Can Wozniacki learn from Andy Murray?




Andy Murray conquered years of questions and self-doubt to win his first US Open title.  Caroline Wozniacki so far has chosen a different path to Murray and now appears to be regressing in her career.  Is it too late for Wozniacki to win a major title?

After his first three major final losses and other disappointments, Murray accepted change was needed to his game mentally and tactically.  By appointing Ivan Lendl as coach, Murray showed to the world he was prepared to take tough decisions. 

The memo is that Lendl first approached Murray’s representatives towards the end of 2011 with a view to working with Murray.  Not that it matters who approached whom as it was clear changes needed to be made to Murray’s game if he wanted to win a major title.  Since the appointment at the beginning of January, Murray’s game more or less looks the same but the changes are more subtle.  

First of all, Murray has cut down markedly on the temper tantrums on court.  You still see Murray holding his leg and having a “whinge” from time to time but Murray never has a go at Lendl.  Lendl was one of the greatest players of the game and Murray has too much respect to try that on, and would be roundly condemned by the media if he did.  

Murray also plays an instinctively counterpunching game but has the ability to be a proactive player, he has the height and the power to do it, but a combination of slower surfaces and mentality contrived to see Murray play a more defensive game more often than not, especially in the major finals.

What Lendl has brought to the table is how to deal with the big pressure situations and encourage Murray to be more expansive with his forehand.  For years, Murray would hit crosscourt repeatedly, as in a practice drill, Murray was aware that it was not enough at the highest level.  We will never see Murray camp on the backhand side and hit inside out forehands like Lendl but Murray has certainly added more variation to the shot, although he’s yet to master the inside in forehand from the backhand corner of the court.

For sure, Murray didn’t play an exciting brand of tennis against Novak Djokovic in the US open final but the conditions certainly played a factor in that.  Delivering a major after so many attempts may relax him and in his next final we may see the best of Murray.

With this in mind, where does Caroline Wozniacki fit in the picture?  Wozniacki has received all of the criticisms for her game style and mentality as Murray has done over the years.  Like Murray, Wozniacki is blessed with height and athleticism but chooses to play a counterpunching style which limits her chances at grand slam level.  However, not only is it limiting her chances at grand slam level, the grinding style of play is also taking its toll on her physically and mentally.

During Wozniacki’s reign as world number from late 2010 to early 2012, there were lots of calls for her to improve her game.  The areas identified as needing work were her serve, forehand and transition game to the net (volleys).  Wozniacki and her father/coach often refuted those suggestions, saying that everything was fine and being number 1 was proof of that.  But everyone can improve even when the world’s best.  Justine Henin worked hard on improving her forehand to make her a formidable player, Lindsay Davenport worked hard on getting fitter.

Wozniacki gave the impression that she wasn’t prepared to make the necessary changes to improve her game.  However, after a year of successive disappointments at Grand Slam level in 2011, it looked as though constructive criticism was taken on board because Ricardo Sanchez was hired to work with her. However, after a few weeks it became apparent that the arrangement was a sham and Piotr Wozniacki was pulling the strings.  Sanchez was fired not too long afterwards and complained that he was not allowed to do the job he wanted.  

Since that strange appointment, Wozniacki’s form has dipped alarmingly this year.  She has not progressed beyond the 4th rd of any grand slam event and has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in three seasons.

Wozniacki can learn from Murray’s acceptance that help was needed if he was to transition from underachiever to grand slam champion.  Murray has struggled on the tour this year, but Lendl was brought in to help Murray win a major, not Miami, his experience and advice has proved invaluable.  Wozniacki has shown so far she is not prepared to put her hand in her pocket to hire a top class coach who she can put her trust in.  

As a result Wozniacki’s career now stands at a crossroad.  If she takes the wrong decisions, she could vanish into obscurity.  Or she can swallow her pride and take the courageous step of bringing in someone who could her improve significantly, it’s her call.

Angelique Kerber - new force in Womens Tennis


2012 has proven to be a great year for Angelique Kerber, Angelique is rapidly becoming a household name in the world of tennis, mainly due to her exciting performances and rise up the rankings, Angelique is now an established top 10 player on the WTA tour with a good chance of making the year end WTA championships in Istanbul. 
 
Angelique won her first career title at the indoor event in Paris in February, and backed that up with a title two months later in Denmark defeating Caroline Wozniacki.  However, the win in Paris showed what Angelique is all about, defeating Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the quarterfinal and Marion Bartoli in a three set final thriller in front of an extremely raucous home crowd.  

