Wimbledon 2018: Roger Federer and Venus Williams bring grace to the game even after all these years

What a pleasure to see Roger Federer and Venus Williams strutting on Wednesday at Wimbledon. And I'm not saying that because veterans like us have to stay together.

This is the 20th Wimbledon of Federer and the 21st of Williams. The mackerel sacred, these guys make more records than the Beatles or Elvis Presley ever did.

Federer 's victory over Lukas Lacko was his 104th match at Wimbledon, which is a men' s open – ended record. Williams played exactly the same number of games here as Federer, who is more than any other active player in the women's game. His victory over Alexandra Dulgheru was his 89th at Wimbledon. Man, it's even more than the number of candles I'm going to blow on my birthday cake later this month.

Wimbledon 2018 in pictures

However, it's not just their longevity that I admire about Federer and Williams. It's also the beauty of their games.

Venus is such a gracious player. His playing on all terrains is a joy to watch. At 38, however, I'm afraid she can not continue to make such slow starts. Just as she had done against Johanna Larsson in the first round, she lost the first set. I do not think she can afford to let that happen. You can not always believe that you will be able to return a match.

As for Federer, I do not think I've ever seen such a beautiful setback in my 60 years of tennis. He knows, however, that for all the beauty of this shot, it's his forehand that does the most damage. Has there ever been another player who covers much of the field so that he can hit his forehands?

He is also a good volleyball player with a nice touch. Previously, he rarely played a drop drop, but now he throws them from time to time to make the effect.

I read that Federer has just accepted a $ 300 million contract to carry the Uniqlo kit. Well, seeing him beat Lacko reminded me how he looks at the ball as if it was the last ticket in his pocket.

Next time look for Federer and watch how he watches the ball until his racket reaches a long time after he hit it. I do not think that there is anyone who is watching the ball in the same way as him

Thursday Match: I would be very interested to see how Taylor Fritz, 20 years, plays against Alexander Zverev, 21 years old. Taylor is one of the best young Americans and when you are number 3 in the world at the age of Zverev, you must be very impressed.

Fritz is 6 feet 4 inches and has excellent service and forehand, but if he wants to have a chance against Zverev, I think he has to be more adventurous than d & # 39; habit. He will not win from the back of the field because when he is out, he can be a little exposed. The longer the rallies last, the more I think it will favor Zverev. Taylor is pretty good on the net. He just needs to keep the faith in his flying game.

Zverev has a great service, big shots on the ground and is very competitive. The only point of hope for Fritz is that Zverev does not seem to me to be the strongest player mentally when things do not go as planned.

What the best players have learned: Every day I remember some of the things I've learned from the great players with whom I've worked at the IMG Academy that I founded in Florida. ]

Jelena Jankovic arrived at the academy when she was only 11 or 12 years old, but she did not come alone. His mother, father and brother also came. Jelena was with us at the same time as Maria Sharapova and Tatiana Golovin. She was a great athlete who could hit any shot in the book, including her two-handed backhand along the line.

Families can be a great force for good tennis, but I've always felt that Jelena's mother loved her daughter too much. She talked so much to Jelena that her influence ended up being rather negative.

When Jelena was playing, I often felt that her mind was confused. She would continue to look up to her player's box and sometimes the messages she received were negative. I felt it for her, because she was always so happy and positive when we both worked together.

And what I can teach you: Today's advice is about how to deal with "waste" -ballers ", those players who do not give you any rhythm, hitting the ball high and low in the court, usually without spin, so many times you hear players complaining that they lost to opponents who were simply trying to recover each ball but did not give them anything. Other than junk

The key against players like this is to be patient.Keep them at the back of the field, but do not try to fetch the lines: give yourself a margin of error and do not be tempted to go get too many winners.You can start by tracing back the baseline before starting to move forward and take the ball earlier.

Finally, you should start getting shorter balls that you can attack. hit the ball deep and use the angles. You will then have the chance to come flying. When the ball reaches you without rhythm, do not be afraid to hit swing flocks. Surprise attacks like this usually attract your opponent to junk-balling on your stomach.

Find Out All: The Professional Tennis Registry publishes my personal account of what I've learned in a coaching life. tennis. I know it will appeal to everyone who is interested in the sport, from coaches and players to fans. You can find out how to buy the book later this summer at www.ptrtennis.org

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