this time.

Too tough were the last 12 months since he lost the final against Roger in Madrid a year ago. His parents divorce and his knee injury ruined a great start of the season for him. He lost his first match at Roland Garros, was not able to defend his Wimbledon title and on top of that lost his no. 1 ranking to Federer again, who also took the French Open title from him. It was clear from the start, that Rafa would fight till the last drop of blood to beat Roger in the first meeting after one year of disappointments.

And it was probably the first time that Roger really had to prove something, even though he is clearly the no. 1 in the world with almost double as many points as Nadal. But a year ago he collected only his second win on clay against Rafa in Madrid. The only other time he beat him on clay was in wet and cold Hamburg, on a day Roger was not able to miss a shot in the last two sets of the match. And last year, Rafa had to play an extremely tough 4-hour match against Djokovic the day before. On tope of that too many other matches in the clay court season. Besides these two wins, Federer was always dominated by Rafa on clay and never really had a chance to win the French Open against him. And deep inside he probably knew that he would have not won the French Open by now, if Nadals knees had been fins last year and there would have been more harmony in his private life. And maybe Federer would not be no. 1 today…

Federer knew he had to prove a lot. And Rafa was eager to show the tennis world that Federer will not win the French Open, when he is healthy. Even minutes after the match he was sitting on his bench and pumped his fist again and again. This showed how much this win meant to him. It was a very, very sweet revenge after a year of torture.

So, there was a lot on the line this time. But more importantly, there was more to lose for Roger than to win. And for Rafa there was much more to win than to lose. And this is how they played. Both were very nervous, but in the crucial moments of the match, Rafa had more to win and therefore was more positive. And he was happy, healthy and not tired this time. And then it is nearly impossible for Roger to beat him.

Even though I think that Roger deserves to win the Grand Slam this year, I am afraid that it will not happen, because Rafa has gained so much confident through out the clay court season, that he will win in Paris as well. He planed his season much better this year and will be fresh and confident. On top of that Davydenko and Del Potro, the two players who could beat him on clay, will not participate at the French Open. It all went his way after the Australian Open, and that’s why he will win the French. Probably in the final against Roger, but Roger will not be happy with 2^nd place again…

Because then there is no doubt at all anymore, that his win at the French last year, was only possible because Rafa lost to Soderling.

Hardy Hesse

Hesse Tennis Training

www.HesseTennisTraining.com

Professional Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

Clay Court Season 2010 - a Latin Love Affair!

The first month of the European clay court season is over an it is time for a short check-up on who is among the favorites for the French Open.

So far it is only a handful of players who were able to claim a clay court title this year and in April all of them carried a Spanish passport.

But the rest of the season was pretty much a Latin love affair, as well. Only one “white boy” was able to claim one of the 9 tournament titles handed out on the red dirt this year.

And guess where he is from?!? –Switzerland of course. But surprise, surprise – it was not Roger who did it. It was Stan Wawrinka who took the title in Casablanca, Marocco in the beginning of April.

All the other winner came either from Spain or South America. Nadal took the two ATP-1000 series titles in April, Juan Carlos Ferrero also captured two titles and fellow spainiards Verdasco and Ferrer won one event. The other two winners are Brasilian Thomasz Belluci and Juan Ignacio Chela from Argentina.

So, who else will be among the contenders for the French this year?

For sure it is Roger, who has an easy draw in Estoril this week and will probably win and get some confidence for his title defense in Madrid.

Robin Soderling, who reached at least a final against Verdasco, is also playing quite well and might have a chance to get to the semis at Roland Garros.

The most disappointing performance comes from Murray and Djokovic who did not do much damage on clay yet. But as soon as the French start and we will play best of five  sets, they will be there again, I’m sure. But I don’t see more than a quarterfinal for them.

Del Potro and Davydenko are still out because of injuries and this made it much easier for the Spanish clay court specialists so far. But at least Davydenko might be back for the French. But it remains uncertain, if he can show up with confidence and some clay court wins in his bag.

