Wimbledon 2010: Return Serve is the Achilles heel of US tennis
Andy Roddick’s loss and inevitable knock out from the Grand Slam by the unseeded tennis player, Lu Yen Hsun of Taiwan, during the fourth round of Wimbledon 2010 was a surprise for audiences all over the world.
The American tennis star has himself been the first to admit to the fact that his game had not been up to mark. Taking a look at the match, one can point out that Roddick’s return serve is what brought him down in the battle against Lu. Although, Roddick did make a backhand pass winner to Lu in the first set, he failed to make proper returns to Lu’s serves at key moments of the match. This fact will probably haunt American fans for some time. In the last few games of the fifth set, Lu seemed to be somewhat vulnerable when he kept missing the first serves. The standard of his game was down and what was quite clear from his performance was that he really needs to work on his returns to a serve.
On the other hand, John Isner, who is also an American, made history in the world of tennis with his victory against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, in the longest match ever played. The match lasted eleven hours and five minutes and it went on for three days. Although Isner won the match, he could have saved a lot of time and energy if he had figured out a way to break Nicolas Mahut’s serve in the almost never-ending final set in which Isner won 70 – 68. According to Roddick, Isner’s feet looked like ‘deli meat’ at the end of the game and he could have saved himself from that agony if he returned Mahut’s serves more tactfully and had won the match sooner.
The performances of these two American tennis champions makes one question how they haven’t learnt anything from the American legend, Andre Agassi. Agassi won eight Grand Slams back in his day and was the best returner of his era; a quick set return was his best weapon against his opponent during a match. It would indeed do current players good if they paid attention to the strong points of Agassi’s game and tried to improve their moves accordingly.
However, an inability to return a serve has not prevented Americans from attaining great heights in the game of tennis. Both Roddick and Isner have made it to the top twenty tennis players of the world. They are an inspiration to junior tennis players around the world which is clearly evident when one takes a look at the top four junior tennis players in America; they all have adopted the same style as Roddick. These American tennis stars have strong serves, pokey two-handed backhands and good forehands which have enabled them to excel in the game and make their names shine out in the international community of tennis.
Although, the style of play adapted by US players has allowed them to win in the past, it is time for them to realize that huge serves are not what blow off their opponents in the court anymore. Immense amounts of talented individuals are emerging from all over the world, hence, increasing the competition among players. Perhaps, the win by Isner and the unfortunate loss faced by Roddick will make the Americans realize that they need to work harder on their tennis skills; especially on improving their return serve, which has been claimed to be their Achilles Heel after their performances in Wimbledon 2010.
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