TENNIS MASTER COACH CRAIG CIGNARELLI WRITES FROM THE 2016 MADRID MUTUA OPEN – BREAKS DOWN THE DJOKOVIC VS. AGUT MATCH, PLUS ALL UPDATED RESULTS

Roberto Bautista Agut is twenty-eight years old and ranked 17th in the world of professional tennis. Breaking from the Armada mold, he’s a flat hitter from Spain who happened to draw the world’s number one, Novak Djokovic in today’s round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open. When they announced the hometown boy’s name, the match applause was the only moment he and Djokovic were even.

 

The day was humid and cool, with skies the color of young dolphins. For tennis players, that means things play heavier and the swings require more effort to hit through shots. Cold, damp air tends to lead toward more short balls early on in matches. And so it was today.

 

Novak chose to receive and lost the game at love when he hit some short returns and Agut took offense. Agut suffered the same in his first return game and the scoreboard flashed two matchsticks. There’s something Ivan Drago-ish about Novak.

 

Agut’s second game still sees the short returns and Agut gets on top of them quickly to go 40-15. The weather is wreaking havoc on Novak’s return game and he’s already shaking his head. In junior tennis, it often takes players a full set to notice a problem and to make an adjustment. At the top of the sport, however, players adjust immediately. Novak hits his next return deep but Agut holds. Still, you sense he’s found his target and things will get tougher for the Spaniard.

 

The next game sees a few mishits and both players seem to be kicking their shoes a lot. the wet clay is stickier than yesterday, and footwork is becoming an issue. At this level, movement is almost as important as focus. At 2-1 Agut, the crowd turns toward the Spaniard. Small children raise MMUY Agut signs and your uneducated correspondent asks the girl next to him what that means. “MM is the Mutua Madrid and ‘muy’ means ‘very’ in Spanish.” Apparently, that’s all she felt she needed to say before returning to an ice cream that started a war between mouth and face. Early in his career, Novak had an arrogant streak and the world was still in the throes of a romantic relationship with Rafa and Fed. Thus, Djokovic knows precisely how to deal with unfriendly crowds and he stays committed to his work, holding for 2-2.

 

In every set, there is a decisive moment. One player digs deeper or presses harder on the accelerator and dares the opponent to keep up. Even amongst the top five, the moments happen, and it usually comes from the one who believes he is the best. The 2-2 game between Agut and Djoko see-sawed for a while. But competing against top players is like gambling against the house. Unless you know the numbers, there is an edge that is impossible to see, and the longer you play, the greater your chances of losing. In this case, all of the statistics favor Novak and on the fourth break point, he converts.

 

With Novak serving at 3-2, Agut confronts the returner’s dilemma (someone please write a tennis book with that title!). With only three chances to break, Agut has to decide whether to be more aggressive or more conservative on his returns games. His thought process goes something like this:

“If I can beat Djoko in long rallies, I should neutralize the serve with a deep return down the middle and start the rally. If I can only win the rallies when I am up in the point, I should return aggressively and try to get the advantage with my first shot. If I cannot win the baseline rallies, I can return aggressively and charge the net to see if Novak can pass me. I also have a slice return, a drop shot, and a high heavy ball hit from deep in the court if I need more tools. One of these return strategies, or some combination of them, will hopefully lead me to a break.”

 

Within those games, the returner focuses on the first three points, trying to get an edge which will force the server to play more conservatively. I explain this because there are places in each match where the tactics change. If the score was 0-1, the returner has time to figure out which tactic might work, but at 6-5, the returner has one chance and has to select the tactic based on what’s been happening on the return games to that point. It is a constant chess match and makes the game both fascinating and unpredictable. Unfortunately for Agut, he cannot solve the riddle and Novak holds, confirming the old adage, “It’s not a break until you hold.”

 

At 4-2, Agut serves and Novak has two things in his favor. First, he’s deciphered the serve and the weather and is now hitting every return deep. Second, he has the score edge and is free to be more aggressive with his placements, risking lines in hopes of getting up in the point with his first shot. The service break is like taking the reigns off a thoroughbred. And so it goes, 5-2 Novak.

 

In rare moments, Novak loses focus. A study of his career shows that those moments always happen when he has a commanding lead, and one gets the sense that he is almost bored at times, losing interest until there is pressure. Agut has talent and power but without resilience, none of that matters. Agut folds under the pressure of a more dominant player and drops the first set 6-2.

