When Rafael Nadal first burst onto the scene by winning the French Open in 2005, the consensus was he was another in the long line of great claycourt players, men who could dominate on the red surface of Roland Garros but were often vulnerable on faster surfaces.
Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander, truly great clay (and hardcourt) players, never won Wimbledon. On the flip side, Hall of Fame players like Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg could never quite figure out the red clay.
Bjorn Borg, who won in Paris six times, also won Wimbledon five times – but never the US or Australian Open. Rod Laver won on grass and clay and no doubt would have on hard courts had majors been played on them during his career. Laver could have won playing on an iceskating rink – or any other surface. Sampras won 14 major titles but never got to the final in Paris. Before Sampras came along, Roy Emerson held the record for men’s Grand Slam singles titles at 12.
On Sunday, Nadal won one for the 14th time in Paris. His record in French Open finals is now 14-0 after his crushing 6-3 , 6-3 , 6-0 victory over Casper Ruud. Ruud, who is 23, actually led 3-1 in the second set before Nadal simply took his game to another level, winning the final 11 games of the match. The Norwegian didn’t play poorly the first two sets, but he had no chance.
Nadal winning in Paris on the tournament’s final Sunday is as absolute as summer rain in London. It is inevitable. This time around, Nadal’s toughest match came in the quarterfinals , where he won a four-hourplus classic over fellow all-time great Novak Djokovic. That match clearly should have been played in the final , but that’s not alway how it turns out. And so Nadal, who has missed time with injuries this year, was the No.5 seed, because God forbid anyone should fail to follow the rankings.
Seeding Nadal fifth is roughly the same as telling Tiger Woods to go play the AAA Korn Ferry Tour after he won his first Masters by 12 shots. Nadal, in any case, long ago proved he was far more than a claycourt specialist. His victory was his 22nd Grand Slam title, putting him two in front of Djokovic and Roger Federer.
If you held a final vote for greatest player of all time today, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, would have to be No. 1. Statistics are overused, but a handful of Nadal’s numbers go beyond breathtaking. He is 112-3 at Roland Garros (what?) , but he has won eight majors off the red clay: two Australian Opens; two Wimbledons and four US Opens.
That’s as many majors as icons Connors, Andre Agassi and Lendl each won total, and one more than McEnroe. What’s most fascinating about all this is that last year the title of greatest player ever had been more or less ceded to Djokovic. He had beaten Nadal on his way to winning in Paris in June and had gone on to win at Wimbledon in July, putting him in a three-way tie with Nadal and Federer with 20 major victories.
Federer turned 40 in August and had lost in the Wimbledon quarters to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets, including 6-0 in the third. He then announced he needed knee surgery, again, and hoped to play again in 2022. He still hasn’t played and, as McEnroe noted on Sunday, there’s a good chance we will never see him again in a major championship.
After his semi-final loss to Djokovic at Roland Garros, Nadal had pulled out of Wimbledon and the US Open with recurring foot issues . Many wondered if his career might also be over. Thus, Djokovic’s path to a 21st major victory and the record in major wins appeared clear. He was 34, healthy and going for a calendar Grand Slam in New York. His two great rivals were older and injured. But then Daniil Medvedev whipped him in the US Open final and his refusal to be vaccinated in the midst of the pandemic got him deported from Australia before the Australian Open. Nadal then came from two sets down in the Australian final against Medvedev and became the first man to get to 21 major wins.
Sunday, he got to 22 and, apparently , at 36, is still counting. He’s now halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished on the men’s side since Laver did it in 1969 at a time when three of the four majors were still played on grass.
Djokovic, who has won at Wimbledon six times, will no doubt be poised to take him down there. And, although Nadal won one of the two greatest matches of all time (along with McEnroe-Borg in 1980) in the 2008 final at the All England Club, grass is still his toughest surface because he can’t wear people down the way he does in Paris, and to a lesser extent in New York and Melbourne , over shorter rallies and shorter matches. That is a discussion for another day.
