TennisOne Lessons

A Tale of Two Americans

Paul Fein

“Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.” – Francis Bacon

The contrast between the performances of impressive Andy Roddick and inept Venus Williams in the Sony Ericsson Open finals was stark and instructive. Why have the two American stars declined since the end of 2003? And based on those two matches, what should we expect from them during the rest of 2010 and their pro careers?

Venus amassed four of her seven Grand Slam titles, plus an Olympic gold medal, during 2000-01, then lost all five major finals she contested in 2002-03. The older Williams sister, who turns 30 on June 17, still excels on grass where she won three more Wimbledon titles, in 2005, 2007, and 2008, and reached the final last year. But after her 2000-03 prime, Venus has advanced past the quarterfinals at a major, other than Wimbledon, only once, when she made the 2007 U.S. Open semis.

When recently asked what has changed most about pro tennis since she turned pro in 1994, Venus replied, “The speed has gotten so much harder. Back when I first started, I was the only one hitting a big serve and running super-fast. Now everyone is moving well and serving big, and they have this fierce determination that just wasn’t there when I first got on tour. Everybody thinks they can win the match.”

That improvement accelerated with the arrival of Belgians Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, along with a horde of ambitious Russians who, at one point, boasted six compatriots in the top 10. Even Serbia, a small country with almost no tennis tradition, flexed its muscles with a Grand Slam titlist, Ana Ivanovic, and a No. 1 player, Jelena Jankovic. Younger sister Serena proved Venus' chief nemesis, though, beating her in six of seven Grand Slam finals since the start of 2002.

Lack of Strategy

However, it wasn't just more and stiffer competition that stymied Venus, whom Billie Jean King once called "the Althea Gibson of the 21st century" because of her powerful 6'1½" physique, terrific athleticism, and shot-making talent. It was her lack of strategy. Before Clijsters routed her 6-2, 6-1 in the Sony Ericsson Open final, Venus noted, "My main goal is to obviously execute my game. That's pretty much it. So I don't necessarily get focused on who is across the net. I'm really focused on, you know, the task at hand when I get a chance to hit the ball."

Tennis isn’t golf, where participants play the course and only indirectly the rest of the field. Venus’ admission – “I don’t necessarily get focused on who is across the net” – combines arrogance with ignorance and is especially surprising considering her accurate observation that she faces tougher competition than ever.

Venus’ strange and self-defeating indifference toward her opponents dates back to the 1999 French Open when 125th-ranked Barbara Schwartz, a qualifier, ambushed her, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3. Venus admitted she had never seen Schwartz before and didn’t even know her Austrian foe was left-handed. Neither Venus nor her father-coach Richard had scouted Schwartz, and afterward Venus remarked, “You have to take everybody seriously from now on.” Ever-critical Martina Hingis rightly pointed out, “I think you’re only stupid yourself if you don’t take the player seriously.”

Every opponent has strengths and weaknesses. Ever since Spencer Gore volleyed his way to win the first Wimbledon in 1877, thoughtful players have tried to maximize their own strengths and exploit their opponents’ weaknesses while defusing their opponents’ strengths and minimizing their own weaknesses.

Venus, however, continues to believe that she can simply impose her power game and speedy court coverage on opponents as if she were still in her long-ago prime. If she has any strategy whatsoever, aside from standing far inside the baseline to return service aggressively, it is rarely apparent. As a surprise tactic, she should occasionally serve and volley; she did that only once in six matches at Miami. Against players who are beating her from the baseline, she should try her utmost to rush net where she won 67 of 99 points (67.6%) in six matches. She also might consider changing pace and spins occasionally to throw her opponents' timing off. Finally, she should play better percentage tennis, especially with her erratic forehand.

Importance of Sound Technique

The 2010 Miami final – her first there since winning the tournament in 2001 – also demonstrated that technique is often more important than physique, athleticism, and strategy. In the early 1980s, hard-working Ivan Lendl improved his backhand and reached 19 major finals, winning eight. A decade later, Pete Sampras, under the guidance of Tim Gullikson, improved his service return and then captured seven Wimbledon titles.

But what has Venus improved during this century? Nothing. Her forehand often misfires, particularly on down-the-line shots when it winds up in the net or beyond the baseline. Variously, she positions herself too close to the ball, she is off-balance when she strokes it, and she hits the ball too flat. Well-coached, intelligent opponents relentlessly direct their shots to her forehand to induce forced and unforced errors.

Even Venus’s best stroke, her backhand, can break down. Hit almost always with an open stance, it’s basically an “arm shot” with little weight transfer or hip and shoulder rotation. Less sound than the closed and semi-closed stance backhands of Lindsay Davenport, Dinara Safina, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, and Clijsters, Venus’ backhand, sometimes hit off-balance, results in a loss of power, control and consistency.

