The ATP Finals, scheduled to run from Sunday by way of Nov. 19, is greater than essentially the most prestigious males’s event exterior of the Grand Slams, it is usually an existential conundrum.
The unique singles draw options the eight finest gamers on this planet, leaving no simple wins and elevating the query of whether or not a participant should change his recreation over the course of the week to finest the very best of the very best.
The reply is a extremely certified “yes,” with an enormous “but” connected. Paul Annacone, the Tennis Channel analyst who coached Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, stated modifications ought to be minor, particularly because the early matches are round-robin, which means a participant can lose one match and nonetheless survive.
“I’m a big believer in figuring out your own identity and trusting what got you to the year-end championships,” he stated. “Then you just have to do it just a little better than the guy on the other side of the net that day.”
Charging the web, which may shorten rallies and assist gamers take management of the motion, is one tactic that the gamers can use in opposition to the sport’s finest defenders, like Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, or in opposition to energy sluggers like Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev, however it’s exactly these gamers’ expertise that make coming as much as the web after hitting a groundstroke such a dangerous transfer.
Still, Jimmy Arias, who can also be a Tennis Channel analyst, stated it’s one technique to survive the week.
“It’s so hard to hit through base liners like Alexander Zverev and Medvedev, especially on a slower court,” he stated, “so if you don’t come to the net against Medvedev, you’re kind of an idiot. If he hits a ridiculous passing shot from the stands, just clap and say, ‘Let me see you do that again.’”
The hazard comes, Arias says, for those who merely attempt to pressure your technique to the web in opposition to an opponent who’s dictating the factors, although he provides that, given the standard of the opponents in Turin, Italy, which will turn out to be the one choice.
Patrick McEnroe, an ESPN analyst, agreed, saying that “the ability to finish points, especially at the net, helps exponentially” in opposition to such elite defensive gamers. Medvedev, who is thought for stubbornly staying extraordinarily far behind the baseline, offers himself time to achieve virtually any deep shot. The finest plan is to come back to the web or hit short-angle balls in opposition to him, McEnroe stated, however famous that Medvedev succeeds as a result of many gamers (Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz excepted) can’t execute that tactic properly sufficient to beat him.
McEnroe added that the courtroom in Turin, which is indoors, was low-bouncing (forcing opponents to elevate tried passing photographs) and comparatively sluggish, although indoor courts felt faster as a result of there have been no components like wind.
“That favors the aggressive player, but not to the extent that it did back in the day, so you need more versatility now,” he stated. “That’s why Federer and Djokovic have dominated there.” (Federer gained six instances; Djokovic is in search of his seventh title.)
He emphasised that altering methods will be extra nuanced than merely charging in. He prompt utilizing the forecourt extra typically and hitting drop photographs, low slices and brief angle balls.
“It puts the other player in uncomfortable positions and allows you to then take the initiative on the next shot,” he stated, including that that is one thing they now stress on the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, the college launched by his brother, the place he’s co-director.
“This is the biggest thing that has changed with Carlos Alcaraz, who has been playing those shots at least since he was 13,” McEnroe stated. “He has the huge firepower and athleticism that these other players do, but now you’re seeing the need to move better and use that part of the court strategically. You’re seeing shots you never thought about, and players are using them consistently.”
Arias stated that breaking down an opponent by making him change his positioning so he felt uncomfortable — one thing Federer would do with a brief, low slice and that Alcaraz does with the drop shot — was important.
“It’s not just needed for this tournament, but to beat the best you need that all year, but it’s something that’s slightly lacking in the game today,” he stated.
While Zverev and Medvedev are likely to camp on the baseline and let it rip, the analysts cite Rublev, whom Annacone known as “so dominant from the back of the court,” as essentially the most one-dimensional of the highest gamers. Arias stated Rublev and Sinner “play straight ahead, hitting it hard without opening the court much.”
But Annacone and McEnroe stated Sinner was enhancing on this regard due to his coach Darren Cahill. “He’s getting better at playing with subtlety and nuance,” McEnroe stated, including that Holger Rune additionally “has the potential to play that sort of game.”
All three analysts say that when Stefanos Tsitsipas is in prime type, he’s versatile and one of many higher volleyers.
Annacone stated {that a} participant like Sinner or Rublev might win most matches in the course of the yr with their firepower, however that “each of these top players, aside from Novak, can be vulnerable on any given day against other elite players.”
Djokovic, as all the time, stays the exception, even among the many distinctive. He has misplaced simply 5 instances this yr and is 33-1 on exhausting courts; since 2012 he’s an astounding 108-15 indoors. (Alcaraz would have slotted in there with Djokovic, however he has scuffled a bit since Wimbledon.)
So Annacone acknowledged that whereas gamers can’t overhaul their id for this event, once they attain the semifinals and presumably face Alcaraz and Djokovic, “you need to be creative and think outside the box,” including that altering ways midmatch was simpler now that teaching is allowed between factors.
“You have to be confident enough to do things a little differently, to adjust and adapt on your feet,” he stated. “Try it, sometimes you’ll miss, but that’s life.”
Source: www.nytimes.com