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Nadal still the best mover in the game.

Aussie Open the Final Match Wawrinka defeats Nadal for Title

Congratulations Stan you deserved your win, to Rafa a gallant display under duress.As I said yesterday once you try to predict a tennis match it can bite you on your ass.I think if possible Stan will need to add another tattoo.

You know true champions even in defeat can turn around this to make them stronger for the next event.Juniors often treat defeat as a major life threatening event. Take some positives from defeat after reflection and I am sure Nadal will be doing this.Sometimes a Loss will tell you what you need to work on to be better , sometimes you have to be able to change attitude and stop looking for excuses as you alone are your master of destiny.I think Wawrinka has for sure looked a lot deeper and has changed his thinking and ways to some extent to succeed.

Aussie Open Day 14

Congratulations to Li Na winning her first Australian Open .Cibulkova had a great tournament but Li Na showed how a 4th seed should dispatch the 20th seed.Controlling the court and attacking the second serve of Cibulkova Li Na was never going to be beaten.A few other noted players could do as well to play with a game plan and use it to exploit the opponents shortcomings .

Nadal to equal Pete Sampras wins at Grandslam's and defeat Stan the Man, would love to see an exciting match and if Stan can serve well ..tennis is a funny game and just when you think it can be predictable it can bite you on your ass.

Finally what does Stan'S Tattoo say?
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail Better.”

If he wins tonight I would not class this as a fail and he may need to add another line.

Aussie Open Day 13

Do Fairy tales come true? I have been impressed with Cibulkova all tournament, Li Na has had her battles and is a little lucky to be here.The facts are Li Na has never lost to Cibulkova head to head it is 4-0. My Heart says Cibulkova my head says Li Na.

Well just a few comments re Fed vs Rafa, this picture says it all. Head to head Rafa leads 23 matches to 10 which is very convincing.Last night Rafa played the best he has played all tournament , he was faster, hit the ball harder with great depth and his passing shots and defense was spot on.His serving not spectacular were placed strategically so Rafa had the best opportunity to control the Rally.

I don't think Federer played badly he had to attack and keep the points shorter. Rafa has always had Feds measure and another win just adds to this. In saying this its because of Federer that Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have lifted men's tennis and worked their but off to be able to compete with Rodger.!!!

Aussie Open Day 12

Its been an incredible rivalry that has produced incredible matches , I hope today this is another for the tennis fans. Wawrinka summed it up the other night "when Federer plays his best tennis , he is unbeatable" I have to ask is Federer past his best ? Nadal has beaten Rodger more times and has a substantial lead in Head to Head but a lot of those victories have been on clay.This is going to be tight the stylist vs the scrapper.Fed will try and take control he has to to have any chance! A lot will depend on how each other serve and Nadal has to serve better than his last match.I eagerly await this clash! Well done to Stan Wawrinka on his win and first grandslam final!

Matches of Interest for me today.

Gajdosova/Ebden Vs Mirza/Tecau -Mixed doubles semi finals featuring Aussies!!

Zverev vs Mousley- Semi final Boys singles the Aussie Mousley up against the top seeded German.

Fett vs Birrell - Semi Final Girls singles. Very interested in the Australian Kimberly Birrell who is the daughter of Roslyn formerly Toynton who was a reasonable tennis player herself and Hailed from my local area the Central west of NSW Australia.Roslyn actually came on one of my first Junior tours to New Zealand before I moved here many many years ago!Good luck!

Nadal vs Federer - My Pick is Nadal he has again set himself for a win at a Grand Slam tournament. This match i will not be dissapointed if the Fed gets the result.

Aussie Open Day 11

Just when you thought he was on his last legs "Bang" another Australian Open Semi Final! Federer has recaptured his dominance over players, his raquet skills are second to none and so are the variety of shots he possesses.Am i seeing a more aggressive Federer looking to finish more at the net?He is one of the few players that can do this playing the modern game and its great to see he has been looking for opportunities .If Federer remains positive AND can get control of the court to finish at net he will be very hard to beat.What a great semi final looming against his old nemesis Rafa Nadal.

Tip for Juniors-Finish at the Net

This is a lost art of the modern game many rely on belting winners from the baseline.Watching tennis its frustrating to see a player bury a groundstroke into the corner and watching the opponent try to get it back ..two hander's will release and slice the ball back...off balanced and stretching with one hand and if on the forehand side same thing stretching wide off balanced they will float it back the best way they can.Now you know if you have hit a very good shot !...and you can see the other player struggling to get to the ball..OK GET TO THE NET AND FINISH IT OFF! Yesterday Federer won 49 points out of 66 net approaches.Just as a matter of interest Murray approached the net 27 times winning 17 points.For me this is a standout stat .Juniors if you see the player struggling put the floater away at the net ..be aggressive!

You have to laugh at players antics and its always fun to watch in a highlight package like the one below.

