A Lesson from Federer vs. Hewitt: How to Survive When Shots Go Bad
#1 seed Roger Federer was spraying forehands so badly in the first set against #31 seed Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of the 2009 US Open, he seemed to be in real danger of losing to Hewitt for the first time in their last 14 encounters. Roger managed to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, but only because he recognized, on losing the first set, that the forehand he usually hits, which requires tremendous accuracy in timing and racquet angle, just wasn't ready to join the match yet.
We all have periods of time when a certain shot decides to take a vacation.
The key to winning despite such difficulties is turning to an alternative, preferably one that might lure the wayward shot back into service. What saved Roger was hitting his forehands with much more topspin and more margin within the lines. He immediately made a huge reduction in his forehand errors, and the higher kick of his heavier topspins proved troublesome for the 5'11" Hewitt. After several games, Roger regained his confidence, started feeling his timing better, and was able gradually to start hitting his deeper, harder, less heavily topspun forehand again.
The great beauty of topspin is that it makes a fuller swing at the ball safer, not riskier; the topspin allows you to hit higher over the net at a given speed, and its high bounce usually makes your shot harder to handle. Equally important, taking swings of full length at full speed helps you relax. Turning to more topspin can rescue a wayward serve or backhand just as well as it can a forehand, although many players develop topspin on the forehand sooner than they do on their other strokes.
Topspin won't help you if you don't have a reliable heavy topspin, as is the case for many one-handed backhand hitters, or you're having trouble making good ball contact, which generally becomes more difficult as you try heavier spins. In such cases, you might turn to hitting a moderately sliced drive, which benefits from a shorter backswing, getting to the net to minimize your need for groundstrokes, or, as a last resort, becoming a human backboard that hits deep, flat lobs and semi-lobs. Anything that might get you back into the match is worth a try. You never know when one of your wayward shots will show up again, ready to play.
We all have periods of time when a certain shot decides to take a vacation.
The key to winning despite such difficulties is turning to an alternative, preferably one that might lure the wayward shot back into service. What saved Roger was hitting his forehands with much more topspin and more margin within the lines. He immediately made a huge reduction in his forehand errors, and the higher kick of his heavier topspins proved troublesome for the 5'11" Hewitt. After several games, Roger regained his confidence, started feeling his timing better, and was able gradually to start hitting his deeper, harder, less heavily topspun forehand again.
The great beauty of topspin is that it makes a fuller swing at the ball safer, not riskier; the topspin allows you to hit higher over the net at a given speed, and its high bounce usually makes your shot harder to handle. Equally important, taking swings of full length at full speed helps you relax. Turning to more topspin can rescue a wayward serve or backhand just as well as it can a forehand, although many players develop topspin on the forehand sooner than they do on their other strokes.
Topspin won't help you if you don't have a reliable heavy topspin, as is the case for many one-handed backhand hitters, or you're having trouble making good ball contact, which generally becomes more difficult as you try heavier spins. In such cases, you might turn to hitting a moderately sliced drive, which benefits from a shorter backswing, getting to the net to minimize your need for groundstrokes, or, as a last resort, becoming a human backboard that hits deep, flat lobs and semi-lobs. Anything that might get you back into the match is worth a try. You never know when one of your wayward shots will show up again, ready to play.
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