Why Federer is So Dangerous Indoors – Shubert’s Circle of Concern

Written by: Staff on 15th November 2011

Why Federer is So Dangerous Indoors - Shubert's Circle of Concern |

We all watched Roger Federer dominate in Basel and Paris the past two weeks, and it was a delight to all to see him return to winning ways. It was unfortunate that Djokovic or Nadal wasn’t in the final to meet him but Roger dismissed the rest of the top 10 contenders on his way to both titles. I want to share why I and maybe others believe is the reason why Federer is so dominant indoors right now. It’s obviously a combination of things (like resting during the Asian tour), but the main reason why Federer dismantled his opponents was because of his positioning. If you look at the tape of his matches with Gasquet, Berdych, and Tsonga, you’ll notice that Fed stayed very close to the baseline. He hit a lot of balls early and was able to direct his shots better than his opponents. Putting his opponents on the run first, pinning them behind the baseline, Fed makes yo-yo-ing his opponents around easier for himself. You’ll notice that he’ll block a lot of forehands down the line, then set up for an inside in if they don’t manage to get their backhand returns to his own backhand. He could equally pin them back into the backhand corner with an inside out forehand. On top of this play, Fed’s slice was on point the past two weeks, I saw some particularly nasty ones that he seemed to shank but ended up staying very low and forcing his opponents to hit up on their shots. Thus giving Fed more time (like he needs it?) to move in and take balls early. Nobody was able to hurt Fed with a backhand down the line this entire two weeks. Usually when Fed is put on the run to his backhand, he slices, and guys take advantage of it. I saw Fed hitting over a lot of his backhands and getting them crosscourt enough to where his opponents would feel the need to go back to the backhand instead of risk a down the line indoors, which most likely would fly out or they’d catch it late and hit wide. He served well, returned decent. But it’s also his ability to take balls early off of his opponent’s return of serve and groundstrokes that proved to be reason why Federer is so dangerous indoors.

In my own tennis life, I’ve managed to still be productive despite my increased downtime from playing tennis. I saw a doctor last week that drastically changed my approach to rehab on my shoulder. It’s been bothering me for over a month but my two visits to my hitting partner’s dad, Larry Brown at Coast Physical Therapy in Oxnard, CA have convinced me to give up training for a few weeks until the clicking and shooting pains completely disappear. I probably have impingement going on, so thankfully it’s not very serious. My productivity consists of coaching and staying in shape in the gym. It also includes reading a lot of books and gaining more knowledge about how to better control my tennis situation and plans for the future. Even though I’ve been injured, I’ve felt positive and happy 99% of the time. Sure depression comes along with not being able to grind all day, but for the most part there’s a peace of mind knowing I’m still enjoying life. Back at BYU, I’d probably stress out and start worrying about things I can’t control that would inhibit my recovery and slow down my productivity. For instance, when I popped in my headphones into my iPod to get pumped for my run to the local gym nearby, I reflected on what exactly I want to accomplish with my tennis goals. It was inspiring stuff and I felt like a complete master of my domain (this is probably how Federer feels a lot of the time he’s on a tennis court). I went for a long run on the treadmill and did a lot of core work. I want to stay away from any upper body work because I’ve felt that any extra bulk up top is just not efficient for tennis. The game is mainly played from the ground up these days so a strong foundation plus a beastly core is what’s necessary to translate more power into serves and groundies. I might even be able to rejoin the game with a stronger heart and better stamina which translates into more net rushes, more lasting power, and better volleys. At this point I’m very positive and can’t wait for the ATP World Tour Finals to begin next week. I can only hope to put myself in more fun, interesting, and educational situations to learn and grow from and continue my efforts to becoming a tennis professional or some kind of professional in the tennis business. Here’s to the new day tomorrow and new opportunities to be proactive and increase my circle of concern.

It’s fun finding purpose in different roles,

Shubert

Topics: Roger Federer