Matches Of Interest for me today

Bouchard vs N.LI - Age and experience to Li Na , Bouchard has had a great run ..surely it must end here!

Cibulkova VS Radwanska - I am tipping the winner of this match to take out the tournament. Radwanska you are a pleasure to watch as you search the court looking for a way to win,,using the head over muscle. The modern player sometimes cannot change their game ..look at Sharapova for example its slam bang and hit it harder! and if that does not work then like this week on the first available flight outta here!

Wawrinka Vs Berdych- I am going for Stan! he has the game it will be tough but lets hope he sets the arena on Fire like last match against Djokovic. I always worry about Stan's fitness level and I hope after a days rest the Djoker match did not take a lot out of him!.Will be close could go either way for sure.

Aussie Open Day 10

What a match Stan sent Novak packing with an outstanding display of power and aggression.It was the best match so far and I hope Stan can keep this form all the way to the final!

Anna Faltered as I feared she might to the young Bouchard and Li Na and Thomas Berdych had wins.

Put together a few pictures to capture some of the scenes so far.

This tweet sums up a tennis player and what it takes! Legend Jimmy Connors had this to say.

How true this is. 80% of juniors and parents treat tennis as a social outlet!Very few are prepared to have their life fit into tennis,even if they think they do!Sacrifice is the key Jimmy and that is where the buck stops with many pretend players.

Matches of Interest for me today

Radwanska Vs Azarenka - I am expecting Azarenka to win the match especially with Redfool in her corner.

Nadal vs Dimitrov -Grigor has the game to worry Nadal , does he have enough between his ears is what may sway the match to Rafa.

Federer Vs Murray -What a match up ..Please Rodger summon up all the skills you have to send the Scot/Brit on his way.

Some interesting Junior Matches today the Top seed in the girls has gone out and the boys seeds have all been tested.

Comment gets me thinking

I received this comment via the blog article The Targeted Elite Junior Tennis Player. I am going to highlight it in this post , certainly makes a lot of sense ,it did come via an Anonymous ID but after rereading it does makes one think why and how the High Performance Program was constructed.

"Steve, the TNZ strategy was designed by a few people who now have the jobs involved within the TNZ plan. This system is for them alone, rather than for the community of players and coaches. We all know the timeline doesn't add up, especially considering the average age of a top 100 player is 27. The reason these coaches are going young is for two reasons.
1) One of the National coaches is running out of options - he started at Fed Cup, then went with Davis Cup, then with our top 18 year olds and hes now with U/15's. Simply no results at any level.
2) Going young secures their National jobs for at least 3 years.

Rather than easily providing a system that brings people together, this system WILL fail because its designed to segregate everyone apart from the 4 players involved and the National coaches getting the wage..... it's diabolical
The truth is that many of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup players were outspoken and the previous TNZ structure had results proven coaches who attempted to really change things....they even got together to write a letter against leading the system into further decline. Steve Johns decided everyone else was wrong and that him and these current National coaches are right........
Players and parents of talented juniors need to ask themselves a very important question with regards to our National coaches - "what National reps have they actually produced themselves for NZ?"..... you will only need one hand to count them all. "

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Aussie Open Day 9

Great to see Federer give Joe Wilfred Tsonga a master class yesterday! Sharapova had butt problems a strain!And the number 3 seed went out to Cibulkova who would not be out of place in any Hobbit movie.Better going for BF Grigor!

Matches of Interest for me today

Ivanovic vs Bouchard- I'm not convinced with Anna yet and this is a match she could lose Bouchard is a very tough opponent.

Berdych vs Ferrer -Good big man vs Good little man..will be very interesting maybe a Berdych win here.

Warinka Vs Djokovic-Can Stan the Man give Djoker a run for his money..I think he can

Will be keeping an eye on the Juniors also today.

Why are the powers that be not addressing the In-balance that players earn on the ATP tour.Only the top 100 can make a living

If you are ranked 200 in the world as a tennis player you are indeed a very good tennis player, the same can be said with the 300 ranked player and even the 400 hundred ranked player.But compared to what Nadal and Co are earning its a paupers life for most! I have been advocating a fairer payment structure for futures and challengers and also how the circuit is structured so that players do not have to chase tournaments to the ends of the earth.This recent chart of the ten most top earners in tennis shows you a lucrative career and this is just tournaments not sponsorship, appearance money etc taken into account.