Sunday was a day to revel in Nadal’s extraordinary career, his ability to come back time and again, whether from injury or from a point in which his opponent appeared to be in control. That’s the greatness of Nadal: You can get him down, but it is almost impossible to get him out. Nadal has now heard his anthem played on a French Open Sunday 14 times. The emotion on his face made it clear that he still revels in every victory. As we all should.
The Washington Post
MLTC Newsletter – 19 April 2024April 19, 2024
Final Badge 2024 Gradings ReleasedMarch 31, 2024
MLTC Newsletter – 29th June
/in Club News /by RobCoaching Comes Out of the Shadows
/in Ask the Pro, News /by RobOne of the last barriers separating tennis from other sports came tumbling down on Tuesday, when the ATP and even the USTA opted to allow coaching during matches on a trial basis for the rest of 2022. The trial starts immediately after Wimbledon, and when the US Open unspools in late August, it will mark the first time that any type of coaching is permitted at a Grand Slam tournament.
We know what tennis lost in this transaction: The distinction of being the one major sport in which the athlete, even in the heat of competition, must be a self-reliant problem-solver. But what did the sport gain?
One answer to that question is easy: replenished integrity.
As the popularity of tennis swelled over the years, the increasingly high stakes and a pressurized environment has led to a widespread and flagrant disregard of the rule against coaching in real time. Thus, tennis has been lurching from one coaching controversy to another—from the machinations of Ion Tiriac to the ghastly ruckus that may have cost Serena Williams her landmark 24th Grand Slam at the 2018 US Open to the recent, incessant dueling between chair umpires and the Tsitsipas family.
ESPN and Tennis Channel analyst Pam Shriver spoke for a great swath of her colleagues when she told me, “It’s time for this. Seeing how they were having a hard time enforcing the no-coaching rule, why not?”
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be able to freely communicate with his father-coach after Wimbledon. © Getty Images
Proponents of the change cite an additional potential benefit: enhanced interest among fans and television viewers. They see the rule change as a win-win, yet if history is any indication, that bonus is far from guaranteed. But there is tremendous pressure on tennis officials to make the game more marketable to a larger and less expert audience. Elite coach Brad Stine told me, “I tend to lean toward tradition in our sport. But I think this is a nice non-invasive way to produce a better overall product.”
There are prominent dissenters, though. Tennis Channel analyst Jim Courier, a former world No. 1, wrote in a text message: “I consider myself a progressive but do not support this initiative. How many tennis fans have been saying for years how much more they enjoy WTA tour matches (where coaching has long been allowed) compared to the Slams where coaching is not allowed? It is not essential to the game and is one of the things that differentiates tennis…[you] figure it out yourself.”
Courier’s skepticism is warranted. The ATP held a trial run of on-court coaching in official matches in 1999, allowing one coaching visit per set. ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert guided Andre Agassi to three titles before the ATP abandoned that experiment. But he is now adamant about eliminating the rampant cheating and convinced of the entertainment value of visible coaching.
“I was massively in favor of it (on-court coaching) in 1999, and 23 years later I still am,” Gilbert said. “There are pieces in the plan that I don’t like, but I’ll live with them just to have it. It adds a lot of plot and creativity to a match.”
One of the most powerful arguments against allowing coaching is the advantage it gives to players, like the major stars, who can afford to hire top coaching talent. “Hiring a coach used to be prohibitively expensive,” Shriver said, “But now pretty much everybody has one.”
The new ATP rules address the two most prevalent forms of illicit coaching: the use of hand signals, and furtively delivered verbal advice. Under the plan, ATP mentors will be obliged to occupy seats close to the court at opposite ends, where they will be free to use unlimited hand signals as well as communicate verbally when their proteges are on the same side of the court. But verbal communication that disrupts the flow of play or “hinders” an opponent is forbidden. Chats will have to be confined to “a few words and/or short phrases (no conversations are permitted).”
I’ll leave it to better minds than mine to determine exactly when a few words becomes a conversation. Curiously, coaches will not be allowed to chat with players when they leave the court, which looks like yet another strategy to combat the growing plague of bathroom and injury-treatment breaks. Even more curiously, endorsing on-court coaching of any kind was apparently a bridge too far for the ATP. Could it be that ATP honchos lacked enthusiasm for the WTA’s bold foray into on-court coaching?
