-
Breaking Down Bernard Tomic
The Hopman Cup, named for legendary Australian Davis Cup Captain Harry Hopman, is little more than an international glorified exhibition tournament. Featuring two-person teams (one player of each gender) from eight different nations, the round-robin format allows for some guaranteed matches leading into the start of the tennis season. Given the laid-back nature of the affair, Bernard Tomic’s straight set defeat of Novak Djokovic earlier today will hardly send shock-waves through the world of tennis. It may however, cause at least a ripple. After a promising start to his professional career with a quarter-final run at Wimbledon in 2011 (where he lost in 4 sets to eventual champion.. Novak Djokovic), Tomic took a rather large step backwards in 2012 where his poor on-court performance wasn’t helped by off-court drama such as a bizarre stand-off with Australian police and another incident involving Tomic fighting his friend and also possibly police in October. With the year ending so poorly for the young Australia, the shock victory over Djokovic brings us to the topic of today’s update:
Is Bernard Tomic’s Hopman Cup win over Djokovic more accident or omen? Was this a fluke victory over a sub-par Novak in a meaningless exhibition, or is Tomic primed to take his tennis career to the next level in 2013?
-
Part 1: Where Did All The Serve and Volleyers Go?
This is the first in a three-part series on serve and volley tennis in the modern game.On September 21st, 2007 Tim Henman defeated Roko Karanusic in straight sets to give Great Britain a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup tie against Croatia. Although he would team with Jamie Murray to seal the victory in doubles the next day, his victory marked Tim Henman’s last official singles match on the men’s tour. It also marked the last true serve and volleyer at the top of the game. In the 5 years since, we have seen some aggressive players (Tsonga immediately leaps to mind), they are more all-court players, roaming forward occasionally when they see a tactical advantage in doing so. However, they more likely to stay back than not. Even the great Roger Federer – the last man to win Wimbledon serve and volleying nearly every point – uses it sparingly.So where did all the serve and volleyers go?