In reality, Angelique’s good run started well before 2012, twelve months ago at the 2011 edition of the US Open, Angelique came from nowhere to get to the semifinal, defeating players of the calibre of Agnieszka Radwanska and Flavia Pennetta along the way before losing to Sam Stosur in three sets in the semifinal. Going into the 2011 US Open, Angelique was ranked 92 in the world.

However, Angelique would cite her turning point before that, to 2011 Wimbledon where she was ranked 100 in the world and lost in the 1st round to Laura Robson.  At that point, Angelique decided to take a look at herself to see where she was going wrong and what she needed to do to improve physically, mentally and tactically.  Sometimes it takes one significant defeat or bad performance to illicit a change and it is always a measure of a player’s character to turn a crisis into something positive; after all crisis means decision. 

With the confidence that US Open run gave her, she has used it to great effect in 2012, being a contender in almost every tournament she has played.  Not only has Angelique won Paris and Copenhagen, she has reached the semifinals of the Italian Open, quarterfinal of the French Open, final of Eastbourne and semifinal of Wimbledon.  More recently, Angelique reached the final of Cincinnati and the 4th round of the US Open.  In Cincinnati, Angelique defeated Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinal and semifinal but lost to Li Na in the final after taking the 1st set 6-1.  

Of course, hunger, desire and mental discipline go a long way in competitive sport but to really excel the biggest factor needed is talent, and I feel Angelique has that in her game and now she is able to use that combined with tactical nous from years of experience on the tour.  She is an interesting mix of defence and offence, able to play both in an era where so many players play the same way, which is to hit the ball as hard as possible and make unforced errors like there’s no tomorrow.  

When I went to the Paris indoor tournament in February, I looked forward the most to seeing Angelique play.  I was not to be disappointed and it was a joy to watch a player who can counterpunch so well and yet be willing to hit down the lines to win a point, the courage to hit down the line is always the sign of a good player.  She is probably one of the two best counterpunchers in the top 20 at this moment in time and can get to balls other players can’t reach; often getting them back deep to turn a defensive position into a winning one on the court, especially if her opponent comes to net. 

Her ability to hit down the lines to stretch her opponent is also one of her greatest assets and is not afraid to hit the drop shot from time to time.  Angelique is also capable of absorbing pace and taking the ball early right on the baseline in the fashion of Agnieszka Radwanksa, often getting to her knees to get the ball across the net.

Angelique is a tactically smart player, no doubt due to years of experience on the tour dealing with different situations; she will not go for outright winners too often but wait for the right opportunity whilst keeping the unforced error ratio compact.  Even so, Angelique is striving to improve further by developing her serve to make it a more reliable weapon, and perhaps be willing to come to net more often than she currently does, I feel her volleys are good and she could use that side of her game more often to win quick points.  Improving those two areas will ensure Angelique stays established in the top 10 for years to come.

The beneficiary of Angelique’s rise has been German tennis.  German tennis is now coming on strong with a group of young players of a similar age pushing each other up the rankings and putting Germany on the map as a serious force.  Players such as Sabine Lisicki, Julia Georges and Andrea Petkovic along with Angelique Kerber can give Germany a legitimate shot at winning a grand slam tournament in the future and be serious contenders for the Federation cup in the coming seasons.

I linked up with Angelique on the eve of this year’s US Open tournament in New York:

1. You had your first Olympics experience at Wimbledon in London. What did you think about the Olympics and your experience there? I was so excited to participate to the Olympics, it's such an honor to compete for your country and being surrounded by so many talented athletes. Atmosphere was also very different from what I had experienced in the past. Staying at the village was unique!

2. I saw you win your first title in Paris Indoor in February (I was the English voice in the crowd supporting you). How much confidence did that win give you, especially beating Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinal and Marion Bartoli in the final? Marion and Maria are amazing players. That win gave me more confidence as I was able to beat such talented players. That kind of win gives you the push to believe you can achieve more and more.

3. Your rise up the rankings has been superb. You were ranked 100 one year ago and now you are top 8. What in your opinion has been the change to bring out your best consistently? I believe one of the key things have been my practice, the way I take them and the way I have been doing it this past year. I practiced a lot more and really gave importance to fitness training. Also, winning Paris gave me that confidence that was missing. Now I feel I trust my game. Knowing I can beat top players was necessary to bring me to another level.

4. Which player(s) influenced you the most growing up / who were your favourite players to watch? Without even thinking about it, I'll say Steffi Graf! I had a chance to met her at Wimbledon, I'll never forget those 5 minutes!!!

