The Independent

July 3, 2008

Coaching Report: Roger Federer (Swit) v Mario Ancic (Croa), Centre Court

I suspect that Roger Federer is probably a bit pissed off. Pissed off that people have been saying he's on the slide. And in the weeks before Wimbledon, he would have been especially pissed off that pundits everywhere were saying that this was Rafael Nadal's title for the taking, and if not the Spaniard's then that Novak Djokovic was the hot stuff waiting to snatch Fed's favourite Slam away from him.

Not that Federer, the gentleman Swiss magician, would ever let it show. Part of what makes him so special is that he is the complete package, on and off the court. We'll go through some of the technical excellence that helped him to beat Mario Ancic in straight sets yesterday in a moment. But it's important that we recognise the class that Federer brings to the court even before the warm-up.

He has got the belief, man, big time. It's in his bones. His attitude is regal. His training is marked by utter dedication. He makes every effort to stay in fantastic physical condition. He treats the twin imposters of triumph and adversity just the same. You'll never see him badmouth an opponent. He accepts setbacks with grace even though he might be boiling inside. He's a nice guy, in short. And that also helps him.

If you're a mean mother of a bastard then everyone has an added incentive to beat you. Roger is the opposite of that. Even if that works only at a subliminal level in the people he plays, it helps him. There is no pleasure to be taken from beating him as an individual.

So to yesterday, and to Federer's desire to put Ancic away as quickly and as elegantly as possible to poop the notion that Ancic – the last man to beat him on grass – could do it again. Oh boy, did he poop it.

His all-court game was not looking quite at the peak of its Lord of Grass-ness. But there were moments when it was close. His serve was on: almost 70 per cent on first serve and 88 per cent of those points won. His movement was superb. His shot-making was at the "take-your-breath-away" level on some points.

He sent an early message of intent by taking the first game to love with two aces in that first service game. And then he immediately broke Ancic. The first point, for 0-15 on the Ancic serve, was won with a backhand screamer. Just at the moment that Roger let the racket head loose, his fingertips released it lightly. That was the magic juice going in.

Whipped forehands bulleted into winners with the precision of laser-guided missiles. Federer cut Ancic off and cut him up time and again with passes. And this against a guy who can play a bit on grass!

In the second set Federer broke for 6-5 thanks to a double fault by Ancic, a sure sign the pressure was getting to the Croatian. And then Roger served for the set, sealing that game with another ace, his ninth of the match up to that point and one of 15 altogether yesterday.

Federer's exceptional serve is a massive weapon, not because of pace (he's no 133-149mph guy), but because of good speed (up to 130mph) allied with magnificent placement. At 0-0 in the third, in a game Ancic took 16 minutes to hold, Federer hit one backhand winner down the line that produced chalk. Ancic knew he was dust then. Later, Federer finished with ace, ace, ace.

So he moves serenely on, perhaps towards one of the all-time great finals in history. We'll see. I'm excited already.

The Williams' class endures

As an American I'd quite like to see a "W" final, Williams v Williams. As someone who has known Venus and Serena since they were young children and has been proud to have been acquainted with them as they have grown into great champions, I would love it. These are two classy ladies and I take Venus Williams to come through her semi against Elena Dementieva and reach another Wimbledon showdown with Serena. While other strong favourites have fallen by the wayside, the Williams' class endures. Venus's serve, movement, groundstrokes and just about every other facet of her game have been excellent. And she's not even starting to really hit her stride yet! Dementieva will hit flat and early but Venus will attack her serve and can have the upper hand, even if this somehow goes to three sets.

For more picks, and a full record of what happens to my predictions, visit: www.nickstennispicks.com

Today's Big Match Zheng Jie v Serena Williams

HOW THEY MATCH UP:

Chinese NATIONALITY American

24 AGE 26

Chengdu PLACE OF BIRTH Michigan

Chengdu RESIDENCE Florida

2003 TURNED PRO 1995

Right-handed PLAYS Right-handed

5ft 5in HEIGHT 5ft 9in

57kg WEIGHT 68kg

No 133 WORLD RANKING No 6

Wild card SEEDING No 6

3 CAREER TITLES 31

- PRIZE MONEY £9.6m

W7 L2 WIMBLEDON RECORD W42 L6

SF (2008) WIMBLEDON BEST Winner (2002-03)

HEAD-TO-HEAD: One previous meeting. Williams won.

ODDS: Zheng 5-1, Williams 1-5.

Bollettieri predicts: Serena in two sets.

Serena Williams started to rock in her quarter-final against Agnieszka Radwanska. Probably affronted by her previous match on Court Two – not that she made a fuss – she took it out on a bright young Pole who we expected to test her. When Serena wants something, she goes for it and I take her sheer power to be the factor that will win this. She had few unforced errors against Radwanska and more than 70 per cent of her first serves were in. Allied to her athletic abilities, she has enough to make it a bad day for Zheng Jie, for whom this Slam marks her first time past the fourth round, let alone into the last four. Zheng is a good mover and a battler. In this Olympic year she is also carrying the hopes of 1.3bn people on her shoulders, so if she looks a little weighed down today, it's no surprise. Zheng will play an opportunist game, taking her chances when they come, but I believe Serena's relentless power strokes, good movement and huge serve – as long as it's on – will take her to the final.

Win a week at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy

You still have three chances to enter my easy competition to win a week's stay at my Florida academy. Travel to America and train in the footsteps of Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova and other top players. Just email to tell me who is going to win today's big match. I'm looking for a scoreline and a short forecast of how your pick will win. Each day, I'll select a daily winner, with the overall winner drawn from all those at the end of the tournament.

Thanks for your many entries so far, and I truly appreciate all your comments on the column! I'm thrilled at how many are reading our articles. I'll tell you yesterday's winner for Murray-Nadal later, and that person will go into the hat for the prize.

The competition is open to all ages: your trip will be tailored to your requirements, junior or adult. I'll cover tuition, accommodation and meals. You buy the air ticket. Read about the trip of last year's winner, Rachel O'Reilly, on this newspaper's website. To enter today, email me at n.bollettieri@independent.co.uk

Nick's tips to improve your game

No 9: Perfect your backhand slice

One of Rafael Nadal's killer shots in this year's tournament has been the backhand slice. Get yours in shape by making your swing shallow. Too steep and you look like an axeman in a forest! You're not chopping trees, you're caressing a ball to persuade it to win the point for you. Contact should be made just ahead of your front foot. Too early and it's heading up. Too late and it'll go flat and shoot off long or wide. At the finish, your hand should be about shoulder-height and your racket open. Keep your body turned throughout the stroke. You don't want to be facing the net.