Player Prospects in Tennis
Germany’s Alexander Zverev
It is at this time of the year new names come up and known names fight it out to survive. When it comes to new names among Women, we have Japan’s Naomi Osaka, winner at Indian-Wells, who surprised a whole lot of players. Also, USA’s Danielle Collins reached the semifinals of the Miami-Open, again walked past Top 10 ranked players. The player who surfaced in 2017, Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko and the known, USA’s Sloane Stephens, have done well. Their tenacity must be praised.
Men
In the Men’s category, the world is impatient to know the successors to Federer and Nadal. A few names are in the basket. They are definitely getting tossed about with some surfacing into respectable final rounds. Meanwhile, Marin Cilic has voiced his desire to be World No.1 this year.
The best from the surfacing-players among Men are Germany’s 20-year-old Alexander Zverev who is firmly World No. 4. Next best is 21-year-old Korean Hyeon Chung, ranked 19. Australia’s 22-year-old Nick Kyrigios is at 25. Canada’s Denis Shapolov at 19 years, is at 45. Borna Coric of Croatia at 19 years, is at 39. And another surfacing player is Greece’s Stepanos Tsitsipas, who at 21 years, is at 71.
With so many names popping up, if a player does not last, the world will not remember his name. The build up for a new ranking order is becoming imminent. Yet, no predictions could be made until a player of quality emerges.
Instinctive Game tasking
In Tennis, like in many other sports, the ‘game style’ or, better said, the ‘method of engagement’ into a match, has more impact to survive the test of time, than the crowd-appealing firepower weaponry.
All good players use the game-making ability as their base for survival. Using this as their springboard, they create the opportunity to use their weaponry. In the development of a game, many do not identify this abstract aspect of instinctive game sense and its effective formula, until very late. It could be termed as ‘maturity of a player’. It is abstract, and defining it is a pitfall, as it differs from player to player. However, without this, a player will be wandering in the wilderness. A dilemma, all surfacing players will face, when they cannot get further. Only those who understand and engage in game tasking and enhance instinctive side, will survive.
Format of Rallies
Tennis is played in rallies. It is a series of shots where time between shots DOES NOT EXIST. It is this situation of game-tasking ability, which works as the platform for performance “instinctively”, to select shots. It is a process of envisaging the games to be played against variety of opponents.
Use of logical process will be too slow between shots and of no use. Many, including me, think, postmortem of matches using logic is a distraction to players, to play the next match effectively. Many ‘surfacing players’ are subjected to this postmortem of matches with logical analysis. If a player gets on to play and lead the match logically suppressing instinct, there will be no success. Opponents are never the same, being different instinctively, is a better guide than logic.
Instinct gives speed to reaction and logic, due to its contemplative nature, slows reaction. It is such aspects that decide the fate of surfacing players to survive.
Individual athletic ability of players is the other deciding factor to hold the stroke-making rhythm, and to indulge in an extended period of play in a match. Following good players’ careers, it can be said that this naturally peaks between 19 and 24, if appropriate work has been carried out. [All earlier achievement here of this aspect is suspect now]. All individual court games have athletic ability as the most critical base. Athletic ability for court games have a few salient aspects that have to be addressed for about 10 years, from age 13.
Monte Carlo
In Europe, Monte Carlo is on now and has the aura of being the elite location of the continent. The glamour there is unmistakable. Tennis is one of the major sports the city State hosts. The Men’s draw takes only a limited number of players.
The sand courts of Monte Carlo, by itself, are a challenge to players. It permits even the weakest player to engage good opponent to a fair distance. If the good players are not ready to ‘walk’ the distance, they could get eliminated. European clay which is burnt clay, is about the slowest surface now.
Targeting ranking
Existing players, New-Gen and surfacing players all want to be on the right side of the 50th mark in ranking. The European arena provides the best opportunity for this. In each gender, the European season is packed with over 60 events.
Locally and globally, most of the names that pop up beating a popular player or, even win a title, seems in early teens, is a ‘flash in the pan’ situ and not ‘here to stay’ signal. Most of the names in the Top 10 in the world are ‘here to stay’. That is, they surfaced and survived.
-George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Sri Lanka & Brunei, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach– contact 94 77 544 8880 geodano2015@gmail.com-