Starting in 2009, WTA events allowed a limited number of coaching visits with players during changeovers (complete with audio for TV viewers). The approach became business-as-usual until Covid put the kibosh on it. However, it was about as interested as conversation at the 30-minute oil change. You can certainly watch it happen, but is it really that compelling?
Nobody has been clamoring for the resumption of on-court coaching. Fans—television viewers, mostly—became privy mostly to anodyne pep talks delivered to stony-faced, zoned-out players during changeovers. Apart from familiar pleas to stick the first serve or to be patient in rallies, the visits rarely produced useful strategic, tactical or personal insights. Part of the problem: No coach was honest—or dumb—enough to share nuggets of precious intel while everyone had their ear to the keyhole.
“Obviously, there will be some open talk about strategy and stuff,” ESPN analyst Jimmy Arias, the Director of the IMG Tennis Academy, predicted. “But a lot of coaching is—I don’t want to say baby-sitting—but it’s about helping a player in different ways, making everything as easy as possible to help him go out on the court relaxed.”
Coaching in real-time can be a perilous business. Arias said that the best game plan can go “out the window” if the player—who is ultimately the employer and boss of the coach—won’t or can’t execute it. An opponent also has a lot of say in the efficacy of any given strategy or tactic.
“Coaches will be 100 percent under a microscope,” said Arias, who is willing to accept the trade-off between self-reliance and greater entertainment value. “It could get very interesting. We know that some players like to take their emotions out on their coaches. I’m not sure how the coach is going to react when he says, ‘I think you should do this. . .’ And on the microphone his guy goes, ‘You’re just an idiot, go get my lunch.’”
Craig Boynton, the coach of world No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz, is more sanguine. He believes that the intense scouting and preparation that now takes place before matches leaves little room for surprises. One of his favorite quotes about coaching is, “You don’t need to teach the greats, you just need to remind them.”
Boynton, whose protege Hurcaz is shy, diligent, and self-controlled, added: “I’m looking forward to this. If I can help Hubie (Hurcaz) in any way, that’s great. It’s a positive if you can (legitimately) encourage a player, give him a little clearer direction. If you have a few different plans or ideas and he’s on the fence you can now give him a nudge in the direction you want.”
However the experiment turns out, ATP coaches will now find themselves in an unfamiliar place: the spotlight.
https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/off-court-coaching-comes-out-of-the-shadows-tennis-loses-a-distinction-but-gains
MLTC Newsletter – 21st June
/in Club News /by RobClub Captain’s Report
Round 7 of Sydney Badge was completed last Saturday and halfway through the season we have 5 teams in the top 4. We have another round this weekend and then two weeks are off for the July School Holidays.
Round 7 Results
Ladies 1 v Roseville 1 at home. Lost 7-1
Ruby Quigley played her first Badge Match and performed well losing 2 tiebreakers with Nicola.
Roseville have a very strong team including The Ladies Seaside Doubles Winners of 8 years !
Claudia/Caroline won a set against the other pair. In 6th position.
Ladies 2 Lost 6-2 away at Kooroora
Krista/Kristina 2 sets. In 8th position.
Ladies 3 Drew 3-4 at home v Chatswood
Pam/Melinda 2 sets Noriko/Suellen 1 set with 1 unfinished. In 2nd position
Thursday Ladies Lost 7-1 away at Royal Sydney
Sally/Suellen 1 set. In 5th position
Mens 1 Won 4-4 on games v Bisous away
Cam/Ben 3 sets Todd/Sean 1 set. In 4th position
Mens 2 Lost 5-3 at home v Northwest Sydney
Wilko/Netto 2 sets Howard/Craig 1 set. In 8th position
Mens 3 Drew 4-4 at home on games v Neutral Bay 2
Milton/Jon Corney reserved and won 4 sets. In 4th position
Mens 4 Lost 7-1 away at Cammeray
Bede/Larry 1 set. In 3rd position
Mens 5 Won 4-4 on games v Chatswood away
A good win against the top team.