However, nothing demoralizes a player more than when her biggest weapon, in this case Venus’ serve, becomes her biggest liability. TV commentators rattle off the various flaws in her disjointed, off-balance serve. In the Miami final, Venus had only two aces, made just 47 percent of her first serves and saved only one of six break points against her. Stroke defects typically are exposed when the pressure is greatest, and in the two longest games of the match, Venus double-faulted twice each to lose her serve. No tour player has an average speed differential as large as Venus does between her first serve (110 mph against Clijsters) and second serve (83 mph). The differential between her fastest first serves in each match (123, 121, 122, 122, 118 and 125) and her average first serve speeds (108, 106, 112, 103, 107, 110) is also surprisingly large and makes one wonder why she cannot consistently hit first serves consistently faster.

With Serena, Clijsters and Henin in their primes and Sharapova, Kuznetsova, Azarenka, Wozniacki, Jankovic, Safina, and Ivanovic also capable of winning major titles, Venus’ chances are slimmer than ever, even on grass.

Roddick’s Resurgence

Although Andy Roddick’s post-2003 decline paralleled that of Venus, his efforts to reverse it have differed dramatically. Unlike blasé (fatalistic?) Venus, A-Rod left almost no stone unturned. After Brad Gilbert guided him to the U.S. Open title in 2003 when he finished No. 1 in the world, Roddick has been coached by Dean Goldfine, his brother John, Jimmy Connors, and Larry Stefanki for the past 17 months.

Larry Stefanki convinced Roddick to lose 15 pounds for added speed and stamina. He also helped improve Roddick’s backhand and service return and encouraged him to attack with the forehand more often.

Stefanki guided Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marcelo Rios to the No. 1 ranking and also enjoyed successful coaching stints with John McEnroe, Jonas Bjorkman, Tim Henman, and Fernando Gonzalez. His tennis acumen and tough love have worked with Roddick, too. Stefanki convinced Roddick to lose 15 pounds for added speed and stamina. He also helped improve Roddick’s backhand and service return, encouraged him to attack with the forehand more often, and, crucially, positioned him closer to the baseline where he can do far more damage offensively and hang in points better defensively.

This year Roddick leads the ATP Tour in service games won at 91 percent, and that attribute alone nearly carried him to the 2009 Wimbledon title. He held serve 37 straight times until six-time Big W champion Roger Federer broke him in the final game and prevailed 16-14 in the fifth set.

After beating No. 7 Robin Soderling to gain the 2010 Indian Wells final, Roddick won the Sony Ericsson Open, his biggest title since capturing Cincinnati, another Master Series event, in 2006. He notched a big 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rafael Nadal in the semis and a 7-5, 6-4 win in the final over heavy-hitting Tomas Berdych, who had upset Federer. 

Against Nadal, 27-year-old Roddick, seemingly forever a work in progress, finally put it all together with a blend of controlled, purposeful aggression as well as patience, when necessary, in long rallies. At the right times, he attacked Nadal’s vulnerable second serve, went for forehand winners, changed pace with slice backhands and loopy forehands, and kept his passing shots low. He also kept Nadal off balance by directing occasional shots to Nadal’s formidable forehand. In sum, by taking calculated risks and not merely being a grinder with an explosive serve, A-Rod gradually broke down the tenacious Spaniard’s game. The only tactical flaw was hitting some approach shots crosscourt, instead of down the line.

Expert Analyses 

“It was a pleasure to watch, and see just how much Andy has learned about his game and how to approach a match,” analyzed highly regarded TV commentator Mary Carillo. “He knew he had to play a little out of his comfort zone. He had to force things, had to be willing to volley on big points, and he did that. He realized his 135 [miles per hour serve] wasn’t the [only] way to win, and that’s how Andy might be able to take a second major.”

Jim Courier, whose punishing forehand helped him capture four major titles and the No. 1 ranking, observed, “With the Rafa match, I think he found a way to break through. He definitely has passion. That’s the best he’s played in a long, long time. He won that match on his terms. For a long time, it was gun in the holster a little bit too much. When he flattens that forehand out, he scares people in a different way.”

After beating Berdych, a justifiably proud Roddick pointed out, “Today I was smart with chipping and mixing paces, which kept him guessing. I held onto my serve well throughout and played a pretty smart tournament.”

He also couldn’t resist taking a shot at critics who dismiss him as a one-trick pony. “A lot of people say the serve is fine and the rest of it is pretty average. That’s all right. But there are a lot of guys with big serves who are pretty average, so there has to be some difference.”

Rest assured, Andy, there is plenty of difference and you’ve made plenty of progress. You’re not the best athlete or the most stylish stroker among the elite, but you have a real chance to achieve your two remaining goals – winning Wimbledon and a second Grand Slam title.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, the renowned novelist, declared: “There are no second acts in American lives.” Like Andre Agassi, you can prove him wrong.

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Paul Fein

Paul Fein has received more than 25 writing awards and authored three books, Tennis Confidential: Today’s Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies, You Can Quote Me on That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights, and Zingers, and Tennis Confidential II: More of Today’s Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies. Fein is also a USPTA-certified teaching pro and coach with a Pro-1 rating, former director of the Springfield (Mass.) Satellite Tournament, a former top 10-ranked men’s open New England tournament player, and currently a No. 1-ranked Super Senior player in New England.