Henman's marathon win
I noticed something today while watching the first round match between Tim Henman and Carlos Moya. Tim Henman looked good.
He beat the No. 26 seed Moya, which might sound decent for an aging Henman, but remember that Moya is a dirt baller who wasn't really expected to do well on the grass courts. On the other hand, Henman has always player well on the surface, especially at the Slam known as Wimbledon.
The statistics, though, show an almost dead heat between the two players in the four-hour 11-minute match, which had a nearly two-hour fifth set that ended in a 13-11 triumph for the Brit.
Both men had the same first serve percentage and nearly won the exact same percentage of points, whether on first or second serve. Henman had fewer aces and more errors.
But with the Henmaniacs at Wimbledon rooting him on, he has nothing to lose, and two other statistics show it.
He had three aces in one game of the fifth set at 11-11, escaping two break points with aces; he finished with 10. He turned it on when he had to, which he's done remarkably for years when he was England's only hope to win Wimbledon.
What is even more impressive is the how well the 32-year-old Henman can still move. While he and Moya both won only 59 percent of their net approaches, Henman seemed to be comfortable there, and that can make a huge difference, especially when it comes to winners totals. Henman went to the net 100 times in match, almost 30 percent of all points. this serve-and-volley style is what many multiple title winners such as Borg and Sampras have done to win. Amelie Mauresmo did it to win last year.
The main thing isn't that Henman will win Wimbledon (though he has two possible wins coming up against Feliciano Lopez and either Nicolas Lapentti or Jo-Wifried Tsonga). What we know is that when likely faces Richard Gasquet in the round of 16, he will be able to play winning tennis on the grass how it's supposed to be played, with a calm look and a nice net return for a winner.
He beat the No. 26 seed Moya, which might sound decent for an aging Henman, but remember that Moya is a dirt baller who wasn't really expected to do well on the grass courts. On the other hand, Henman has always player well on the surface, especially at the Slam known as Wimbledon.
The statistics, though, show an almost dead heat between the two players in the four-hour 11-minute match, which had a nearly two-hour fifth set that ended in a 13-11 triumph for the Brit.
Both men had the same first serve percentage and nearly won the exact same percentage of points, whether on first or second serve. Henman had fewer aces and more errors.
But with the Henmaniacs at Wimbledon rooting him on, he has nothing to lose, and two other statistics show it.
He had three aces in one game of the fifth set at 11-11, escaping two break points with aces; he finished with 10. He turned it on when he had to, which he's done remarkably for years when he was England's only hope to win Wimbledon.
What is even more impressive is the how well the 32-year-old Henman can still move. While he and Moya both won only 59 percent of their net approaches, Henman seemed to be comfortable there, and that can make a huge difference, especially when it comes to winners totals. Henman went to the net 100 times in match, almost 30 percent of all points. this serve-and-volley style is what many multiple title winners such as Borg and Sampras have done to win. Amelie Mauresmo did it to win last year.
The main thing isn't that Henman will win Wimbledon (though he has two possible wins coming up against Feliciano Lopez and either Nicolas Lapentti or Jo-Wifried Tsonga). What we know is that when likely faces Richard Gasquet in the round of 16, he will be able to play winning tennis on the grass how it's supposed to be played, with a calm look and a nice net return for a winner.
Labels: ATP, Grand Slams
Served Up by Ben. at 6/27/2007 01:57:00 AM
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