The ‘winner’s magic’
As an open-sport, Tennis cannot be approached or mastered with closed formulas. To be successful in any open-sport, players must be in possession of a personality which can understand and gather sports-intelligence, be able to live at the edge of the clif, fight all the way, and to perform at 100% in very tight situations. In short, a ‘winner’s magic’ is the personality factor. The most significant observation ever made on strength of personality needed for sports, came from Australian Rod Laver, the last man to win the ‘Grand-Slam’ in 1969 at the age of 31. Laver observed, ‘a good player knows how to win even on a bad-day’. This refers to the personality factor. No one plays their best always. To win even on bad-days it takes the strength of personality to do it. In 2014 after the French-Open it was clear neither woman nor man will win the Grand-Slam. The top three in men’s ranking, much to the surprise, is still Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In women’s it is Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. This has been the line up in one way or other for a long time. The winning magic of these players is in their personality.
Tough schedules and realities
Today players work very hard with the best of guidance. Now most of them have coaches who have been excellent past players. They travel nearly 65,000 kilometers around the globe for ten months, facing tough opponents and spend a lot of money on travel. All this which sounds great to read, is very difficult, strenuous and stressful to sustain. If the winning streak stops, the income stops. Surviving in competition today has become a vital personality factor than ever before. Players must be capable of handling many critical aspects ‘on and off’ the court.
When the umpire calls ‘love all and play’, the match will begin, then nothing else matters, only the strength of player’s performance will carry the players to the winning post. It is a lonely journey. If the personality falters at these moments which can be long as three hours or even more, it is unlikely the player will register success. In the last two to three years, many good stroke makers appeared with excellent game but disappeared unable to sustain the winner’s magic. Peace of mind has to be created by the player within themselves, to play well and this will not come as a gift. Every little thing can disturb the focus of players. Strength of personality must support in becoming ‘bigger than a life performer’ as in the case of champions. It is the only way to succeed!
WTA finals- Test of personality
2014 WTA finals in Singapore, eight players were in the lineup. All eight have the personality to perform well. Year-long statistics show the strength of these players in skills and personality. To win, there are some critical areas on court, in high performance Tennis. First, 1st service aces; second, 2nd service points won; third, percentage of service games won; fourth, the percentage of return games won; fifth, sensing the challenges from the opponent and coping with effective answers. In the Service department, 140 plus first service aces mark, is the minimum registered among these eight in Singapore. Simona Halep, Eugenie Bouchard and Caroline Wozniacki have this. Serena Williams the leader of the pack has 418 first service aces. With this support of aces Serena won 81% of her service games. In addition her ability to win 47% of the return games and 50% of her 2nd service points has made her the number one player this year. Two other players have passed the 220 first service aces mark. They are Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova and Serbian Ana Ivanovic.
Averaging at least 60% in performance
New comer to the top ten, Romanian Simona Halep’s ability to win 60% of the 2nd service points has given her 73% of the service games she played. This stands out as a unique achievement for a novice in the top ten. Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki has also shown this trend which helped her to win 73% of service games. Wozniacki was former number one and returned to the circuit this year. All eight in the WTA finals have shown the personality and ability to register 60% success as average in critical areas of the game. This is an exhibition of very strong personality.
Two newcomers into the top eight
Most exciting match in the WTA finals up to the time of writing this, has been the win of Wozniacki over Sharapova. The match lasted over 3 hours. It was very good Tennis and this match will make Singapore a memorable venue. Wozniacki is also preparing to run the New York marathon this year, so her fitness out lasted Sharapova. The way Wozniacki moved on the court to cover Sharapova’s power play will be hailed for some time to come. It was also one of the best performances by Maria Sharapova. That made the match a ‘cliff hanger’.
Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, Romanian Simona Halep and in a way, Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova are the new comers into the top eight. Right now they are the only ones who could be named as ‘future elites’, provided their personality and physical system hold out.
Top three and the Winner’s-Magic
Right now I doubt that there will be a change in the rankings of Women and Men in 2014. The top three have shown very strong personality and will not be easy to shake them off. The WTA final’s in Singapore is about the best boost for Tennis for the Asian region in a long time. A good few countries in the region will benefit from this. Hope Sri Lanka will have a share of it too. If it happens it might be our winning-magic for local Tennis.
-George Paldano, former international player; Accredited Coach of Germany, ITF and USPTR; National, Davis Cup and Federation Cup Coach–gptennis.ceylon@gmail.com-