Bounty Hunter Pioneer Ex Detector

Everyone is marvelled at Federer's fantastic record but it is no surprise if you think not to far back at Pete Sampras dominance and John McEnroe's, who also played great all round games.

One of the characteristics that separates these players from others is their uncanny capacity to carry out at their best under uttermost pressure and win the "big points" specially at the "Big Four" (the Grand Slams).

They all have or had huge weapons, the courage and clarity of mind to use them when they most necessitated them or when they mentally, would/will do the greatest harm to their opponents.

For example, in the last US Open Björn Borg played, John McEnroe employed his ability to create as one of his weapons versus Borg.

The match was at a very tight primary moment with Borg realizing that he would not win from the baseline and sentiment pressured to come to the net. Borg did just that with a great approach shot up the line to John's forehand, which McEnroe responded with a weak cross court passing, Borg volleyed solid up the line for what ought to have been a winner and moved in closer to the net for the kill. McEnroe in some manner managed to get to the ball and strike an unbelievable backhand topspin lob over the head of a surprised, flat footed, stunned Bjorn Borg! After that there were some interesting points in that match, but that lob took the soul out of Borg and showed him that all doors to US Open heaven were shut! When Borg walked back to the baseline he knew he had lost the match and not much long after that tournament he retired from professional tennis.

Pete Sampras did the same kind of mental harm for the duration of his vomiting session to Corretja at the US Open 96, in his crying session to Courier at the Australian Open 95 and in a number of dissimilar occasions to the likes of Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Agassi, Rafter, Henman and others.

Petes greatest weapon was his second serve, you may say, "What with regards to the first?" Pete's second serve was what permitted him to go left and right for aces with his basi serve at the "big points". So sure he was that he would not miss his second service as well as of the quality of it, that he had no fear of his opponents return! This great selfconfidence in his second service, permitted him the lavishness to even ace his challengers with his second service in the climax of pressure. Needless to say, this was disheartening, discouraging and hindering and mind boggling to his despondent adversaries.

In 1990 in Milano I saw the begining of the effective use of such weapons, when Pete threatened Lendl into a 3rd set, which was continued in Philadelphia where he discomfited a baffled Agassi shaking his head, altering from side to side hardly touching a ball on the return. Two matches later there was more of the same in the final versus Andres Gomez. At year's end using similar tactics and weapons Pete culminated his season with the crown at the US Open.

Federer today with his "unique" game (a throw back to the 60's and 70's tennis) demonstrates that the all around game is a vast challenge for today's players, because a huge majority of them are wholly inept at dealing with the short cross slice backhand as well as the low slice on their forehands (due to uttermost grips), which makes them prey to attacks and winners! At his best Roger's refined "repertoire" may drive the most stall worth Hewitt, Ferrero, Nalbandian, Gaudio, Gonzales, Nadal into submission, if not into total embarrassment!

This implicates the possibleness that some players of the past e.g. Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe , Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe, just to mention a few, would be a great challenge to some of today's top hard hitting players.

To substantiate my theory, in Davis Cup around 1988(?) perhaps later...an ailing unfit and "old" Victor Pecci, a much lesser player then the names above, demonstrated the vulnerabilities of a young Michael Chang and "modern tennis". Later on Jim Grab primarily a doubles specialist did the same by neutralizing Chang with the soft slice and attacking with low slices down the line or up the center of the court. Basically humiliating Michael into losing to a guy with slow motion "soft" hands but with solid volleys.

This does not mean that today's players are unworthy or their games are stupid. Today's top players are great like in any other era. The game changed tremendously; uttermost grips, power, topspin, the cross-court percentage play and waist level bouncing balls became mutual place, nevertheless the challenge of a low slice ball, a good mix of attacks from a originative Roger Federer has just proven overpowering to them.

Today's coaches and aspiring players will have to unquestionably follow the lead from Roger Federer and adopt his game and refined tactics, it will make for a much more varied and challenging future breed of tennis players as well as far more stimulating game to watch for the spectator's.

Agassi in an consultation regarding Federer, sheds a lot of light on the challenges Federer's all round game presents to baseliners and aggressive baseliners.

AA: "But, you know, with that being said, he hit an inside-out winner at 30-Love, 4-2 in the third set that found the line. He hit a few up the line. He hits that short chip, moves you forward, moves you back.