5. German tennis is doing well right now; you have 4 players that have come through at the same time. What is the spirit like and how far do you think you can push each other up the rankings? And how can that translate to Federation cup success in future? I feel proud and happy that German tennis is doing so well. We are all close to each other, I played doubles with Sabine at the Olympics and we were happy doing so, enjoyed my time. We have a healthy rivalry and in the end we all support each other.

6. Which player would you have liked to play from the past and why? I would again answer Steffi Graf! Why? Because Steffi is Steffi... Number 1 during 377 weeks, 22 times Gd Slam winner... You name it!

7. What do you consider to be your best or favourite surface? I like all of them

8. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths on the tennis court? I would say my backhand, my movement and my fighting spirit.

9. With the Olympics coming to an end, which other sport would have liked to have seen if you had a ticket? I like sport in general, if I had to choose one, I would have loved to watch swimming.

10. What goals have you set for the rest of the year and the upcoming seasons? I obviously want to maintain my ranking and be part of the top 5.

11. What are your favourite things to do outside of tennis? Sport wise I love to swim. I also like to dance, do shopping, hanging out with my friends, watch movies.... Being on a tournament is everything but having a normal life, when I'm home I really like to have this connection that brings me back to reality.

Murray plays the tennis fans want to see


One month has made all of the difference for Andy Murray.  Murray went from despair in his Wimbledon final defeat to Roger Federer, to absolute joy one month later in the Olympic final against the same opponent.  So what made the difference?  There were a few factors that ushered the transformation, mainly change of mentality and approach to the game.

Because it was the change in mentality which lead to the change in approach and tactical awareness, you cannot have one before the other. And during the Olympics I saw a Murray that played consistently aggressive from start to finish in most of his matches particularly in the semifinal and the final.  
In the Olympic final, Roger Federer came into the match on the back of an incredible semifinal against Juan Martin Del Potro which lasted almost 4 hours and 30 minutes and went to 20 – 18 in the 3rd set.  Murray played two mixed doubles matches with Laura Robson on the Saturday, which left him feeling very sharp for the gold medal match.  The final started just how Murray hoped, saving two break points in his opening service game to hold, which clearly gave him confidence.  
Murray had chances on Federer’s serve early on in the match and was able to break in the 6th game of the 1st set.  Murray closed out the set impressively then incredibly went on a run of 10 straight games finding himself at 5 – 0 in the 2nd set.  Murray won the set 6-1 and then claimed the third set 6-4 to claim the best win of his career and his biggest win over Federer yet.  
There is no doubt this should be seen as a turning point for Murray as this win will give him considerable confidence to know he can play with the top guys in a best of  5 set final.  Murray’s decision to employ ex champion Ivan Lendl as his coach in January 2012 is now looking a wise decision.  The change Lendl has bought to Murray’s game over the 7 months has been both mental and tactical.


On a tactical level, Murray’s serve has been both one of his best weapons and a liability as he is capable of serving some of the biggest first serves but very poor 2nd serves; the contrast between the two deliveries has been too great.  In a big match, once Murray missed 1st serves consistently, his 2nd serve delivery has been too attackable, especially if his percentage dropped below 60%.  Federer was able to exploit this weakness during the Wimbledon final, by employing the drive backhand return more than usual and the chip and charge manoeuvre on a regular basis.  By hitting weaker 2nd serves, it sent the message that he was willing to counterpunch which allowed Federer to get on top in the rallies.


During the Olympic final, the tables turned completely because Murray was willing to go for the big shot earlier in the rally, particularly down the lines testing Federer’s movement and running forehand.  The tactic worked because it made Federer think and made him look a half step slow.  Murray also changed his serving pattern during the Olympic final.  I’ve been advocating that Murray needs to find a big serve down the middle (T) on the ad court as he relies too much on the big serve out wide to the backhand on the big points.  
During the Olympic final, Murray found speeds of 120mph (190kph) plus down the middle, serving bigger made a big difference because it made Federer stretch more and gave him more leeway to go wide to the backhand.  The big slider serve down the middle is an underused shot in modern tennis but it is vital if a player wants to win at the very highest level.


Another area where it can be seen Lendl has made a difference is Murray’s shot selection.  Murray was not as afraid to make mistakes in the semifinal and final as he was in the past.  To hit the big shots, you have to be prepared to make mistakes and when Murray missed a big shot, he composed himself quickly, instead of complaining and gesticulating.  This a very good sign going forward for Murray and his fans and  reminds me of Ivan Lendl’s motto when he was a top player in the 1980s and early 1990s “crush or be crushed!”  
The tactic of going for his shots is perfect for hardcourt tennis, and hardcourts are Murray’s favourite surface; this sets him up beautifully for Cincinnati and more importantly the US Open in September.  Murray should now be seen as one of the strong favourites for this event along with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.  The best part of Murray’s career could be yet to come and a major title could be closer than ever with Murray’s new found confidence and tactical improvements.