Hugo/Denis 2 sets Chris/Richard 2 sets. In 3rd position
Mens 6 Lost 6-2 away at Mosman
Four reserves played and performed well on the Mosman grass
Brett/Lachlan 2 sets. Tony Hamilton/Ray Dalgairns also. In 5th position.
THIS SATURDAY WE HAVE 5 HOME MATCHES SO TWO SOCIAL COURTS FROM 1130AM TO 230PM
Mens 1 play home at 250pm v a strong Sydney University Team.
Virginia
MLTC Secretary
www.manlylawn.com.au
MLTC Newsletter – 7th June
/in Club News /by RobBBQ this SATURDAY from 4pm. No Badge this weekend so come down for some social tennis and then join in our BBQ and have a drink.
Club Captain’s Report
Round 6 of Badge was completed last Saturday with 4 wins for our teams.
Our Mens 4 Team which includes our 13 year old juniors Bede and Matthew remain unbeaten and now sit on top of the ladder in Division 7. We had 4 new members play their first Badge match on the weekend.
Hugo Babakian played in Division 1 Mens whilst James Graham played in Division 9 Mens.
Lachlan Carroll and Nick Brenner played in Division 10 Mens.
THIS WEEKEND IS A HOLIDAY SO SOCIAL COURTS ARE AVAILABLE ON SATURDAY AND MONDAY.
Round 6 Results
Mens 1 Lost 8-0 at home to Hills
The Hills brought their A team but most of our players were unavailable.Thanks to Hugo for playing at short notice.
Mens 2 Lost 7-1 to Zone Tennis away
Wilko/Craig 1 set. Milton/Fernando tried hard.
Mens 3 Lost 5-3 away at Neutral Bay
Dan/Vincent won 3 sets.
Mens 4 Won 6-1 away at Kooroora
Larry and Bede Kirwan won 4 sets whilst Shishir/Matthew won 2 sets with 1 unfinished.
A big match next round when they play the second team Cammeray.
Mens 5 Lost 4-3 away at Killara
Denis/Chris 2 sets with 1 unfinished. Hugo/James 1 set.
Mens 6 Won 7-1 v Neutral Bay at home.
Christo/Nick 4 sets Lachlan/Brett 3 sets.
A good win to sit just outside the top 4.
Ladies1 Won 6-2 v Western Suburbs at home
Bryanne/Nicola 4 sets Caroline /Janelle 2 sets
Ladies 2 Lost 5-3 away at Chatswood
Shelley/Kirsten 2 sets Krista/ Virginia 1 set
Ladies 3 Won 6-2 at home v Roseville
Narelle/Melinda 4 sets Lindy/Suellen 2 sets
The ladies are now second
Thursday Ladies lost 4-4 by 1 game at home v Roseville
Lindy/Sally 3 sets Johanna/ Michelle 1 set
A reminder to all teams to please clean up your plates and food after Badge otherwise it mounts up for someone else to clean. Also please don’t go onto the courts before 2.45pm for the late matches if a team is still playing.Walking on the court can interrupt concentration at a vital time in the match.
Virginia
MLTC Secretary
www.manlylawn.com.au
GRACIOUS, BRILLIANT, INEVITABLE: WHY NADAL IS THE SPORT’S GOAT
/in Club News, Goss /by RobWhen Rafael Nadal first burst onto the scene by winning the French Open in 2005, the consensus was he was another in the long line of great claycourt players, men who could dominate on the red surface of Roland Garros but were often vulnerable on faster surfaces.
Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander, truly great clay (and hardcourt) players, never won Wimbledon. On the flip side, Hall of Fame players like Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg could never quite figure out the red clay.
Bjorn Borg, who won in Paris six times, also won Wimbledon five times – but never the US or Australian Open. Rod Laver won on grass and clay and no doubt would have on hard courts had majors been played on them during his career. Laver could have won playing on an iceskating rink – or any other surface. Sampras won 14 major titles but never got to the final in Paris. Before Sampras came along, Roy Emerson held the record for men’s Grand Slam singles titles at 12.
