-
The Prince of Madrid
May 14, 2013 | 16 comments
-
French Fears, French Fantasies
April 30, 2013 | 262 comments
-
The Prince of Monte Carlo
April 23, 2013 | 362 comments
-
Winning and Staying Honest in America’s Game
April 1, 2013 | 1 comment
-
The Kenya Syndrome
March 21, 2013 | 13 comments
A Further Perspective
Kolya on 16th Street
Nikolay Davydenko plays the match of the tournament in between some much-needed Washington rain.
Strong pitching beats strong batting, right, but then why do the Yankees need Mark Teixeria in the lineup next to A-Rod and a few other big bats, when they have C.C., winningest pitcher in baseball.
This topic went around and around forever at Murphy’s saloon on Third Avenue, but it falls flat in Washington, where we do not see a lot of strong pitching except when the Phillies are in town and we have lost sight of what strong hitting means since the local geniuses let Adam Dunn go. Which is okay, no one expects a reincarnation of John McGraw to run any sort of team in Washington, which is a strange, bizarre, woebegone city where sports are concerned, and I do not expect to get any good answers as to why this is so, now nor later.
Though if you want to know, the simplest answer is that Washington is a strange, bizarre, woebegone place all around and you can count on folks here wrecking whatever they set out to do and then creating a commission to fix it and instead making it even worse.
However, if pitching beats batting — except that with the Yankees you have the special circumstance that they are big sluggers too, it never hurts — then in tennis, which is a different kind of sport admittedly, you can say that a shrewd game of motion and variety beats the power-from-the-baseline game.
At the Legg Mason aka Washington Tennis Classic on 16th Street yesterday this axiom was given a textbook demonstration in the match involving Kolya Davydenko, whose slight build belies iron muscles and some of the fastest feet on the pro tour and who vaguely reminds you with his pale blond hair and his fair skin and intense eyes of Ivan Karamazov, although I will take that back because who wants that kind of burden on anybody and say instead he makes you think of your typical scheming thinking intense Russian (which proves Ukraine, at least the part where he was born, is a mere geographical expression).
Off court he can be pleasant, funny, sociable, but on court his eyes are like a shark’s, seriously, like Vladimir Putin’s, the Russian vozhd. No Mister Nice Guy. He hits. With power. To the corner. To the other corner. To the baseline. And again. He wears you down. And he hits fast, because his feet are moving all the time and he is fast. Strong batting beats strong pitching, this guy does not do anything but swing.
And in the first set, in this by far the most interesting match played so far at this Legg Mason Tournament that does not seem to be attended by a lot of Washingtonians, judging from the license plates in the parking lots, he showed what this means. He kept his opponent off balance not by tactics but by sheer power. You are receiving these bullets again and again way in the back of the court and they are coming so fast you cannot advance from the baseline and try to gain the initiative, and Kolya takes the first set without sweating, though actually that is not true: it was humid, with rain on the way — there was in fact a brief rain delay in the first set — and it was making everyone perspire, though not in that warm and comfortable and definitive way that it did last week when there was a real heat wave, the kind that, in the days before air conditioning, made Washington function. Because those who could take the heat took care of the Republic’s business while those who could not — who did not have the character — stayed home or fled North.
Against this all-offense-batting-beats-pitching style a young Australian — young is relative in tennis, Davydenko is only 30 — Matthew Ebden, was trying to find his all-court defensive offense, and he could not. And then he could. Down 1-5, he began serving aces and mixing his tactics where previously he had been unable to do anything but return baseline mortar for baseline mortar, eventually losing the point. Because with Kolya, if you hit deep, he returns deep, and like the great baseline men of yore, Borg, Lacoste, he will return longer than you will return. Eventually you will not. In addition to which, he saw clearly, as everyone else did — the Grandstand court was packed on both sides because everyone knew this was it, we were finally going to see some really high level competitive tennis after two days of so-so play, he saw clearly that something was wrong with Ebden’s backhand. Matt Ebden usually has it, there is nothing wrong with his backhand, or any other hand. He is just as fast as Kolya, or faster, and normally, as a rule, cannot be fazed. But Kolya was finding his backhand and it was fazing him.
He came un-fazed fast enough at 1-5 to save face but not the set, but you might say the new, winning approach — he was returning everything and forcing Kolya to the net with McEnroe-like drop shots followed by the most breathtaking passing shots down the line, some kind of Joe Namath his arm made you think of — went on until he was up 5-4 in the second set, controlling everything. Classic: the no-break set through nine games and now for the break. But it did not happen.
