The Hindu : Sport : Ideal saleswoman for tennis

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Thursday, Jun 07, 2007
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Ideal saleswoman for tennis

When Henin plays almost the entire court carries her footprints, writes Rohit Brijnath

Nicole Vaidisova could have been arrested for assault on Tuesday at Roland Garros if the balls had pressed charges. The closer she got to defeat against Jelena Jankovic, the more violently she played. Her forehands were not hit but detonated, and there was something beautiful to her unshakeable faith in technique that allowed for a full, furious, liberating swing.

Vaidisova plays tennis from the same song-sheet as most of her peers, and their ability to produce shots of such speed, yet exactness, is bewildering.

Sluggers going toe-to-toe comes to mind. Of course it can also get a bit tedious, like listening to Wagner at full volume all day.

In 1977, almost every woman in the top 10 had a single-handed backhand; in 2007, it is two. Not coincidentally these two modern misfits, Henin and Mauresmo, are both elegant and versatile. Elsewhere the conventional method is the big two-handed backhand to complement the even bigger forehand.

Baseliners

Players settle on the baseline and flail away, not quite clones but close one-dimensional relatives.

Maria Sharapova skitters and grunts; Jankovic covers the baseline like a frantic sentry; Serena, passive against Henin, mostly resembles a fireworks factory hit by a lit match. But they, like Kuznetsova, Ivanovic, Chakvetdze, all are variations on the same slightly repetitive theme.

Not that this sameness is exclusive to tennis. In a different way, football nations, once so stylistically distinct, are edging closer to each other in method. Perhaps because the finest young Africans and South Americans are now tutored primarily in Europe. Perhaps because zealous European coaches are converting nations on their travels.

In hockey, former Western players often plead for the renewal of sub-continental hockey, for the game misses India's unique quality. Yet, to become relevant in modern hockey, India must blend its flair with European virtues of power and speed. Simply being different will get India attention, but playing like the rest of the world could bring results.

The fundamentals of the modern tennis game, once taught on grass, are now explained on clay. Spain has become the preferred destination of the planet's youngsters. Here the foundations of the aggressive, consistent game are laid, and the first lesson is "stay on the baseline" and the second is "run". Technically today's players appear reliable, athletically they are staggering. But they own the imagination and variety of a house painter.

French clay allows for more variety than hardcourt, still backhand slices have been rare in Paris. A refusal to slice restricts the approach shot.

Then there is the minor matter of lobs. Once Michael Chang destroyed John McEnroe at the US Open with a succession of finely calibrated lobs. This is unlikely in 2007. It is hard to use the lob if no one is at the net.

Versatile heir

It is why Justine Henin is like a shot of adrenalin in the heart, a versatile heir to the two Martinas and Mandlikova. Against Serena on Friday, she served and volleyed one point. In the next exchange, she under-spun a drop shot and followed it with a top-spun lob. Then she hit two firm crosscourt forehands only to surprise Williams by injecting the third one with another 10kmph of pace. She was an advertisement in the lost art of tennis.

Players do enough to win, not more. For most, muscling from the back, suffices. Hingis invented because she lacked power. Henin is stronger, constructed of ropey muscle, and reminds one of whips and lashes when she hits the ball. But she lacks the heft to only play power tennis all the time, all year. Of all the semifinalists, she, not even 5 foot 6 inches, is the shortest (Jankovic is 5 feet 9 inches, Sharapova 6 ft 2in, Ivanovic 6 ft 1 in). So she must compensate with intelligence.

Champion in Paris in 2003, 2005, 2006, Henin is important to tennis. Because when she plays almost the entire court carries her footprints. Because unlike her rivals, who play on "automatic", she is constantly shifting gears, and doing what Serena called "little tricks". Because she reminds us there is another way to win.

If tennis required a saleswoman to sell the game to the unfamiliar, Henin would be a stirring choice.

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