On Sunday, Nadal won one for the 14th time in Paris. His record in French Open finals is now 14-0 after his crushing 6-3 , 6-3 , 6-0 victory over Casper Ruud. Ruud, who is 23, actually led 3-1 in the second set before Nadal simply took his game to another level, winning the final 11 games of the match. The Norwegian didn’t play poorly the first two sets, but he had no chance.
Nadal winning in Paris on the tournament’s final Sunday is as absolute as summer rain in London. It is inevitable. This time around, Nadal’s toughest match came in the quarterfinals , where he won a four-hourplus classic over fellow all-time great Novak Djokovic. That match clearly should have been played in the final , but that’s not alway how it turns out. And so Nadal, who has missed time with injuries this year, was the No.5 seed, because God forbid anyone should fail to follow the rankings.
Seeding Nadal fifth is roughly the same as telling Tiger Woods to go play the AAA Korn Ferry Tour after he won his first Masters by 12 shots. Nadal, in any case, long ago proved he was far more than a claycourt specialist. His victory was his 22nd Grand Slam title, putting him two in front of Djokovic and Roger Federer.
If you held a final vote for greatest player of all time today, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, would have to be No. 1. Statistics are overused, but a handful of Nadal’s numbers go beyond breathtaking. He is 112-3 at Roland Garros (what?) , but he has won eight majors off the red clay: two Australian Opens; two Wimbledons and four US Opens.
That’s as many majors as icons Connors, Andre Agassi and Lendl each won total, and one more than McEnroe. What’s most fascinating about all this is that last year the title of greatest player ever had been more or less ceded to Djokovic. He had beaten Nadal on his way to winning in Paris in June and had gone on to win at Wimbledon in July, putting him in a three-way tie with Nadal and Federer with 20 major victories.
Federer turned 40 in August and had lost in the Wimbledon quarters to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets, including 6-0 in the third. He then announced he needed knee surgery, again, and hoped to play again in 2022. He still hasn’t played and, as McEnroe noted on Sunday, there’s a good chance we will never see him again in a major championship.
After his semi-final loss to Djokovic at Roland Garros, Nadal had pulled out of Wimbledon and the US Open with recurring foot issues . Many wondered if his career might also be over. Thus, Djokovic’s path to a 21st major victory and the record in major wins appeared clear. He was 34, healthy and going for a calendar Grand Slam in New York. His two great rivals were older and injured. But then Daniil Medvedev whipped him in the US Open final and his refusal to be vaccinated in the midst of the pandemic got him deported from Australia before the Australian Open. Nadal then came from two sets down in the Australian final against Medvedev and became the first man to get to 21 major wins.
Sunday, he got to 22 and, apparently , at 36, is still counting. He’s now halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished on the men’s side since Laver did it in 1969 at a time when three of the four majors were still played on grass.
Djokovic, who has won at Wimbledon six times, will no doubt be poised to take him down there. And, although Nadal won one of the two greatest matches of all time (along with McEnroe-Borg in 1980) in the 2008 final at the All England Club, grass is still his toughest surface because he can’t wear people down the way he does in Paris, and to a lesser extent in New York and Melbourne , over shorter rallies and shorter matches. That is a discussion for another day.
Sunday was a day to revel in Nadal’s extraordinary career, his ability to come back time and again, whether from injury or from a point in which his opponent appeared to be in control. That’s the greatness of Nadal: You can get him down, but it is almost impossible to get him out. Nadal has now heard his anthem played on a French Open Sunday 14 times. The emotion on his face made it clear that he still revels in every victory. As we all should.
The Washington Post
Fantastic 14! Nadal Defeats Ruud For Another Roland Garros Title
/in Club News /by RobRafael Nadal captured his 14th Roland Garros title and a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam trophy Sunday, dispatching Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to write another chapter into his historic legacy.
By earning a 22nd Grand Slam crown, the Spaniard has moved further clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the Grand Slam race, with the Serbian and Swiss tied on 20 major titles.
It is the first time Nadal has won the Australian Open and Roland Garros trophies in the same season and he is now level with countryman Carlos Alcaraz on a Tour-leading four titles in 2022 after improving to 112-3 at the clay-court major.
