Across The Net: Previewing the ATP Tour Championships and Tipping a Hat to Davydenko
Posted by Dan Martin on 11.06.2006
Is there one way to play tennis? Nope and world #3 Nikolay Davydenko is proof of that.
25 year old Russian Nikolay Davydenko made a strong case for being the 3rd best tennis player in 2006. Davydenko won the Masters Series Paris title. Tennis tournaments are divided into three tiers on the men's professional tour. The four Grand Slams occupy the top tier. The year ending Masters Cup and nine Masters Series events occupy the second tier of the men's tour in terms of both prize money and rankings points. The International Series events are the normal tournaments of the tour.
Davydenko is a slight 5'10" 154 lbs. Yet, he has won one Masters Series title this year and four international series events including the Kremlin Cup. Davydenko was a semifinalist at the 2006 U.S. Open and a quarterfinalist at the 2006 Australian and French Opens. Davydenko entered an astonishing thirty events over the past 12 months and has also served as a member of Russia's Davis Cup team.
Tennis much like boxing does not afford a lot of name recognition for players who are not winning at the highest level. Golf is a bit different because a player can be on tour for two decades and then compete on the senior tour after that. Such longevity allows for name recognition to grow. Most sports fans are at least mildly familiar with the 70th best player in the NBA or in MLB. Not so in boxing or in tennis. Despite the fact that to be the 70th best in the world at most things is damned impressive.
Davydenko finished 2005 ranked #5 in the world and 2004 ranked #28 in the world. He may have a great deal of celebrity in his home nation of Russia. However, in the U.S. he is not even on the radar. Yet, he has dedicated his training and mind to be a sublime tennis player. In an era currently being dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Davydenko has yet to find ultimate success at tennis' Grand Slam events. Maybe Davydenko can push through and win a French or Australian Open in the coming years. Davydenko was a combined 18-4 at the 2005 and 2006 French and Australian Opens. If he can push through and win a major title that would be incredible, but often times in sports outstanding players and performers are overshadowed by even greater players. As fans it is sometimes wise to appreciate greatness and the different ways it manifests itself. Davydenko's workman like year in men's tennis may have lacked the overwhelming physicality of Nadal's success or the brilliance of Roger Federer's victories, but to this point he has been the third best player in the world for 2006. Only one event remains and with any luck he will hold the 3rd spot headed into 2007.
Previewing the Master's Cup
Davydenko's success is a testament to the fact that many different playing styles and physiques can excel in men's tennis. Davydenko is not terribly tall or powerful, but he has been able to excel at a high level. A friend of mine who competed in pole vault at the NCAA Division I level took up tennis after college. He said, "Dan in pole vault there is really only one technique. It just comes down to who can execute that technique the best." He went on to point out that high jump and several other athletic events that focus almost universally on one technique. He noted that tennis is not that way. Tennis players can succeed in a multitude of ways. A preview of the top 8 men's players heading into the Tennis Masters Cup is a good example of the different physiques and playing styles present on the men's tour.
World # 8 James Blake of the U.S. is 6'1" and 175 lbs. He won five International Series tournaments in 2006. Blake wins with a huge forehand, great foot speed, a heavy enough serve and one handed back hand.
World #7 David Nalbandian of Argentina is 5'11" and a questionable 175 lbs. (he looks heavier). Nalbandian wins by being patient and taking pace off of the ball in many circumstances. This "soft ball" tactic draws errors. If he can't draw an error, Nalbandian will then crank a shot up mid way through a point. That change of pace often draws errors. Where Blake wins by hitting winners and forcing errors, Nalbandian wins matches by goading his opponent into over hitting and making careless errors.
World #6 Tommy Robredo of Spain is 5'11" and 165 lbs. Robredo hits heavy topspin strokes grooved for success on clay. Robredo can generate a lot of power and give himself a margin for error by hitting with such extreme spin. He is more of a grinder than Blake and more aggressive than Nalbandian.
World #5 Andy Roddick of the U.S. is 6'2" and 195 lbs. Roddick's game is built around a serve that is routinely clocked at over 130 mph and has topped 150 mph. Roddick also can club a forehand. Roddick's serve is among the biggest in the game and unlike the previous three players his game is built almost exclusively around one shot - his rocket serve.
World #4 Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia is 6'4" and 190 lbs. Ljubicic is a fitness nut who can crush his serve and ground strokes. Oddly enough he does not volley extremely well. His game is built around bullying the opposition with heavy serves and ground strokes. This intimidation factor along with his fitness has put him near the top of the men's game.
World #3 Nikolay Davydenko as already noted is 5'11" and 154 lbs. Davydenko wins through patience and consistency. He is not a modified pusher in the mold of Nalbandian, but his slight frame does not allow him to blow people off of the court. By playing the percentages and competing well, Davydenko has established himself as one of the toughest outs in any draw.
World #2 Rafael Nadal of Spain is 6'1" and 188 lbs. Nadal is also the only left handed player in the top ten. Nadal wins by hitting heavy top spin in the same manner as Robredo. Nadal imposes his athleticism, speed and fitness on a match in the same manner as Ljubicic. Nadal wins by playing the percentages and competing well like Davydenko. In short, Nadal is a freak of nature. He is fast, strong and has tremendous stamina. He is left handed and competes like a starving dog fighting for a t-bone steak. If Nadal serves as he did at Wimbledon, he is virtually unstoppable. As it is attacking Nadal and keeping points short is roughly the only way to keep him from grinding an opponent into the dirt.
World #1 Roger Federer of Switzerland is 6'1" and 177 lbs. He plays an all court game that is reminiscent of Boris Becker and Pete Sampras. Federer hits big serves and ground strokes and has the ability to finish points at the net. Federer is less imposing than a Ljubicic and perhaps less explosive than James Blake, but his imagination and feel for the game allow him to demoralize his opponents. Federer also has one of the best minds in the history of tennis. If he cannot simply blow his opponent off of the court, Federer will often figure out a way to break his opponent down. Once he has figured an opponent out the match is normally over. This is so because Federer, like Nadal, can win matches in a myriad of ways. He can play conservative baselines tennis, he can blast winners from the back of the court, he can goad an opponent into errors, he can attack the net, etc. So if a player is soft against any of those things he can tailor his game to exploiting that weakness.