Heather Watson - Future of British Tennis




Womens British tennis is looking up after years in the international wilderness.  There is a long way to go before Britain can get into the elite group, but in Heather Watson, we have a player who has the desire and talent to make a real impression on the WTA tour for years to come. 

We also have a situation where we have two British players of a similar age vying to be British number 1, the other player being Laura Robson.  That can only be good for British tennis if both players can push each other to ultimately rise up the rankings and be consistently in the top 30 of the womens game.  

That process has already begun this summer.  Heather Watson reached the 3rd round of Wimbledon, which was the first time that has happened since Sam Smith in 1999.  And last weekend Heather won her first tour doubles title in Stanford with partner Marina Erakovic of New Zealand.  With that triumph, Watson reached a career high 71 in the WTA rankings and claimed the British number 1 ranking for the first time.  Meanwhile, Laura Robson reached her first WTA semifinal on clay in Palermo dispatching top players like Roberta Vinci along the way before losing in 3 sets to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová. 

This is very good news for British tennis to have two young players pushing each other to improve and get as far as possible up the rankings.  Watson is not averse to pushing the envelope, she took the decision at the age of 12 to leave England and head for the Nick Bollettieri academy in Florida which has produced so many great champions over the years.  It is always a brave decision to leave for another culture and country at such a young age but it shows her determination to progress and succeed which will hold her in good stead for years to come.  Especially when things don’t go to plan, Heather should be able to draw on an inner strength.  This is reflected on the court as Heather always displays great fighting spirit, you rarely see her give up. And Heather has already tasted success as a junior, winning the junior US Open title in 2009.

In terms of her game, Heather is developing a strong first serve and during Wimbledon was getting up to speeds of 105 mph (170kph).  Heather is also a tremendous mover along the baseline and possesses exceptional footwork, always taking little steps before getting to the ball and hitting her shots.  I am also impressed with her willingness to go down the line off both wings to stretch her opponent.  Heather is working hard to introduce more variety into her game such as the use of the slice on the backhand side and take to the net off short balls or after creating a short ball to attack and take any floating replies out of the air.   

Like many young players starting out, Heather is working to improve her 2nd serve delivery to make it more reliable for her to defend her serve with.  A good player to study would be Justine Henin, Henin didn’t have the reach to hit big kicker serves so developed a really good slice serve which jumped at her opponents, especially when serving into the body on deuce and ad courts.  The slice 2nd serve can often be more effective than a topspin serve; a topspin serve can be a liability if they are slow and not well directed, they are easily attackable. 

I linked up with Heather recently to ask her views on her tennis and related things, here’s what she had to say:   


1.    Congratulations on winning your first WTA tour title in Stanford with Marina Erakovic.  How does it feel to get a tournament win under your belt so soon into your career and to be British number 1?

It felt great to win that title with Marina and my first career WTA Tour title.  It makes me want to keep working hard and keep fighting.  Becoming the British number 1 is a great accomplishment for me but I still have a long way to go.

2.    You received great support at this year’s Wimbledon championships, how inspiring is it to play in front of your home crowd in a major tournament?

I love playing at home and feeling the support of the fans there.  Their energy really carries over onto the court and is such a big help.  I can’t wait to feel that same energy and enthusiasm when I play at home for the Olympics!

3.    How much are you looking forward to the Olympics and seeing other sports?  Which sports do you watch or play most outside of tennis?

I think  it is going to be so exciting to compete in a home Olympics.  It is a once in a lifetime experience and I am so glad I have the opportunity to represent my country.  I would love to be able to see Usain Bolt race because he is one of my favourite athletes.  I think the swimming would be very cool to see as well since I swam competitively when I was little as well.

4.    Which players inspired you the most whilst growing up in tennis?

I loved the Williams sisters when I was little.  It is a bit surreal to be playing in the same events as them now though.

5.    There are now four British women in the top 100, how do you see the future of British womens tennis developing

We have all been working really hard and this is such a great accomplishment.  We all want to keep climbing though and hopefully this will help motivate other young girls to start playing tennis.

6.    What would you say is your best attribute on the tennis court and why?

I think I would say my best attributes are my movement and my fighting spirit.  I never give up until the last ball is hit.