So, far it all looks like a Latin love affair in Paris or Nadal and Federer again will get it on again... ;)

Let’s see…

Hardy Hesse

Hesse Tennis Training

Professional Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

Finally Sam Stosur!

I always thought that Sam Stosur has the techniques. The fitness and the dedication to her sport to make it to the top of the WTA-Tour, but she never even made it into the top 10, or was able to play consistent enough to go deep in the tournaments. But now it seems as if things are clicking for her and she makes a step to the next level.

To see her and Justine Henin in the finals of Stuttgart today is a real pleasure for me. Finally two players on the women’s tour who really care about the sport and not only about their looks, their new tennis dresses, or their career as an actor or model after their tennis career.

And two players, who unlike many other players on the WTA-tour, have all the shots in their game that the men have. A kick-serve, a slice, a drop shot, a volley and variety in their game…

This should be a great final if Sam will be able to keep her nerves cool and calm. A thing she is always trying very hard, but sometimes kept her from getting that extra focus and energy for the big points in a match.

But now it seems as if she knows how to pace herself through a match and how to get ready for the important phases in a match. This was the one thing that was missing in her game and if she can keep it up like this, she will be very hard to beat for many other players on the WTA-tour, who are not as fit and technically perfect as her.

As a Tennis coach I would like to see her more aggressive on her forehand, finishing even more points at the net (after good forehands) and mixing up her serve a bit more. She has a great kick-serve (probably the best on the women’s tour!), but it will be even more effective if it comes a bit more as a surprise for her opponents (especially on grass and hard-courts).

And if she pumps herself up a bit more after winning big points, she will be much more of a threat for the other players and I see her cracking the top 5 soon.

For a tennis coach like me, it is always great to have players like her, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters on the tour, because they are great role-models for the juniors.

Let’s hope they will be the top 3 in women’s tennis soon… ;)

Hardy Hesse

Hesse Tennis Training

Professional Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

Federer in trouble?!?

Is Roger Federer still on track to get in shape for the French Open or is he running out of time to find his form to put himself in position to win the Grand Slam this year?

He did not play well in Indian Wells and Miami and then decided to skip the Monte Carlo 1000 event (like many other top ten players…) and get some more practice in before the long stretch of tournaments until Wimbledon.

But now he lost his first round match in Rome against Ernst Gulbis and he has only the tournaments in Estoril and Madrid left to get in shape and more importantly gain some confidence for his title defense at Roland Garros.

His match against Gulbis was really shaky and he played with not much confidence. He also did not look really fit to me. The way he was sliding and running when he had to play defense, showed that he does not have top fitness yet. He lost his balance many times and that is very unusual for a Roger Federer. So, I see that there is a lot more work to be done on the practice courts, before he will be able to defend his title in Paris.

But I still don’t think that Federer fans should worry too much, because it has been like this many times before, no matter what Fed tells us in his press conferences.

He just does not focus too much on the events besides the Grand Slams. He is just trying to pace himself for the big events, and history showed us that he is a master at doing exactly this. He knows exactly how much he has to do to get where he wants and I am certain that he will be in top shape when the French open start.

I think he will at least reach the final in Estoril and then tries to defend his title in Madrid. Then he has one week rest before the French, which he will use for a last training tune up to find his form.

If he can beat a Rafa Nadal in Paris is still doubtful for me, because Rafa might gain so much confidence by the start of the French that he will be very hard to beat, even though he might be a little more tired than Roger.

Hardy Hesse

Hesse Tennis Training

Professional Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

ATP-1000 Rome Preview by Hartmut Hesse

Today I want to take a look at the draw for the 2^nd ATP 1000 clay-court tournament of the season.

The first Masters series event was won by Rafa Nadal, but 5 of the top 10 players were not in the draw because of different reasons. Federer felt that the tournament comes to early for him in his preparation for the French and some other big names were injured (Del Potro, Davydenko, Soderling) or did not feel like playing on clay at all (Roddick).

But now at least Federer is ready to make his start on clay for the 2010 season and if both win, he will meet Nadal in the semis’ already.