 

The first two games are casual holds and it allows one to notice some things happening on the just-swept clay. Novak’s movement makes a U-shape at the back of the court, closing off the corners with forward movement. His slides exist only beyond the sidelines whereas Agut’s slides are all over the court surface. If you are looking for a formula, try Balance=power+consistency=Success

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Spanish Roberto Bautista during their Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament round of 16 match at the Caja Magica Tennis Center in Madrid, Spain, 05 May 2016. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN

 

Agut serves the set’s third game and Novak hits penetrating returns every point. When a returner can make a server move backwards on the first shot, it stifles the attack and good things can happen. Djoko breaks.

 

There’s a ball call in game four and it brings up a interesting footnote about tennis players. In competition, eye contact is very rare. Players look at body language, ball marks, racquet angles, and space on the court. In those few moments when they engage, it is generally a moment of sportsmanship to inform another player of new balls or to thank a player for overruling a linesman’s bad call. Agut gives a nod to credit to Novak for doing so here.

 

It is 2-1 and the Spaniard’s crowd is like a limp balloon. Some just nod in appreciation of the drubbing. Novak goes Serve+1 for four points and takes a 3-1 lead.

 

Agut is missing wide now. When you face a player with Djokovic’s defensive skills, the court begins to look to small. Great movers erode your belief that you can penetrate their defense. You start aiming closer to the lines because it appears there is no other way to get a ball past your opponent. The unforced errors add up because of a player’s reputation for speed. It becomes difficult to trust your patterns and force the player to beat you. This is why many fast players win matches. A quality coach prepares the player for this scenario so they may recognize when it starts happening.

 

As mentioned earlier, Agut is a very good tennis player. Novak’s ball is a wading pool’s depth better than his opponent, but when you are in over your head to begin with, that kind of water weight can kill you. 5-1 Djoker.

 

Novak could take his foot off the pedal on Agut’s final service game. He could let the kid breathe for a moment and conserve energy for his own service. But, champions aren’t wired that way, and especially ones who like to send messages to the rest of the field that they are untouchable. Novak hits three winners and another groundie winner to end the match. Agut looks like something in a paella dish.

 

The lesson here is the same lesson I’ve been preaching this whole week. The margins at this level are tiny but significant. Fortitude, resilience, adaptability. This the vocabulary of champions. Today, Agut could not translate them into Spanish.

 

Printable Draws

Men’s singles: click here

Men’s doubles: click here

Men’s qualies: click here

Ladies singles: click here

Ladies doubles: click here

Ladies qualies: click here

Order of play: click here

Topics: 10sballs, ATP Madrid, Clay tennis, Craig Cignarelli, Madrid Tennis, Mutua Madrid Open, Novak Djokovic, Roberto Bautista Agut, Sports, Tennis News

10sBalls Top Stories

• No Key Biscayne, No Problem; New Site, Same Great Miami Open Tennis Event
• 10SBALLS SHARES FAVORITE EPA TENNIS PHOTOS Of 2018
• THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT FOR ANY TENNIS PLAYER & FAN
• ATP MEN’S TENNIS • WILL IT MOVE FROM LONDON TO MANCHESTER OR TOKYO OR SINGAPORE? OR TURIN?
• ALIX RAMSAY WRITES TO “TENNIS SANTA CLAUS” WITH HER WISHES • ANDY MURRAY!
• CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE JACK KRAMER CLUB – DECEMBER 15 TO 22 2018 • UTR • ORACLE • AND AN AWESOME NEW TENNIS EVENT
• 10sBalls.com Shares Alix Ramsay’s Rambling On About Tennis and The Holidays
• ROGER FEDERER JOINED BY RAFA NADAL FOR THE 2019 LAVER CUP FESTIVITIES IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
• TENNIS PLAYERS’ UNION – IS IT NEEDED? BY MARK WINTERS
• Tennis News: Wilson’s Revolution Is Here – THE CLASH
• ROTTERDAM TENNIS TOURNEY DIRECTOR RICHARD KRAJICEK ANNOUNCES DAVID GOFFIN TO PLAY IN 2019 ABN AMRO
• JELENA VEMIC’S PHOTO GALLERY
• TENNIS NEWS FROM LONDON • 10SBALLS REPORTS ON THE LAWN TENNIS WRITERS HOLIDAY LUNCHEON AT WIMBLEDON’S DEBENTURE CLUB
• 10sBalls.com Shares a Great Gift For A Tennis Player – The Functional Tennis Match Journal
• BNP PARIBAS TENNIS OPEN NAMED 2018 WTA PREMIER MANDATORY TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.