“For me personally, it is very difficult to describe the feelings that I have. It is something that I have never believed. To be here at 36, being competitive again on the most important court of my career,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony. “One more title means a lot. It means a lot of energy to try and keep going…I don’t know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try and keep going.”
Most Grand Slam Men’s Singles Titles (all-time)
Nadal’s achievement in Paris is even more remarkable considering that he struggled with a chronic foot injury in defeat to Denis Shapovalov in Rome little more than three weeks ago.
However, he showcased his trademark fighting qualities throughout the fortnight in Paris to ensure he would maintain his stranglehold on the Coupe des Mousquetaires, improving to a remarkable 14-0 in Roland Garros finals.
”Team, family, everyone who is there. It is amazing the things that are happening this year,” Nadal said. “I just thank you very, very much for all the things you are doing for me and over the years. Without you none of this would be possible, without any doubt. Especially in the very tough moments we went through with injuries.
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-ruud-roland-garros-2022-final-sunday
2022 Forster Seniors Tennis Tournament Entry Form
/in Foster Seniors, News /by RobMLTC Newsletter – 31st May
/in Club News /by RobFour Mens Teams had big wins last Saturday with 3 teams now coming 2nd on the ladder.
Our Mens 1 Team now sit 2nd and next Saturday will play Hills District at home at 250pm.
This team comprises Neil Smith and his 3 sons who are Seaside Doubles winners. So a great match deserves a big crowd so get to MLTC next Saturday.
Round 5 Results
Mens 1 won 6-2 at home v Voyager
Cam /Ben paired up to win 4 sets easily.Todd/Sean won 2 sets to complete the win.
Todd has now won 2sets from 8 to have a higher win percentage than The Canterbury Bulldogs( 2 wins from 12) but way below The Penrith Panthers 11 from 12.
Mens 2 Lost 5-3 v Kooroora Gold away
Craig/Jon Corney 3 sets
Mens 3 Won 6-2 v Mortdale away
Craig/Jarryd won 4 sets again Dan/Sam 2 sets
Mens 4 Won 6-1 at home v Neutral Bay
Matthew/Shishir won 3 sets with an unfinished set Gavin/Bede 3 sets
A big win against the top team to now sit a close 2nd on the ladder
Mens 5 Won 7-1 at home v Beecroft
Denis/Chris 4 sets Richard/Hugo 3 sets
Another big win to now be 2nd.
Mens 6 Lost 6-2 v Killara at home
Daniel/Dave 2 sets
Ladies 1 Lost 7-1 v Longueville away
Nicola/Claudia 1 set Lisa was injured and had to forfeit2 sets with Caroline
Ladies 2 Lost 7-1 at home v Longueville
Sarah/ Krista 1 set
Ladies 3 washout at Beecroft
Thursday Ladies Lost 6-2 v Cooper Park
Johanna/Sally 1 set Lindy/Suellen 1 set
Suellen played 4 sets with an injury to help the team out. Well done Suellen.
SATURDAY NOON LADIES 3 V ROSEVILLE
4 COURTS FOR SOCIAL FROM 11.30 AM TO 2.30PM JUNE 4
2.50PM MENS 1 V HILLS DISTRICT
2.50PM LADIES 1 V WESTERN SUBURBS
2.50PM MENS 6 V NEUTRAL BAY
Come on down and watch our top Ladies and Mens Teams this Saturday
Denis Crowley
Virginia
MLTC Secretary
www.manlylawn.com.au
Tennis has an anger-management problem, and it’s getting worse | Washington Post
/in Ask the Pro, Goss /by RobPARIS — On an obscure court at Roland Garros, in a women’s singles match that drew scant attention, 63rd-ranked Irina-Camelia Begu thrust herself into the global spotlight as the latest example of the ugly, potentially injurious on-court outbursts plaguing pro tennis in recent months.
Irked over losing her serve in a pivotal moment, Begu, 31, tossed her racket on the French Open’s red clay, and it ricocheted into the stands and toward a small child, who burst into tears. The chair umpire summoned the supervisor to adjudicate, but Begu was allowed to play on, later cited for unsportsmanlike conduct, despite the fact that her racket “brushed” the child, according to a statement from the tournament director.
