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By: Nick Bollettieri
The Independent
June 22nd, 2009
Cutting to the chase, I expect Federer to win this match, and he's my favourite to win the tournament too, and I'll stick my neck out further and predict that he can win three, four or even five more Grand Slam titles before he hangs up his rackets. So barring the biggest shock in Wimbledon history, this won't be the match of the day in pure competition terms but it is the big deal of the day as Federer sets off in search of his next piece of history.
He's already guaranteed greatness, of course. I believed him to be the best of all time before he matched Pete Sampras's 14 Slam wins by winning in Paris this year, and I've written as much for this newspaper over the past couple of years.
His next challenge is not to cement his place in the pantheon but to define by what margin he is the greatest. When Roger said in recent days that he regrets the fact that Rafael Nadal is not at Wimbledon to defend his title, he meant it.
He wants to not just win more Slams but do so against the best.
Last year's final was the best tennis match in history and there's no denying that Nadal's absence deprives us all. But the cards fell that way and that's life. Federer, too, is a no-nonsense competitor who will beat whoever is put in front of him anyway.
He seldom goes out of an event early and I expect a straightforward victory today, quite probably in straight sets, in a manner that shows us he's in control: excellent, varied serving, great movement, killer forehand, and moments of unpredictable genius sprinkled in.
Roger will also probably play from the baseline a lot, which seems to have become more of a tactic in recent years and isn't necessarily a good thing. On the one hand, it does show confidence, that he can win from back there with his ground strokes. On the other, it might suggest that he's become the tiniest bit less aggressive in his attacking play.
It's that ruthlessly beautiful wrecking power, allied with the grace of a ballerina to make the deadly finishing touches look so sweet, that made him such a long-standing world No 1 and feared opponent.
And it's those things that will be needed again if he is to reap the rewards of more Slams which his talents demand. The loss of Nadal in SW19 this year quite dramatically illustrates how good Federer remains: the Spaniard pulls out and suddenly one man is odds-on favourite. Roger's back where he belongs in more senses than one.
Tale of the tape: How favourite and foe stack up
Roger Federer vs Yen-Hsun Lu
Swiss Nationality Taiwanese
27 Age 25
Basel Place of birth Taipei
Bottmingen Residence Taipei
1998 Turned pro 2001
Right-handed Plays Right-handed
6ft 1in Height 5ft 11in
88kg Weight 74kg
No2 World ranking No64
No2 Wimbledon seeding Unseeded
59 Career titles 0
£25m Career prize money £500,000
W44 L5 Wimbledon record W2L5
Winner 2003,4,5,6,7 Wimbledon best 2R (2004, 05)
Head-to-head: No previous meetings.
Odds: Federer: 1-100. Lu: 75-1.
Bollettieri's prediction: Federer.
The Ato Z of Bollettieri: Snapshots from 53 years as a tennis coach
*A is for ASS, as in I didn't know my ass from my elbow when it came to teaching tennis when I got my first coach's job, age 25, at a municipal club in North Miami Beach, Florida, in 1956. I'd played a bit as a teenager in college but after that I was a paratrooper for a few years, then studied at law school in Miami before dropping out. I made it my business to learn quickly. Among my very first students was a girl called Sheryl Smith; she was soon the US under-12s champion.
*B is for BALL, or the most important thing in the whole shooting match. It's all about the ball; keeping your eye on it, controlling it, getting it over the net just one more time than your opponent. You do that and you win points, games and matches. When I started coaching Sheryl Smith I could tell she hit the ball well but my coaching phrases were limited. I'd advise her to hold her racket properly. Beyond that it was about the ball. It was just: "Move to the ball!" or "Move your feet, hit the ball." That was it, how a life in coaching started.
Coaching report: Grunting
Is it cheating to grunt during play?
Let's get one thing straight right away. I have never taught anyone to grunt. It's just not part of the coaching regime at my academy.
Grunting on the courts may be a lot of things, including annoying, but it certainly isn't cheating, since it's been done under the watchful eyes (and ears) of umpires for decades with few complaints and fewer sanctions.
Three of the top female players of all time – Monica Seles, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova - have all been associated with making noise when making impact with the ball.
But to suggest that these women (all of whom, by the way, have trained at my academy) have cheated their way to 32 Grand Slam championships and more than 100 titles is offensive – and wrong.
Grunting is neither new nor uncommon in tennis or, for that matter, many sports that require great physical exertion.
So why is grunting a big deal again today?
What elevated this issue from a whisper to a roar was a recent match in the third round of the French Open in which Michelle Larcher De Brito, a 16-year-old who also trains at the Bollettieri Academy, took the customary noise levels of mere grunting to howling – even shrieking.
Trust me, I was there and it was loud.
Her opponent, Aravane Rezai, who went on to win the match, complained to the umpire who issued an informal warning, but the match – and the wailing – continued unabated.
It raised in my mind whether some sort of regulation, or noise-measuring technology, might be called for. Tennis uses innovation in other areas. You may recall the 2004 US Open quarter-final between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati in which bad line calls led to Serena being eliminated, and "Hawk-Eye" technology being introduced.
So how should we handle grunting?
If "noise pollution" on the courts intensifies, we may again need to employ technology so that certain offending players are penalised fairly and consistently when they go beyond "acceptable" natural levels. Parabolic microphones, already in widespread use, have the capability of measuring minute sound level and may eventually be required.
However, I would advocate, at least initially, a common-sense "lower-tech" approach which would encourage chair umpires to rule on noise complaints from opposing players or to take the initiative when confronted with obvious unacceptable transgressions.
A series of graduating penalties – loss of point, loss of game, loss of match – could, and should, be employed.
With Wimbledon coming up later this month, there couldn't be a better time, or a better venue, to bring back some peace and quiet – and yes, some dignity – to our sport
Win a week in Florida at my tennis academy
*Want a week's tennis holiday at my academy in Florida? Included in the prize is five days' top-class tuition, accommodation in our poolside clubhouse, and all meals. The winner arranges the travel. All you have to do is email to tell me who will win today's big match. I want a specific scoreline, and as a tie-breaker, a one-sentence summary of the manner in which your pick will win. At the end of the tournament, all the daily winners will go into a hat, and one overall winner will be picked from there. Email me at n.bollettieri@independent.co.uk [http://mailto:n.bollettieri@independent.co.uk]
I look forward to meeting the winner. For the rest of you players out there, today's tip to improve your game is try a serve-volley drill. Player A serves and moves to the net. Player B starts with their feet on the baseline, must return the first serve crosscourt, and then move to the net. The point is played out at the net, close quarters volleying. One point per rally. After 11 points, switch servers. First to 21 wins. It's irrelevant whether you intend serve-volleying in a match. The drill sharpens your service, volleys and movement.
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