He uses your pace versus you. If you take pace off, so that he can't use your pace, he may step around and hurt you with the forehand. Just the amount of choices he has to get around any peculiar stage of the match where possibly something's out of sync is -- seems to be endless."

"You know, that's my point, I was safe for a long time out there just hitting a dumpy second serve to the backhand and getting into the point. Then at any point he may decide, "Well, I want to make you worry regarding that." He had the breeze on his back. He just stayed through that ball and hit it up the line."

"You know, and then the next couple points, because he has -- you recognise he's going to step up, you have that little extra pressure to do a little bit more with the ball, to push it through the wind, and to get it deep because you don't want to leave anything hanging versus him on either wing. And, you know, you make a couple errors because you're attempting to play too good. And then just for good measure he did it at 6-1 in the tiebreaker."

"So anything that you're attempting to carry through out there only lasts for a amount of time of time till he makes the adjustment. Then you have to alter it. All the while, everything you're planning on doing, you have to do well and you have to do it commence to finish. So that's, you know -- you may only say it so galore ways. You know, that's too good."

"Q. You said in order to beat him, something needs to be off. Was something off in his game at one point tonight?

AA: No. You just got to do it for a long time. I mean, you know, this is not -- a match is a elaborated thing. There are a lot of ebbs and flows in it. There's a lot of -- but ultimately, the person that brings the most the most amount of times, you know, is going to

win that. He just brings a lot all the time for all the choices he has. And while there are periods that you may have him on the fence, his choices when he's on the fence is better than most, better than most."

"You have to respect not just his abilities, but you likewise have to respect what goes into all the pieces that make him the factor he is, you know. I mean, and that's the mindset. It is the focus. It is the,

you know, the knowing when to play, when not to play. It's pulling out of tournaments as you prepare to peak for other tournaments. You know, he's made a lot of good decisions, and he surely is maximizing all the arsenal that he has. And I can't say it surprises me because I don't know him, but it surely amazes me."

Having read that, tennis is only a game and you are what you grant your contestant to do. Brad Gilbert was Boris (Boom-Boom) Becker black sheep and in the summer of 1989 he humilliated the tennis elite by winning 6 ATP tournaments and beating almost each top ten player. Without a powerful forehand, but with the capacity to draw great players into his game, make them lose selfconfidence in their shot making, raising their unforced error quota to unsustainable levels and formulating a heap of superb passing shots. Brad with very intellectual tactics, drew unbelievable wins from Great Champions that on paper were vastely better then him.

In the past there were a few players competent of doing the same to the very best of their era:

Ramanathan Krishnan (not to be confused with his son Ramesh), Willy Alvarez (famous Coach from the Sanchez boys), Corrado Barazutti and an illfamed Zuleta just to name a few. These players made a heap of of the very best look meek, despondent and frustrated in defeat.

Adjustments are being made by players and coaches that will make tennis ever more interesting. Basel Open 2005 gave me an clear or deep perception on what's to come and it looks as if in the future tennis will be a much more stimulating and varied game.

Power is essential but power is not all in tennis! Tennis is a game of skills, tactics/strategies, fitness, speed, intelligence, quick thinking, creativity, hence opening the possibleness for a great deal of of the players from the past to prevail on a good deal of surfaces and not on others versus the likes of Federer, Sampras, Agassi, Courier, Nadal and a lot of others.

Martina Navratilova, a great champion, epithomizes the extreme learner of the game, once said:

"Why," she was asked, "are you still doing this at 46?"

"Life. We're lucky to be here. It's in regards to learning and our time is limited. I'm still learning, to do better, still studying strategy. I'm technically better now than I was in my heyday. You recognise I hit a shot versus [Jana] Novotna at Wimbledon last year when I played. After the game she said: 'What was that, I've never seen it before?' I said I only learned to play it a few days ago. The key was the grip but you never stop learning the game. You have to have talent, but if you haven't the heart to explore the talent it's all a waste of time."

....I almost forgot to say, Federer is not alone in his style of play, he is in very good company with the likes of: Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe, Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Pancho Gonzales and a good deal of other greats!

Hope you are more than willing to fabricate your talent, receive pleasure from "The Game".