The all-court chess player — actually, Matt is physically bigger, more athletic-looking than Kolya — was at the moment when you break serve and gain the set. Keeping up this strategy, he would have cruised into the third set and onward. But — well, you can read about it.
Offense beats defense, batting over pitching? You wonder. Watching Nikolay Davydenko, who for ten years has been consistently near the top but not quite there, you wonder about aggressive play. Accused of tanking, and then cleared, in the wake of a betting scandal in 2007, Davydenko is the kind of player who never sees a tournament he does not like. Consistently reaching the middle range — quarters, semis — he can do quite well for himself, high ATP rank, plenty cash. To do this you have to be consistent, like a slugger. Strike out quite a lot, as much as you want, so long as the big hits keep coming.
Everyone thought Matthew had found his zone and was at least going to force a decisive third set, because he was doing everything right: winning service games on aces, drawing Davydenko to the net with graceful drop slices followed by graceful passes, cutting down Kolya’s speed by hitting so deep most of his long shots seemed to be hitting the baseline.
If you keep slugging, even C.C. will eventually yield some hits and some runs. This was the best match of the tournament so far, and it was fine that it could be played and finished before the rain returned for good. It was more important, because it showed that tennis is still being practiced by thinking players who try radically different strategies against one another and, doing so, make the game evolve, than the controversies — from the past — over banned substances and the subsidiary controversies over what should be said about same.
An American named Wayne Odesnik was given a long suspension last year for showing up in Australia with banned substances in his suitcase. Some tennis men spoke harsh words, suggesting he should be banned permanently, but he was back in the circuit here as a qualifier, and got as far as the first round. He makes good moves that surprise his opponents from time to time, but he has not got the consistency of either the slugger or the tactician, at least not yet.
Well, he did not disgrace himself and, if he can keep up the good work, he will advance into deeper rounds in forthcoming tournaments. So why bring up the past? Why not talk about Davydenko-Ebden and the strategy of the game and how to win and the meaning of it all. Because it is sexier to talk about drugs? Drugs have been around a long time; they were discussed intelligently in Michael Mewshaw’s '80s classic, Short Circuit, about the formative years of the modern professional tour (i.e., since the 1967 beginning of the Open era).
About the Author
Roger Kaplan, a Washington-based writer, covers the Middle East and Africa (and tennis) for The American Spectator.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (19) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Roger Kaplan
More Articles From A Further Perspective
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/08/04/kolya-on-16th-street
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Clint| 8.4.11 @ 8:13AM
Tennis is such a racket.
Elron H.| 8.4.11 @ 10:26AM
HAH-HAH-HAH...
...dumb...
Pope Testiculus II| 8.4.11 @ 10:37AM
BTW, Clintie-Poo...
Your long-winded post yesterday on the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was loaded with errors and purposeful distortions.
First of all, OF COURSE children are more likely to be sexually abused by a teacher than by a Priest...DUH!!!
There are >6 million teachers in the USA, genius, as compared to
Clint| 8.4.11 @ 11:10AM
Gee Screwball Fanatic Anti-Catholic Bigot Victor-Margie -Reich Nazi,
According to a draft report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 "No Child Left Behind" act signed into law by President Bush, between 6 percent and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers.
That dwarfs the percentage of sex abuse in Catholic Schools,
Pope Testiculus II| 8.4.11 @ 1:42PM
Proof, my son?
Your flatus-infested diatribes deny the truth.
We are NOT simply discussing "Catholic schools". That is more obfuscation.
Not all the children who were molested by Priests were molested in school.
You're not a very bright parishioner, are you?
Clint| 8.4.11 @ 11:13AM
The Answer For Obsessional Anti-Catholic Bigot,Dixie Pixie Follows.
Why Are You & Dr.Reich Hidin' ?
Hmmmm, Fixated Anti-Catholic Bigot White Trash ?
Pope Testiculus II| 8.4.11 @ 1:54PM
Well, aren't you the pot calling the kettle...white..?
Clint| 8.4.11 @ 9:37PM
You're The Anti-Catholic White Trash Bigot, Dixie Prick.
You Ran Your Coward Bigot Mouth.
Now, You're Gonna Wear It.
Bob Grant| 8.4.11 @ 8:43AM
Kolya Davydenko....Um boy. Wasn't that the guy in Rocky III?