Just two days earlier, Andrey Rublev, the French Open’s seventh seed, also got a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after he smashed a ball in a rage that almost hit a groundsperson.
……
Most pros at the top of the sport, however, come to realize that controlling their anger is ultimately in their interest.
For Rafael Nadal, a five-time recipient of the ATP’s sportsmanship award, behaving on court is something he learned as a child.
“My uncle, my family, never allowed me to break a racket, never allowed me to say bad words or give up a match,” Nadal once explained. “
Probably when I was a kid, they didn’t care much about winning or losing. Of course, all the parents and family, my uncle [who was also his coach] wanted me to win every single match. But probably that was not the most important thing.
The most important thing was the education and the fact that I grow with the values, with the right values.”
For second-ranked Daniil Medvedev, who is still haunted by an epic meltdown he had as a 14-year-old junior, it has been a process.
“At one moment, I understood that it can negatively affect your tennis,” Medvedev said. “But I definitely didn’t understand it [at 14]. It was much later. …
I’m still learning because I have some tantrums, if it’s the right word, sometimes on the court. Usually I’m not happy about it.
The most important is either to know how to react or, better, how not to do them and just stay focused on the match.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/05/26/tennis-angry-outbursts-french-open/
MLTC Newsletter – 24th May
/in Club News /by RobOnline Court Bookings – Survey Results
Thanks so much to everyone who completed the survey about online court bookings for members. The response was overwhelmingly positive with 96% of people finding it easy to use and wanting it to continue. We will therefore continue with the online court bookings moving forward. Thanks also to those who made additional comments/suggestions. These will be taken to the committee to discuss.
Suggestions from members are welcome at any time and can be emailed to Virginia at [email protected].
Club Captain’s Report
Rain again interrupted away matches last Saturday but two big wins at home highlighted our home matches
Round 4 Results
Mens 1 Washout away at Hunters Hill.
Mens 2 Won 7-1 at home v Strathfield.
Howard teamed up with Wilko to win 4 sets . Whilst Milton answered the call up to partner Jon Corney to win 3 sets.
Mens 3 Won 8-0 at home v Eastern Suburbs
Two new pairings produced a big win. Craig and Jarryd Stevens paired up for the first time this year as did Vincent and Dan to both win 4 sets easily.
Mens 4 Washout away v Neutral Bay
Mens 5 Drawn 1-3 v Sydney Uni away.
The rain came after 4 sets to wash out play.Graham/Denis 1 set.
Mens 6 Lost 5-3 v Strathfield away.
Brett played his first Badge match for Manly and together with Christo won 3 sets.
Ladies 1 Drew 3-4 v Sydney Uni at home. Bryanne / Nicola won 3 sets
Ladies 2 Won 6-2 away at Sydney Uni
A great win against the top team.Sarah/Krista won 4 sets Virginia/Kirsten won 2 sets.
Ladies 3 Lost 5-3 v Collaroy at home. Kate/Noriko 2 sets Pam/Erryn 1 set
Thursday Ladies Lost 7-1 v Roseville away. Johanna/Sally 1 set
SATURDAY MAY 28
NOON
Mens 4 and Mens 5
2.50pm
MENS 1 MENS 6 LADIES 2
TWO SOCIAL COURTS FROM 1130AM TO 230PM
Message for Badge Players
Dear Badge Delegates,
I hope this email finds you all well! Just a friendly reminder for yourself, badge captain and players to log into Match Center and link / activate their player profile . Players will not be able to see any of their results, and results will not go through to UTR correctly if players do not have their accounts linked.
It is as simple as logging into Match Centre and linking accounts – https://matchcentre.tennis.com.au/
For additional information: https://www.tennisworld.net.au/join-a-social-competition/match-centre-how-to-link-multiple-accounts-2/
Virginia
MLTC Secretary
www.manlylawn.com.au
MLTC Newsletter – 17th May
/in Club News /by RobClub Captain’s Report
Two 8-0 wins and several close matches was the highlight of round 3 of Sydney Badge.