7.    What goals have you set, how far would you like to go in your career?

Every winter I sit down with my father and we go over the my year and then set goals for the following year.  He really helps me take a step back and see the big picture.  Of course I want to be #1 and that is what I work for every day.  It is a process though and takes consistent dedication on court and off.

8.    I am very impressed with your personality and attitude on the court.  Do you think this helps you to stay as relaxed as possible during the big moments in a competitive match?

I think I am very different on the court and off.  I am a very friendly, playful person off the court but when I step on the court I am a fighter and a competitor.  I have always been very competitive in everything I do and that is something I love about playing tennis for a living.

9.    What are your favourite pastimes outside of tennis?

 I am really just a normal girl that likes to hang out with my friends when I can, listen to music, go see movies and of course do a little shopping from time to time.    

 
 











Petra Kvitova can use setback to become a better player




Petra Kvitova relinquished her Wimbledon title in a defeat to 2010 champion Serena Williams in two sets on centre court on Tuesday.  It was a high quality match, particularly in the 2nd set, but the difference between the two players was the serve of Serena Williams.  Kvitova will be disappointed not to defend her Wimbledon title but should use this experience to learn from the defeat and become a better player longer term.

By her own admission, Kvitova has not had a great start to 2012 in comparison to 2011.  By July 2011 she had won Sydney, Paris Indoor, Madrid and Wimbledon, plus played in the final of the Aegon Championships in Eastbourne.  However, so far in 2012 Kvitova has not reached a final of any event despite getting to 4 semifinals including the Australian and French Opens.  This has left some people to question whether she has the potential to become the best player in the world. 

There are a few factors which have prompted this; in January she had two opportunities to become number 1 in the world but didn’t take them, losing in the semifinals of both Sydney and the Australian Open.  The defeat to Sharapova in Australia was particularly painful for her as she had at least 8 break point opportunities in the 3rd set and was not able to capitalise, eventually coming up short when serving to stay in the match.  In many ways that defeat has set the tone for this year and she has lost her confidence slightly as a result.

Due to Federation cup commitments, Kvitova chose not to defend her title at the Open Gaz de France in Paris.  She then missed Doha and Dubai due to illness and had a rotten time of it in Indian Wells and Miami.  The clay court season was better with semifinal appearances in Stuttgart and the French Open, plus a quarterfinal appearance at the Italian Open.

However, it is fair to say that Kvitova went into Wimbledon short on confidence and belief, coupled with the fact it was a new situation for her to arrive at a major tournament as defending champion.  In the first round against Akgul Amanmuradova, Kvitova went 4-1 down in the 1st set but dug deep and found her game to win in straight sets.  That allowed her the freedom to play much better against Elena Baltacha and Varvara Lepchenko.  In the 4th round, Francesca Schiavone provided a very stern test with her variety but Kvitova came through 6-1 in the 3rd set.

In many ways it was unfortunate that the two previous Wimbledon winners had to play each other in the quarterfinals as it would have been much more worthy as a semifinal or final.  Although Kvitova was defending champion, Serena Williams would have been seen as the slight favourite due to her achievements and experience; that proved to be the case. 

The key to the match was the serve and return of serve, classic grass court tennis.  Serena Williams served incredibly well including 13 aces and returned beautifully.  Meanwhile Kvitova didn’t start well but played much better in the second set and manufactured a set point but couldn’t take advantage as Serena hit a bomb at 114 mph.   Kvitova didn’t get enough returns into play to make a dent into Serena’s service games.  This probably made Kvitova aware that she couldn’t make any mistakes at key moments, which precisely led to mistakes because of the pressure put on her by Serena Williams, especially at 5-6 when she netted a forehand, leaving Serena to serve out the match.

Petra Kvitova will be disappointed to lose her Wimbledon title, but should not become too disheartened with her performance.  I saw a player who played a high level of tennis in the 2nd set, which would have been good enough to defeat any of the other quarterfinalists in the draw.  Kivitova will return to her hometown to have a bit of downtime, and take the opportunity to reflect on where her game is with her coach and what she has to do to keep improving.

Kvitova is not moving quite as sharp as when I saw her in Eastbourne 12 months ago; injuries and illness may have disrupted her training schedule during 2012 but that is something she can work on.  She is not getting to the ball to hit those amazing shots she has at her disposal.  I think Kvitova can work on getting more topspin on her shots to improve her margin for error.  A good example is Pete Sampras who said he added more topspin to his forehand to improve his margin of error after a couple years on the tour.   Sampras showed it is possible to hit bullet shots and consistently get them in, that is an area Kvitova can improve.