But besides this interesting semi-final match up, there are some other very exciting possibilities in the draw. First of all Federer might face Baghdatis (if Marcos beats Gulbis for a 5^th time in a row…) in his opener and he can take revenge for his loss in Indian Wells. In the Quarters Roger might face Cilic, who was not as convincing on clay yet, as at the Australian Open in the beginning of the year. But it will be a good indication for Cilic’s potential to reach the top 5 some day, and a tough test for Federer. But Cilic will also have to beat a tough clay-court player like Almagro to get to the quarters.

Nadals section of the draw is also very interesting, since his opener will be against Kohlschreiber, then maybe Montanes and in the quarters either red hot Berdych, who like to play against Nadal, especially in his current form. Or a rematch of last years’ French Open disaster, with Robin Soderling, who just proved that his clay-court abilities were no fluke, when he reached the final in Barcelona. So, a tough draw section for Nadal, and he will be happy that he made a wise decision and did not play in Barcelona. He will be rested for these matches and he needs to, if he wants to be still fresh, when he plays Federer in the semi-final.

The bottom half of the draw might see a quarterfinal between Novak Djokovic, who is seeded No. 2 and Barcelona winner Fernando Verdasco. But Verdasco played the final in Monte Carlo already and I don’t think his legs are still fresh enough to make another splash in Rome, even though he has a pretty good draw, with only Youzhny in his way. But so does Novak and I see him winning against Verdasco this time.

In the other section there will be a rematch between De Bakker and Tsonga in the second round and De Bakker has to prove if his great performance in Barcelona was not just a one-hit-wonder. Tsonga will be eager to take revenge and it will be an exciting match for sure. Murray runs into Ferrer again and has to prove that he is one of the contenders for the French Open. I doubt it and see Ferrer winning against him in the round of 16. Even though he also played 2 events already, I still see him with enough left in the tank to reach the semi-final, where he will face Djokovic.

So, here is my prediction:

It’s Nadal over Federer and Ferrer over Djokovic. So, another Spanish winner in the 3 big clay-court event of the year. Nadal will take the title, because the other Spanish players just have too much respect for Nadal to beat him in a final.

This win will give Nadal even more confidence and make him the clear favorite for the French Open, even if Federer should win in Madrid again like last year.

Let’s see if I am right… ;)

Hardy Hesse

Hesse Tennis Training

Professional Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals

Barcelona Analysis

The first two clay court tournaments are finished and as I expected the winners carry a Spanish passport. First it was a dominant Nadal who lost only 14 games on his way to a 6^th straight title in Monte Carlo. And now it is Fernando Verdasco, the finalist in Monaco, who took the title in Barcelona.

Even though some of the big names (Federer, Del Potro, Davydenko, Roddick) did not play in these two tournaments, the first two clay court tournaments gave us a good indication, who will be among the contenders at the French Open this year. I see 4 names that are very likely to go deep into the draw at Roland Garros. First of al it is Nadal, who gained confidence over the last tournaments and has to be considered a clear favorite for the French Open. Then it is Fernando Verdasco, who reached two finals on clay and won one of them. He might be ready for a big win against a top 4 player at the French. And then it is David Ferrer, who always fights like a warrior on clay and deserves to reach a semi-final at the French. Nr. 4 is Robin Soderling, who does not have the typical clay-court game (and is the only one without a Spanish passport…), but proved last year already that he can dominate players with his hard an flat ground-strokes, even on the clay-courts at Roland Garros.

But there is another new name, who made a strong impression at Barcelona. Thiemo De Bakker, from the Netherlands might be the new kid on the block in this year’s clay-court season. He beat Tsonga in Barcelona and will improve his ranking a lot with his semi-final appearance in Barcelona. Let’s see if he can keep his momentum in Rome.

But it will be even more interesting to see if Federer can find his form in Rome. He will run into Nadal in the semi finals already and if he and Nadal really get there, we will see how good Nadals win in Monte Carlo really was. And if Roger is able to get back into shape by the push of a button.

Hartmut Hesse

Hardy Hesse Tennis Training

Professional Training and Coaching for Top Juniors and Professionals