Mens 1 won 8-0 v Kooroora
Two new combinations this match as Cameron gave Bosko the flick to team up with Captain Sean and it proved a great move as they won their 4 sets easily. Bosko then partnered new Member Ben O Connell to win their 4 sets easily also. We are lucky to have such a strong player in the shape of Ben who has joined our club. A good season now looks assured for this team.
Mens 2 Lost 8-0 away to Tennis Valley. A tough loss to a good team.
Mens 3 Lost 7-1 away at Heffron Park.
Another tough loss against a very good team. Justin/ Jarryd won 1 set
Mens 4 Drew 4-3 v Sydney Uni at home
Time ran out with a win 1 game away. Shishir/Matthew continued their good form to win 3 sets and 1 unfinished. Bede/Rob 1 set.
Mens 5 v Killara at home Won 8-0
An easy win against a United Nations Team from Killara.With players from Australia Italy China and Korea(South Korea he said but with a name like Kim I am unsure) Killara played like it was their first match together. Graham/Chris Hugo/ Denis both won 4 sets easily.
Mens 6 Lost 5-3 v Strathfield at home. A close loss with Stu/Dave winning 2 sets and improving each week.Daniel/Peter 1 set
Ladies1 Lost 4-3 away at Kooroora
A close loss with Janelle/Claudia taking 2 sets and Nicola/Caroline 1 set and 1 set unfinished.
Ladies 2 Lost 7-1 at home to Eastern Suburbs
Sarah/Christine won the last set in a strong comeback.
Ladies 3 Won 4-4 on games
Noriko/Kate 2 sets Pam/Erryn 2 sets. Another win to remain undefeated.
Thursday Ladies had a bye.
SATURDAY MAY 21 4 COURTS FOR SOCIAL FROM 11.30AM TO 2.30PM
Ladies 3 Play at Noon
2.50Pm Ladies 1 Play on Courts 1 and 2
2.50PM Mens 2 and Mens 3 play.
Come along to support our Two Ladies Teams who are both in the top 4
Our Mens 2 and 3 Teams will be looking for home wins to start their winning runs.
Denis Crowley.
Long term member Owen is unwell at present so we wish him a speedy recovery.
Best wishes,
Virginia
MLTC Secretary
www.manlylawn.com.au
ATP: May 14 Badge Lessons:
/in Ask the Pro, News /by RobMore valuable ‘how 2 play’ lessons from yesterday’s match and a repeat of some from the previous match.
In a repeating pattern, both our pairs started well (after good prematch warmup) and won the first sets easily. Again, Mike/Sam continued on and completed both sets successfully against the better pair. Meanwhile on court 2, the opposition, while clearly outgunned by Bobby/Fred regrouped and changed the game. They continued this pattern against Mike/Sam.
In brief, they changed the rhythm of the game by:
1. taking much more time between points and particularly on change of ends.
2. Hitting slower, short balls particularly on serve forcing us to generate our own pace.
Combining 1/2 gives ‘too much time to think’, causes players to doubt their ability and leads to playing ‘not to lose’. Or stated more simply, playing the opponents game.
Re 1. Our team collectively plays ‘fast’ compared to most players. The team has learned the lesson of taking time in preparing to serve on big points and now has to learn how to manage the same on the return game … need to reinforce the use of breathing and ritual to get set between ‘points’ regardless of other player’s game rhythm.
Re 2. Reinforces both the need to better understand the ‘ghost line’ strategy and be confident in execution.
It’s takes several weeks of practice to learn how to execute on our coaching court and then confidently apply to a match. This is why I stress focusing on point by point — rather than games or winning/losing. Yep everyone learns by making mistakes.
It’s tough to learn how to execute under match pressure even so that’s why we are playing badge. Our focus is on learning point-by-point rather than simply winning or losing. As I often say, most times you learn, a few times you win. It’s a journey not a race.
Learning how to hit the ball is the easy part of tennis. Learning how to play, well that is the difficult part for most players.
School’s in again Sunday at 1230p.