I also think Kvitova’s return of serve has gone off a bit this year compared to 12 months ago.  She can develop a great return of serve because she sees the ball so early and gets to wide angles, but probably goes for too much at this stage.  A good strategy would be to get the ball into play deep on big points to ask the question of the server.  

One area I’ve been advocating for Petra Kvitova to become more aggressive is the serve, I have mentioned in previous articles that she should go for her first serve more often.  Serena Williams showed why this is a good tactic, by serving aces and so many unreturnables, it allowed her to have more freedom to take risks in the return games.  Kvitova has a great serve and 2nd serve in particular; she can work on her making her first serve a bigger and faster weapon.  I also feel Kvitova can serve many more aces than she currently does, especially on grass and hardcourts.

This is an opportunity for Petra Kvitova to make some ground on her rivals with the hardcourt season coming up.  She doesn’t have many points to defend so if she can get good results in North America, it will be an opportunity to re-establish herself as a major contender for the titles and major titles going forward.  A player can learn much more about themselves in defeat than victory, therefore I am backing Petra Kvitova to overcome these difficulties at this stage of her young career and to come back to Wimbledon next year an improved player.  I am also backing her to win more major titles and get to number 1 in the future. 

Pete Sampas - an Indepth look at his game Pt 2



We have taken a look at Pete Sampras game by breaking it down into different facets. I will now take a look at how Sampras performed against his main rivals from the era of the 1990s through early 2000s. 

Sampras v Courier

It is interesting to look back on Jim Courier’s reign as number 1 in 1992; a player who made the most of his talent with hard work, Jim was compared to Ivan Lendl during this period – not least by Brad Gilbert in his book called “Winning Ugly”.  Courier used Lendl’s tactic of trying to dominate each match with his forehand and was extremely good on clay as a result. However, Courier did not possess natural athletic ability; therefore once his level started to drop at the young age of 23, he found it hard to get it back.  

You could argue Sampras played a major part in that, because he frustrated Courier a lot in the major tournaments, Sampras was often in Courier’s way and that would frustrate anyone.  Courier won their 1991 US Open quarterfinal and 1994 French quarterfinal but lost at the 1992 US Open semifinal, 1993 Wimbledon final, 1994 Australian Open semifinal,  and 1995 US Open semifinal.   Sampras also came from two sets down to win in the 1995 Australian Open quarterfinal and 1996 French Open quarterfinal.   

Courier often showed his frustration during their matches, but tended to take it out on officials instead, this happened in 1994 in Australia and Miami. As for the Tennis, Sampras forehand could match Courier’s forehand, so that was already one problem for Courier.  Also, Sampras was the better athlete, and was willing to play Courier at his own game, which was to play backhand to backhand, getting it as deep as he could, trying to get Courier to drop the ball short, Courier would run around the backhand a lot, but Sampras often held firm frustrating Courier. 

Sampras said in his book that he targeted Courier’s forehand when serving because of Courier’s extreme grip which closed the racquet face, which meant returning fast sliding serves was a problem for him.  Undoubtedly that frustrated Courier as well as his best weapon was neutralized and that drained his confidence.  The rivalry ended 16 – 4 to Sampras.
  
Sampras v Rafter
  
A fascinating rivalry, because Rafter was a very tough and athletic player who fought to the end, but there were times when Sampras completely dominated Rafter including an 8 match win streak which stretched from 1994 to 1998.  The most interesting aspect was that Sampras returned serve and passed Rafter better than anyone else Rafter faced in his career, including Andre Agassi. The difference Rafter faced between Agassi and Sampras was that Sampras was the better mover across the baseline than Agassi and thus hit better when on the run, consequently came up with incredible passing shots.  An example of this was their 1997 Davis cup semifinal meeting when Sampras put on a master class of returning serve and hitting passing shots in front of a raucous crowd.

Rafter did give Sampras a lot of trouble with the kick serve, but often played Sampras’ backhand into form because he focused so much on it.  Sampras played reverse psychology on Courier by going to his strength, but Rafter often went to Sampras’ perceived weakness and often payed the price.  Rafter did have a surprising 3 match win streak between 1998 and 1999 including the 1998 Cincinnati final and the 1998 US Open semi final. The Cincinnati loss led to some tension between the two men after a disputed call on matchpoint. 

Sampras won the last 4 meetings including the 2000 Wimbledon final, coming from a set down, and their 2001 US Open encounter.  The head to head finished 12 – 4 to Sampras.   