A South African player Keith Patrick Crowley has started a Face Book page to make more people aware of how hard it is to make ends meat for most players on the tour.I found this on an Italian Web site but it is in Italian so with the help of translation apps i have copied and pasted what Patrick had to say and the reason he started the group.Credit to the Live tennis it for having this story.LINK

"I created the Facebook group for a couple of reasons. I've been playing for almost 2 years, I have traveled to more than 10 different states and it was a real battle to fund this. I was lucky enough to have the help of my parents, sisters and brother also my in-laws. Last year I was able to get to number 770 in singles and 440 in doubles ranking while traveling and I noticed that it did not matter if the players were placed in position 200 or 2000, all the players had economic problems due to the lack of prize and had a travel program that required a big budget. "

"Everybody talks about the lack of prize money in futures and challengers but nobody really tries to do something. I know there are some associations that are driven by people who have tried to ask for ATP and to 'ITF to review and change the system. I know one of them personally, the former CEO of the South African courts, Ian Smith, who resigned last November. After reading a couple of articles on a tennis English and one Irish and watching my economic situation, I decided to create the group to get the word out to more potential players. Social media have their advantages. Ian Smith saw the post and made a comment, scoring some very valid points.We discussed a few things and he told me how the ATP and the ITF does not want to give him a chance to change things in a positive for many players in the ATP circuit. They are focused on money and leave the top players happy. In fact, over the past 15 years, the prize of the Grand Slam has been increased by 480%, while those of the challengers and futures of 0%. "

"The ATP has forgotten that without the 90% of players in the world, this game would not exist. The young players have little or no reason to try to break through the ATP. Take a player who went from being one of the "top" at the junior level and comes to be number 250 in the rankings pro in his first professional year. This player should earn money but in reality it is not. Most of the players who quit are the ones who spend all their money, the money of the family, and more, to get to number 250 in the world and when they come here, they find themselves still without money and decide to quit. The ATP should start helping the players with a lower ranking. The ATP should also encourage them, give them any kind of incentive to keep playing tennis and show that they can change things. Usually in tennis, a player positioned at number 200 is considered a lower level player, but we must remember that he is number 200 in the world, absolutely brilliant result. My question is how can the ATP and the ITF sit back knowing that they are able to pay only 5% of the tennis players? We all know that they are paid millions to sit and drive the ATP, but right now what should move in and start work. Make a change for this sport! "

"Even the ITF must intervene, must work together to make such a change. I've had some really good feedback from hundreds of players by email and on Facebook. Players placed in the top 30 ranking in doubles or singles ranking of the top 200. The goal is to take some of the "top players" to say something, because in the end it is they who "govern" the ATP. I would like to have answers to the most players possible. I'm going to take all of the suggestions received from players who have contacted me to create a letter to the ATP and the ITF. I will send an email to all the players who have contacted me to sign it. At this point I will send a letter with the signatures of the ATP, I hope, more than 500 players and after waiting for their reply. I think that if all the players are together and with the help of former players and coaches can get a real change for the good. The players outside the top 200 have nothing to lose, the only thing they have is a good credential to their resume but are left with $ 0 and this is wrong. "

The Facebook page is called ATP AND ITF-TIME FOR CHANGE.Give it a like and increase awareness of payment for the up and coming tennis players from all nations.

Ever heard of Michael Russell hes the worlds 92nd best tennis player.He said he is making a comfortable living but this guy is a real journey man and clears about 200,00 a year after expenses. Its a very good overview of what it costs per year on tour.LINK

So just to give you some idea on what you can earn depending on your ranking they are listed below.

Click on the charts to make them bigger. This one applies and the one following to players ranked 1000-400 even lower.

* Sadly New Zealand have chose not to apply for future events! Its a must to have and again the high performance program falling short!

Aussie Open Day 8

Well winners above on Day 7 ! Serena is not there! Anna pulls off the upset of the century! William's reportedly had back issues.Its like this Serena you take the court there can be no excuses. Apparently her coach let this slip ..I mean Patrick what is exactly the relationship you have with Serena?

Fabulous Fabio proved what a "dud" he can be and yesterday i said it would depend what side of the bed he got up on to how he would go against the Djoker. Fabio should of stayed in bed!

Matches of Interest For me today!

Stephens Vs Azarenka -No love lost her! Should be a beauty!

Nadal vs Nishikori- Rafa will out muscle the Japanese love watching him work over these guys.

Tsonga Vs Federer - Well Fed here's is you first big test

Andy Murray -won't be watching but I need to say how lucky he always is with great draws!

Dimitrov vs Agut- Now these are the matches Grigor can lose and this one could go either way

Finally they breed them tough in Australia we know that.Watch Below

Aussie Open Day 7

Great to see the pro's interacting with the fans that turn up to watch them practice, these lucky boys were pulled onto or lifted by Djokovic to the court and actually got to hit a couple of balls!

Matches of Interest for me Today

Williams vs Ivanovic-Anna played well against Stosur but will Serena just be too much to handle!

Fognini Vs Djokovic- Fabio could test Novak..depends on how he is feeling but if he rose on the good side of the bed then he will make a match of it.

Dellacqua VS Bouchard - The Canadian will be hard to beat a top junior she is making the transition to Pro , one to watch.

The Juniors will also continue today with first round matches.A high of about 23C will be pleasant for players today.