5 things we learned from the French Open 2017: lesson 4

Lesson #4

Power play is in vogue, but will that work on grass?

If there was one thing that particularly struck me from this year’s French Open it was how clearly style of play influenced the outcome of so many matches. Of course, this is always the case. Federer has a grass court game as obviously does Sergei Stakhovsky, Marcus Willis, Johanna Konta etc. That doesn’t mean they are not capable of winning on clay (and vice versa: King of clay Nadal has won Wimbledon) but it is evidently a more natural fit for someone like Rafa or Fabio Fognini So why did this concept come as such a surprise to me? After all, Roland Garros has a reputation as being the most physically draining of all the slams and clay is a surface famously hard to adapt to if you have not been brought up playing on it. It takes time to develop an understanding of how to win on it and many of the all-time greats of tennis such as John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Martina Hingis failed to ever lift the cup.

I’ll tell you why dear reader. I was surprised because the last time I watched the French Open the conditions were totally different. Remember Roland Garros 2016? It was a complete washout. Cold, wet and running behind schedule. Matches were off and on like a Taylor Swift relationship. This added a totally different dimension and unpredictability to last year’s tournament. The heavy conditions had changed the favourite in many matches and the loss of momentum caused by delays and cancellations swung the matches back and forth. It reinforced the need for capacity to focus in a game like tennis which can be so mental. Although you undoubtedly still need great fitness to play on damp clay (which most players have or they wouldn’t be pro), I would go as far as to say that the French Open 2016 was really played inside the heads of many opposed to on the court. I would also argue that the weather conditions favored the flatter hitters like Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic who rely more on speed and ability to create angles than the hard hitting power player who has high topspin on every shot.  Hence, they both made the final.

The 2017 version, in stark contrast, was back to normal. Almost. I would argue that it was comparatively very easy to predict the outcome of individual matches this year and the key to victory seemed to be one main thing. Power. In around 80% of cases it seemed, especially on the men’s side, that the stronger player who hit harder triumphed. The conditions in the first week were pleasantly warm and restored normal clay service. Into the second week the wind began to become an issue for some players. Notably Kristina Mladenovic looked like she struggled with her contact lenses and general approach to serving. Djokovic seemed to play a relatively conservative first set against Thiem: probably in an attempt to keep his unforced error count down on a blustery day. Thiem, on the other hand, continued to blast his shots regardless He out powered Djokovic. Nadal was then able to do this exactly back to Thiem (and every other opponent he played). The same for Stan Wawrinka as he defeated Murray. Yes, Murray ran out of energy in the fifth but Stanimal played up to his nickname using force to his advantage. Nowhere, however, was the importance of power more obvious than during the matches of Jelena Ostapenko. The ITV commentary team in Britain started calling her hurricane Jelena for this reason exactly. In the final she made Halep look like little more than a human shock absorber. Simona was unable to play her game: she was reduced to the function of a vibration dampener just like the ones we are so accustomed to seeing on the rackets of players. Power play was most definitely in vogue but will the trend die before Wimbledon?

Well, indeed it could. The lawns at Wimbledon are a very different prospect where the correct tactics and decent level of execution allow craft to flourish. It is a place where you can’t help but feel that power can be out thought. Having said that, fast running speed without the necessary touch at the net can also get other players into trouble so it is not just the strong men who have to watch out! Realistically, although Wimbledon is certainly a tournament which can facilitate a different kind of game and supports the idea of coming to the net, it is not completely frozen in time. Playing like it’s still the 1920’s is not going to cut it in today’s game. Presuming that the power players can maintain their accuracy and not pull the trigger on every shot: that they harness the power when it’s most needed and reserve it when it’s not? Then they can go far.

No one would expect the likes of Ostapenko or Thiem to dramatically change their style over the next 4 weeks and they do not have to. Success at Wimbledon will come as their games develop over the years. Small adjustments are the way to go.

Disagree? Then let me know…all debate is good debate! Thanks for reading guys and don’t miss number 5 or it won’t have been worth it, will it??