Slices, sabbaticals and a strong team key to SW19 success?

Should There Be Planned Sabbaticals?

For decades, the common path in women’s tennis was that a promising young player would dive headfirst into the pro tour. But as we’ve seen quite often, the circuit’s physical and emotional demands can rapidly leave a player frustrated and world-weary.

Wimbledon revealed that there might be alternative ways to build a far more sustainable career. As a start, nine women who’d played college tennis were in the main draw. Given that improvements in physical training have made it possible for players to compete well past the age of 30, there’s now far less need to dash into the pros. Perhaps time in college can help an ambitious young player learn many other life skills that will prove valuable over the long haul. NCAA champions Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins have each spoken about the value of attending college, from collaborating with others to living life as something other than a self-absorbed and enabled tennis prodigy.

There are also other ways to stay refreshed. Though semifinalist Belinda Bencic never showed signs of burnout, maternity leave gave her a chance to finetune her focus. “I think what I try sometimes in the household, in the tennis court, being a mom, I think you just have to let some things go. You have to compromise,” she said during Wimbledon. “I don't practice as much as I used to. I still try to do the best on the practice court and on the match court. I feel like I am more productive because I have less time.”

Anisimova’s mental health break has also proven helpful. “Now, every tennis player will want to make eight months off,” Evert said on ESPN just after Anisimova beat Sabalenka in the semis. Evert, already number one in the world as a teenager, subsequently wisely paced herself in the late ‘70s with a few sabbaticals from the winter circuit.

College tennis. Coursework. Parenthood. Mental health. Consider each of these exiles a gap year from the harsh demands of singular competition. Why not make them a programmed part of the pro journey?

Teams Have Different Leaders

Many years ago, players traveled by themselves. Then came a trickle of a posse – parent, friend, coach. Now, thanks largely to increases in prize money, players throughout the ranks can afford to be joined at tournaments by much larger support teams. And though the coach is theoretically the most important member of the team, recent developments have proven that’s not always the case. In the late stages of Federer’s career, Pierre Paganini, his fitness coach, was arguably the most essential Team Roger member.

Consider the central role played for years by psychologist Daria Abramowicz on Swiatek’s team. At Wimbledon, Anisimova credited her physiotherapist, Shady Solemani, for many of her physical improvements. This eclectic range of leaders has shown that there’s an intriguing and creative aspect to how players go about building and working with their teams. Why not have the nutritionist be the leader? The meditation expert? The literature teacher? None of these possibilities is stated as a joke.

Stop Treating Underspin Like It’s Rodney Dangerfield

Like a tropical storm, there come those moments at a major when a player ranked outside the top ten will shake up the normal weather pattern by employing such tactics as taking pace off the ball, drop-shotting frequently, or hitting with some variation of underspin, slice, or sidespin. Recall Fabrice Santoro, the man Pete Sampras nicknamed “The Magician.” Then there’s doubles genius Hsieh Su-wei and Tatjana Maria, who on the eve of Wimbledon carved up four top tenners to win the title at Queens Club.

At Wimbledon, the dazzling disruptor was Laura Siegemund, who defeated Australian Open champion Madison Keys and then severely tested Sabalenka before losing a three-set quarterfinal. Invariably, the word “junk” surfaced -- a passive-aggressive expression of mild regard, spiced with disdain, as if a player like Siegemund were more court jester than serious contender. Why? Was it “junk” when such beloved major champions as Ashleigh Barty and Roger Federer knifed their slice backhands? Further back, ask Rod Laver how he felt about Ken Rosewall’s sliced drive of a backhand.

A few slices even made cameo appearances during crucial stages of matches won by Sabalenka and Anisimova. When will the time come for coaches to build these tools in their players less as late-stage add-ons and more as operating system essentials?