 |
|
|
|
US TENNIS September 1996 Lessons from a Great Point By Pete Sampras, Playing Editor with Alexander McNab Photography by Dom Furore |
|
|
|
| Watching a tape of that point still gets my juices going (photo, above). Andre Agassi was serving at 4-5, ad out, in the first set of our 1995 U.S. Open final. Two points earlier, at 30-40, I had netted a chip forehand return of serve on my first set point. Then at deuce Agassi missed a wild swinging forehand volley to give me a second opportunity. It was a weird, windy day, and the tennis hadn't been that great up 'til then. It was as if we were saving it up for this one point. And then we both played great -- as well as we could -- at the same time. The point lasted 22 strokes. It was an athletic point -- we were both continually on the move, changing directions, sprinting -- and I used my athletic ability to try to win it. The first set was very big. It was going to set the tone for how the rest of the match was going to go. And it did set the tone; from there I won the second set pretty easily and eventually won the match in four sets. This point was a big key to the match. I'd like to take you through some of the shots I hit in that rally. By recreating them in the large photos shown here and pointing out what I was trying to do, maybe I can help you have more success on big points in your matches. [Editor's note: The full sequence of shots can be seen at the bottom of each page here, in the small photos, which are taken from video-tape, courtesy of CBS-TV.] The point began with Agassi hitting a second serve. I ran around it to hit a forehand, got a little careful and ended up just getting it back in play. After my next shot -- a crosscourt backhand that landed short and closer to the middle than the sideline -- he ran around the ball and hit a big inside-out forehand to my backhand corner. My next shot was stroke 6 (opposite page). |
| The situation: Agassi serving at 4-5, ad out, first set STROKE 1: Agassi hits second serve toward Sampras's backhand. STROKE 2: Sampras runs around his backhand and hits inside-out crosscourt forehand return. STROKE: 3: Agassi hits deep topspin backhand crosscourt. STROKE 4: Sampras hits topspin backhand crosscourt that lands a bit short and toward the middle. STROKE 5: Agassi runs around backhand and hits inside-out crosscourt forehand. STROKE 6: Sampras, scrambling deep behind the baseline, hits defensive slice backhand (see explanation, opposite page). STROKE 6: Stay in the point The crosscourt backhand slice I hit on my third shot, similar to that shown in this photo, was a defensive shot, but it got me back in the point. The key was that it was deep. Not only did it give me time to get back in the rally, but it actually kept Agassi from hitting another forcing shot. Instead, off his next ball I was able to step in and hit an offensive backhand down the line to his forehand, making him run. The lesson here: Do whatever it takes to get the ball back on a big point. Play smart defense instead of going for a stupid shot. STROKE 7: Agassi hits runaround, inside-out forehand that lands a bit short. STROKE 8: Sampras hits down-the-line topspin backhand. STROKE 9: Agassi, on the run, hits high topspin forehand deep down the line. STROKE 10: Sampras, backed up, hits high, deep topspin backhand down the center. STROKE 11: Agassi hits inside-out forehand that bounces in Sampras's ad-court service box. STROKE 12: Sampras runs around backhand, hits forehand down sideline to Agassi's forehand (see explanation, above). STROKE 12: Take the initiative Agassi likes to dictate play by hitting the ball early and making you do all the running. He's very good when he's in the center of the court and running around the ball to hit a forehand, but not as effective running to his forehand corner. So my goal the whole match was to try to take the initiative as soon as I saw it and make him move. That's what I tried to do on my backhand down the line (shot 8), but he looped it back, making me hit a high backhand down the middle. It turned into an effective shot because it was deep and backed him up. I then was able to run around his return and, on the 12th stroke, rip what my hitting partner Alvaro Betancur calls an "inside-in" forehand, right down the line from my backhand corner (right). With that shot, I was trying to win the point. I saw an opening, and I went for it. When you see an opportunity to take the initiative, don't let it go by, especially on an important point. Don't play too carefully. You have to find a balance. I call it "controlled aggression." STROKE 13: Agassi, on the run, hits crosscourt forehand. STROKE 14: Sampras, on the run, hits angled crosscourt forehand (see explanation, above). STROKE 14: Attack a strength intelligently I went to Agassi's strength -- his forehand -- when I could dictate the play and make him run. In this instance, I knew if he got to my inside-in forehand, he probably was going to go crosscourt, which he did. That set up my running forehand (right) --one of my favorite shots. Whenever I have a good swing at my forehand, I'm going to go for it. You can go to a player's strength -- if you go at it right way. So I went back sharply crosscourt behind him, again to his forehand. It really got him on the run. He was not out of the point, but he was on the defensive. However, I kind of overran the next backhand, caught it in tight and ended up not getting it crosscourt enough to end the point. He came back to my forehand down the center and I saw another opening crosscourt (stroke 18). Then it was just awesome, as we went back and forth with wider and wider crosscourt forehands for three successive shots. STROKE 15: Agassi, on the run, hits forehand deep down the line. STROKE 16: Sampras hits topspin backhand down the middle of the court. STROKE 17: Agassi, recovering, hits backhand down middle. STROKE 18: Sampras hits deep crosscourt forehand. STROKE 19: Agassi hits wide crosscourt forehand. STROKE 20: Sampras, on the run, hits running crosscourt forehand. STROKE 21 (near right): Agassi, scrambling wide, hits forehand down the middle. STROKE 22 (far right): Sampras hits topspin crosscourt backhand winner into the open court (see explanation, above). STROKE 22: Stay focused to the finish After I finally had Agassi on the run again, I hit my second crosscourt forehand of that rapid-fire exchange. He was really, really stretched off the court. When his return came down the middle to my backhand, I knew if I hit it anywhere near his backhand sideline, he wasn't going to be able to get it. On the last backhand (left), I was just trying to do the right thing: Concentrate and focus on the ball. When you're hitting into an open court, keep your eye on the ball, not on the court or on your opponent. I've heard people say you should try to forget about the score and play every point the same. That's impossible. The reason Agassi and I played such a great point was that we both were aware of the importance of it. I was telling myself not to try for anything off the wall, but to go for it. If I went for it and missed, I went for it and missed. During the rally, I hit three crosscourt forehands that might have been winners against another player. But Agassi knew what was at stake, so he ran them down. When you get into a point like that one, there's not holding back. |