 
Sampras v Hewitt

An interesting rivalry because of the age difference.  And you can see the rivalry had two halves, because Sampras won 4 of the first 5 meetings but Hewitt won the last four meetings to make it 4-5 to Hewitt.

There’s no doubt Hewitt gave Sampras a lot of problems with his speed around the court and his good returning, getting it low to Sampras’ feet when Sampras came in.  Sampras reckoned Hewitt liked the fast courts which helped his game and liked playing attackers / serve volleyers.  I also think that Hewitt caught Sampras at a good time for the 2001 US Open final when Sampras ran out of steam after beating Rafter, Agassi, and Safin back to back, the three former champions in a row. 

Hewitt also took advantage of the fact that Sampras played more at the net later in his career which played into Hewitt’s hands.   Sampras didn’t play from the baseline as much or stay back on his 2nd serve as he did when facing Courier and Chang. However, in their meetings before Sampras’ dip in form post 2000, the Sampras forehand and movement was too much for Hewitt.

Sampras v Krajicek
  
Krajicek was a great player, if a little underrated due to the fact he had a lot of injuries and only won 1 Major title.  Krajicek was 6 ft 5 but was still able to win Super Nines (Masters 1000) tournaments in Stuttgart and Miami, plus clay tournaments in Barcelona and got to the final in Rome in 1996.  Krajicek was an all round player with a good ground game and moved very well for a very tall player.  Krajicek is most remembered as the man to break Sampras’ Wimbledon run at the 1996 quarterfinal stage, which Krajicek won in straight sets; that would be the only loss Sampras suffered in 8 years.


Krajicek was able to get to Sampras’ backhand probably more than any other player,  Krajicek put more slice on his serve more often and into the body, so the ball jumped at Sampras a lot as opposed to slow kickers which can sit up waiting to be punished if not executed properly, Krajieck had a great serve and very good volleys.  At one stage the head to head was 6-2 to Krajicek with a four match win streak between 1994 and 1998.  However, Sampras won the last 2 meetings in Cincinnati in 1999 and the US Open in 2000 to make it a more respectable 4-6 to Krajicek.  The tiebreak in the 2nd set of their 2000 US Open quarterfinal is one of Sampras’ most memorable moments in his long career. 
 
Sampras v Becker

One of the best rivalries, two of the best players of the open era who had an attacking game but liked to play from the baseline, their matches combined great serving, great returning, great passing shots, great rallies and great athleticism, all court tennis at it’s best

Their rivalry is fondly remembered in Germany where so many of those matches took place.  The 1996 ATP Masters final which went to five sets and was 4 hours long is considered the finest indoor match of the Open era. Their 1995 Wimbledon final was remarkable because Sampras hit 29 passing shot winners and made less than 15 unforced errors the entire match – Sampras was unbeatable that day.

The rivalry finished 12- 7 to Sampras, many of those matches taking place at the semi final and final stages of tournaments in Germany, Indianapolis, Wimbledon and the Italian Open. Becker’s career spanned two eras from McEnroe, Lendl and Wilander to Agassi, Sampras and Courier.  However, it is interesting to note that there is only just over a 3 year age difference between the two men, Becker blossomed incredibly early at age 17, something which will unlikely to happen again in mens tennis.
 
Sampras v Edberg

This rivalry was very close, they both liked to attack, although at this stage, Sampras liked to stay back a lot and Edberg exploited that, especially in their 1992 US Open final.  It is interesting that in 2000 and 2001, Sampras would decide to do to other players what Edberg did to him in 1992 and 1993, which is to chip and charge a lot and try to destabilise him.  Sampras did have the 1992 US Open final in his hands but blew it when serving for the 3rd set and got broken, and then seemed to lose heart for the rest of the match.  

Sampras also described in his book that Edberg’s forehand was better than it looked, he called it an “odd shovelling motion”.  Their matches were great to watch, Edberg didn’t rally as well as Becker but he had a great backhand and was a very smooth mover. Their rivalry ended 8 -6 to Sampras but Edberg won the 1992 US Open final and 1993 Australian Open semi final:

Sampras v Ivanisevic

Sampras sums this rivalry up better than anyone – they were a bad match up!    Two guys with big serves, this is what a lot of people remember about Wimbledon, which is unfair to both men, because Sampras played remarkable Tennis in the 1995, 1999 and 2000 Wimbledon finals and Ivanisevic played an amazing final in 2001 against Rafter,

But the 1994 final in 30 degree heat (very unusual for London) and with the ball flying, that match was the beginning of the end for fast grass, they slowed things down from 1995 onwards but the differences were not really manifested until around 2002 when all of the 1990s attacking players were slowly retiring, leaving it to the baseline generation.
These two guys played each other 18 times with Sampras having a 12- 6 edge, but unfortunately none of their matches are particularly memorable, other than the 1998 Wimbledon final which Sampras won in 5 sets, Sampras was so tense that Ivanisevic was able to make it a long match, but couldn’t take the initiative to win the title.  
 
