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So I’m back now after a computer malfunction.  Luckily, no huge events transpired shortly after Wimbledon.  The big recent one is, of course, Roger Federer.  Federer will sit out the remainder of 2016 because of lingering injury issues, apparently involving his recently surgerized knee.  This must be a huge disappointment for him, as a singles gold in the Olympics was one of his main unfulfilled career goals.  Sad for us as well, since he’s so much fun to watch. 

Where will Roger’s game be in 2017, when he presumably will be playing warmups for the Aussie Open.  His age and long absence may significantly compromise his performance.  We can only wait and see, I guess.

Rogers Cup Underway

            The Rogers cup is underway in Canada.  Only noteworthy events so far are the losses of Alexander Zverev, who may be a bit fatigued after playing in the very hot Citi Open last week, and Nick Kyrgios, who lost to the 17-year-old Wimbledon junior champ Denis Shapalov.  Why Kyrgios lost is not quite as easy to explain.  Maybe Shapalov is a superstar in the making, or maybe Kyrgios left his brains in the hotel.

            There are several interesting matches to be played on the women’s side.  Eugenie Bouchard, who recently lost a close one to Cibulkova in a Wimbledon warmup, will play her again today.  Bouchard has had nerve issues when playing at home in the past, but she came through a close one against Safarova in the first round.  Bouchard is turning things around, I think, so this may be a good match to watch.  Venus Williams, seeded 6 here(!) will play Barbora Strycova, who can be very tough.  That could be a good one as well.   Daria Kasatkina, who I think has a lot of potential, will go up against Sam Stosur and her large biceps.  This one could be fun, and we can’t help but wish for good things for Marjana Lucic-Baroni, who has survived so much pain and trauma in her career.   She will play Angelique Kerber, who is the obvious favorite.  Good luck Marjana!

Who’s the GOAT?

Now that Serena Williams has won her 22^nd major, tying Steffi Graf for the modern day record, talk will resume about who is the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).  The discussion always involves Serena and Steffi Graf, both of whom have amassed formidable records of achievement.  Below I’ve attached a table of some of the key career stats for both players.  Regardless of how you may view this comparison, there is an important point to make, and that is, the discussion has no point. 

When deciding “who is the greatest” at any sport, you are comparing players who played at different times and against different opposition.  There are also factors that affect career stats but have nothing to do with a player’s greatness, such as injuries, personal decisions about where to play, when to play, and how long to play etc.  So, inescapably, the judgment about who the GOAT is, is subjective.  In this case I would suspect that if you’re German, it’s Steffi, and if you’re an American, it’s Serena.

           However, rather than feeling frustrated over our inability to settle the issue definitively, we should revel in one of the great beauties of sport: That although the task facing every contestant is the same, no two people play exactly the same way.  The way a person plays a sport is as unique as his or her fingerprints.   It is the unique style of every player that so intrigues sports fans, and keeps us coming back to watch more matches.  So I recommend that we sit back, relax, and simply enjoy the watching these great athletes display their individual arrays of incredible skills.

Steffi and Serena Stats:

  

Steffi                                                   Serena

Years played                                         17                                                         21*

Career record                                  900-115 (89%)                                     768-127 (86%)*

Slam wins/finals                                  22/31                                                    22/28*

Slam record                                      282/32 (89%)                                       304/42 (88%)*

Weeks @ #1                                      377 weeks,                                               300*

Consecutive wks @ #1                         186                                                       157 *

Titles                                                     107                                                         71*

Unique achievements:

Graf:    Won calendar slam and golden slam, 1988

Won 3 slams 5 consecutive years

Won 5 slams in a row

Twice held all 4 slam titles

Won all slams at least 4 times

Serena Williams Won 3 slams at least 6 times

Golden slam (not in same year)

Has many records for winning slams over several decades and winning multiple doubles titles

Opposition:

Graf:  Her opposition became a bit less tough when Monica Seles had her career interrupted by stabbing.

Williams:  Her opposition became a bit less tough when Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin retired.

* Indicates ongoing stats.

Wimbledon Men’s Final

Murray over Raonic in straight sets.

            Milos Raonic did not play as well in the final as he did when he beat Roger Federer in the semis.  He did not serve as well, move as well, or hit as consistently off the ground.  Still, he played hard, and played well enough to beat many top pros.

            His play was nowhere near good enough to beat Murray, however, who played the best tennis that I’ve ever seen him play.  His serve was dominating, with his second serve being unusually strong; his defense was its usual amazing self, his passing shots were phenomenal, his movement was crisp, and his tactical decision- making was flawless.  I’ve always thought of Murray as the “soft” member of the big four, but he could have beaten anyone today. 

            One thing that I think would have helped Raonic is if he’d been slightly less aggressive at the start of the match.  A few extended rallies early would have helped him settle in to his first major finals match, and he would have also had a chance to assess Murray’s tendencies off the ground.  I couldn’t help feeling that he didn’t have an effective enough plan for this match.  For example, while is overall plan to approach the net was sound, he repeatedly did so on approach shots, like the slice to the backhand, that Andy ate for lunch. 

            Raonic says he wants to be back, and his successful navigation of a very tough road to this final engenders optimism that he will indeed be in another major final down the road.  He didn’t win this one, but he has plenty to be proud of, and it goes without saying that he will get right back to work on the practice court.  For his part, Murray has established himself as one of the true greats of the modern game.  I can’t think of him as the “soft fourth” of the big four any more   

Wimbledon Women’s Final

Serena wins, straight sets.

            This was a WONDERFUL tennis match, pitting Williams’ consistent power against the marvelous defensive skills and determination of Kerber.   Some of the extended baseline rallies were enthralling to watch, and one could not help but have the utmost respect for both players when it was done.

            The difference was Serena’s serve.  Her serve was working exceptionally well, and on grass, that spells trouble for anyone.  Kerber did great things with the chances she got, but she just didn’t get enough chances.  Williams’ aces and easy points on serve allowed her to do what all players should try to do to win – play short points on your own serve, long points on your opponent’s serve.

            So now that Serena has won slam #22, we’ll hear a lot of chatter about the “greatest of all time”, which realistically can only include the open era.  Serena’s biggest competition in this discussion is Steffi Graf.  A comparative analysis of their respective careers will be posted soon.

Tennis no-nos

Here is a list of my tennis no-nos.  I’m going to see how making these mistakes (or not) correlates with success in the Wimbledon finals:

1) If you can’t hit a winner, don’t make an error.  (that one comes from Lindsay Davenport)

2) Don’t double fault in tiebreakers.

3) Don’t double fault on ad points.

4) If you’re on serve and fewer than 3 games have been played in a set, don’t challenge any call that is not on a game point.

5) If you’re down a break, don’t fail to get your opponent’s second serves into play.