Australian Tennis Magazine - August 2010

AUGUST 2010

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RAFAEL NADAL

FED UP?

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A HERO’S JOURNEY

ROGER FEDERER

YOUR GAME • • • •

TIEBREAK TIPS BACKHAND GUIDE SCOUTING FOR SUCCESS PRIME COURT POSITIONING

WIMBLEDON WRAP

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august 2010 VOL 35 No. 8

A $7.50 (inc. GST) NZ $8.40 (inc. GST) US $7.50

FEATURES

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What

a Girl Wants

16

A Date With Destiny

Maria Sharapova could have anything ... but what she really wants is to simply keep on competing.

After storming to a second Wimbledon title, Rafael Nadal can focus on completing his Grand Slam collection at the US Open.

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M ore than a Hero Serena Williams’ 13th ma jor victory entrenches her among the greats – but she’s determined to be remembered for more than her game.

H igher Ambitions Jason Kubler is planning how to replicate junior success at the professional level.

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O h What a Feeling After two breakthrough Grand Slam performances, could Jarmila Groth become the next Australian woman to crack the top 10?

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august 2010 REGULARS 7

13

Topspin

Your Serve

40

Court Talk

46

Rankings

48

Scoreboard

49

My Game

58

My Coach

70

Club of the Month

FROM THE EDITOR m al and Serena Williams. Fro hank goodness for Rafael Nad from t matches to a rare royal visi unthinkable record-breaking re were uring London heatwave, the Queen Elizabeth and an end tive No. 1s once s at SW19 before the respec some unexpected happening silverware. again hoisted the Wimbledon t party outfits champions donned their bes But even as those popular the traditional cel ebrate their success at and most dazzling smiles to order is changing d ishe a sense that the establ champion’s ball, there was at the All England Club. d time since ore the final for onl y the thir Venus Williams faltered bef etana Pironkova.

-finals by the unfamiliar Tsv 2000, ousted in the quarter six-time champion demise of Roger Federer, the the s wa ing pris sur ally Equ omplished Czech -finals by an increasingly acc sent packing in the quarter Tomas Berdych. d us, but the so much the loss that shocke In Federer’s case, it wasn’t was in unfamiliar d, the 16-time ma jor winner way he reacted to it. Grante anl y demeanour r, but his typically-gentlem territory as a Wimbledon lose press conference, way through the post match was absent as he sulked his onl y for the unexpected result, and blaming back and leg injuries career. his of win t Berdych for the bigges reluctantly acknowledging typified has o wh nal bad day from a man We can excuse the occasio a decade. of t off the court, for the best par classy behaviour, both on and criticism that e Federer took note of the At the same time we also hop . followed his Wimbledon exit r has a legacy nd Slam titles or not, Federe Whether he claims more Gra whether the Swiss While his fans will fret over that may never be matched. would be a demise , a more worrying scenario star will regain his best form endous role t have made him such a trem of the personal qualities tha model.

T

VIVIENNE CHRISTIE, Editor

EDITOR CONSULTING EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR ART DIRECTOR ADVERTISING MANAGER ADMINISTRATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER MY COACH CONTENT PHOTOGRAPHS

COVER PHOTO

Vivienne Christie Alan Trengove Daniela Toleski Naomi O’Bryan Jackie Cunningham Sherryn Dove Travis Atkinson, Karen Clydesdale Getty Images, John Anthony (All photographs by Getty Images unless specified) John Anthony

Australian Tennis Magazine is published monthly by TENNIS AUSTRALIA LTD, Private Bag 6060, Richmond, Vic 3121. Ph: (03) 9914 4200 Email: editor@tennismag.com.au

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Distributed by Network Distribution Company Printed in Australia by Webstar The views expressed in Australian Tennis Magazine are not necessarily those held by Tennis Australia. While the utmost care is taken in compiling the information contained in this publication, Tennis Australia is not responsible for any loss or injury occurring as a result of any omissions in either the editorial or advertising appearing herein.

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MORE THAN A HERO Serena Williams further elevated her status among the greats with her 13th Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon – but while others eye her place in tennis history, Serena’s focus extends well beyond her title tally.

By Kristina Moore

F

rom the tips of her extravagantly self-decorated nails to the depths of her philosophies on everything from fashion to football, Serena Williams has always made it clear her personal interests aren’t confined to tennis alone – a broad-minded view that has at times been accompanied by whispers of disapproval.

But for the champion herself, who freely admits she’s never been fussed by

“I would like to be remembered as ‘OK, yeah, she was a tennis player. But wow, she really did a lot to inspire other people and help other people’.” public criticism, that ability to multi-task may have contributed to a longevity that many similarly-aged peers – such as Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis, who failed to make an impact even in the women’s doubles invitational event at Wimbledon – can only dream about.

“I definitely feel like I’m obviously a veteran on the tour,” the American conceded at the All England Club. “But you know, there’s so many other things I do in life that I feel really young yet.”

The balanced approach clearly suits.

Despite disappearing from the tour for months at time, Serena possesses an unparalleled knack for performing at her best when it truly matters: in her case, the Grand Slams.

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Never was that fact better demonstrated than at Wimbledon 2010. In just her sixth tournament for the season, the world No. 1 was barely tested in her path to claiming a fourth All England Club victory and 13th overall major– a tally that commenced more than a decade ago with victory at the 1999 US Open, and one that clearly shows no signs of abating yet.

In arguably the most dominant form of

her now-lengthy career, Serena defended the title she’d wrestled from sister Venus in 2009 without the loss of a single set, the only potential glitches occurring when Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion, held set points in their fourth round match and Petra Kvitova pushed her to a tiebreaker in their semi-final.

While it had to be noted Serena didn’t face a single top-10 opponent during a topsy-turvy fortnight that produced many surprise winners, it’s also true that it’s unlikely to have mattered.

Hitting a new tournament record 89 aces, which obliterated her own record of 72 aces in 2009 and was 59 more than any other woman amassed at the tournament, Serena’s awesome display saw her dubbed

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