Sampras v Agassi

Sampras’ most famous rivalry and infamous rivalry considering their fall outs post retirement.  These two players produced some of the best Tennis ever seen, especially on Hardcourts between 1994 and 1995.  The rivalry was renewed in 1999 but Sampras had a distinct edge despite Agassi’s resurgence winning 4 out of the 5 matches including the 1999 Wimbledon and ATP Championships finals.

Sampras reckons he’s the better mover and more athletic than Agassi, so felt he was able to compete in the baseline rallies and hold his own.  Agassi played a bit different from Courier, Agassi liked to control the middle of the court, so Sampras’ job was always to try to get Agassi out of that comfort and into the corners of the court often, Sampras also played great on the run so he had an edge there as well.  Agassi gave Sampras trouble with the kick serve but not as much trouble as Richard Krajicek because Sampras could always float the return back and if it was deep enough then he was in business. 

Under Paul Annacone in the later years, Sampras moved away from the idea of running around the backhand to hit forehand returns, to either driving the backhand return more or chipping and charging.  Sampras also started hitting the 2nd serve bigger and coming in much more often.  So unlike Courier and Chang, Agassi saw different sides to Sampras because they both lasted longer on the tour.

They played at all of the slams.  Agassi won the meetings at the French and Australian Open, Sampras at Wimbledon and the US Open.  The matches in Australia were close and could have gone either way.  Sampras also beat Agassi on clay twice but Agassi never beat Sampras on grass.  On hard court it was neck and neck.  Their rivalry ended 20 – 14 to Sampras

The contrast in styles and the baseline rallies was the best part of their rivalry, especially between 1994 to 1995, and 1999 to 2002. In 1999, even though Sampras won 4 out of their 5 meetings, the Tennis was of the highest quality.

Sampras v Henman

Probably a non rivalry, but Henman did make it to two Wimbledon semi finals and took a set off Sampras each time, winning the 1st set in the 1999 Wimbledon semi final when Sampras was distinctly tense.  Henman had the crowd on his side and gave a good account of himself but never looked he was going to win either match.

Henman has claimed that Sampras didn’t return serve that well and you could always take him to tiebreaks.  Well, Henman clearly wasn’t able to get to a tiebreak in two Wimbledon semifinals and in fact, Sampras always had the upper hand on Henman’s 2nd serve, Henman didn’t have much to hurt Sampras other than a few nice shots here and there, he didn’t serve big enough or get enough cheap points or aces, Henman was often under the cosh.  The rivalry ended 6-1 to Sampras with Henman winning their last ever meeting in Cincinnati in 2000.

One match sums up their rivalry, the 1998 Vienna quarterfinal.  Sampras won the match 6-0 6-3 in 50 minutes, breaking Henman 5 times but Henman never saw a breakpoint, Sampras played amazing Tennis, right in the zone, Henman had no answer.
 
Sampras v Chang
 
This is strangely familiar to a rivalry that would take place 10 years later – Federer v Hewitt. Sampras beat Chang in the juniors, then changed from his two handed backhand and Chang started beating him; this went on to the seniors, Chang winning their first 6 meetings on the tour.
 It all turned around in 1993 when Sampras beat Chang at the US Open quarterfinal.  Chang won the first set tiebreak 7-0, Sampras won the 2nd set tiebreak, then the 3rd and 4th sets 6-1 6-1.   

At one stage, Sampras won 10 games in a row, you have never seen Chang so absolutely dominated off the ground for an hour, Sampras ran Chang ragged all over the court with winners everywhere, it was breath taking Tennis, in the course of that match, McEnroe said it was rare to see a serve and volleyer have such an all round game from the baseline as well.  Illie Nastase made a famous quote where he said it was the best Hardcourt Tennis he’d witness at that stage. 

Chang  won one more match after that and the rivalry ended 12 – 8 to Sampras including a comprehensive US Open final win in 1996 in straight sets. 


Other notable Sampras rivalries include:

Ivan Lendl, Michael Stich, Mark Phillippoussis,  Marat Safin, Thomas Muster, Gustavo Kuerten  and Yfevgeny Kafelnikov.

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