RCV| 8.4.11 @ 2:08PM
Would someone tell Tyrell to run Kaplan's solumns in TENNIS TODAY. No one here cares.
RCV| 8.4.11 @ 2:08PM
er, "columns"
Mike Walsh| 8.4.11 @ 4:22PM
Whatever one calls them, my sentiments exactly: Tennis? Who cares?
Cynth| 8.4.11 @ 3:58PM
Wonderful mix of social commentary and sports lyricism! More please -- although it may be these are pearls that ought not be cast before, you know, these yahoos. Yet, tennis and sports properly understood are part and parcel of literate Republican culture, so you probably have a strong audience out there, though one that reads you in secret. To be civilized is often to be in the closet...
Arizona Bob| 8.4.11 @ 4:10PM
Brilliant, brilliant, thanks again, Mr. Kaplan. But I would go further with this drug business. I see your point about letting the sport be the sport, and leave criminal matters to criminal authorities, but it still leaves the sports federations with a huge problem, nor only an image problem -- they have a responsibility for young athletes' health and after all, they don't want to be irresponsible citizens as far as the law is c0ncerned. Unfortunately, as we know all too well, no sports -- from Olympics to baseball, not to mention cycling -- has developed an adequate regime for dealing with these plagues. You were polite about it, but as you know some players, notably James Blake, came down very hard on Odesnik. You're right it's not a new problem. But it is a sickness that is, unfortunately, all too symptomatic of some of the unpleasant traits of life today in our country.
Bob Grant| 8.4.11 @ 4:39PM
"Drugs have been around a long time; they were discussed intelligently in Michael Mewshaw's '80s classic, Short Circuit, about the formative years of the modern professional tour (i.e., since the 1967 beginning of the Open era)."
Short Circuit? I was around during the 80's and only remember a movie titled Short Circuit, starring legendary actor Steve Guttenberg, about a R2D2-clone of a robot and the creepy relationship it had with the character played by Ally Sheedy.
I dunno, maybe it was one of those art movies I never got around to watching.
POST American| 8.5.11 @ 12:30AM
-----'70's Show' DIS-traction, with police state
Stanford Research/Tavistock/ Theo Adorno
subtexting --ALERT!--
MEANWHILE. a report from the LONG buried
scene of what, we'll bet, proves to be the greatest
world de-pop op of all time in Fukishima.
They're now reporting radiation levels to be higher than ever . ALLLLL pulsing out steadily
over Canada and the US. And of course, all of
it frying fertility, formenting cancer etc.
Remember kiddies, the agenda calls 100 MILLION Americans to be
exterminated by 2050. ON RECORD.
NOT that far away ----esp. in the minds of
Rockefeller sponsored actuarial psychopaths.
SO, have a nice weekend, and a nice time at
church listening to your Freemason-Rockefeller
'Council of Churches' front minister
urges prostrate submission to things 'as they are'.
--------------------JUST KEEP ON GOIN'
rendite| 8.5.11 @ 1:26AM
Dude (Kaplan), if you've got the time to invest following this meaningless drivel -- at your age -- you are:
1. Certainly not living a life well lived.
2. Not very intelligent.
3. Lazy.
4. A big part of our national problem.
Get up off your ass and do something meaningful.
You aren't a man; you're an embarassment.
"Oh, but it is just so much fun to fret about pitchers and pitching staffs!"
Or to talk about the Germans and Czechs when they come to the D.C. courts?
Or to wander about Paris looking for a tennis court.
17 posts altogether (18 including mine) with half as meaningless as Kaplan's empty ____________ says it all.
Nobody cares what you write. Nobody is reading.
But you could turn that around if you invest your life (sweat, effort, initiative, thought, passion) in something worthwhile.
Now, go be a man.
Arizona Bob| 8.5.11 @ 10:27AM
I was hoping to catch up on yesterday’s results at the Washington tournament as explained by this site’s best chronicler, but I see there is a day off, although the wires inform me there were some matches played, including some dramatic one involving the
American stars John Isner and James Blake and some fancy displays of athleticism by the remarkable French player, Monfils. I look forward to Mr. Kaplan’s summary of the tournament next week, along with his witty observations on the environment of big time sports, the nation’s capital, and the rest.
Glancing – a weakness when I should be at work, but a substitute for my sports news fix – at the previous day’s coverage, I am appalled to find the editors are not doing their job in controlling access to their site. This is, frankly, like newspaper opinion pages that are open to every kook in the name of “balance”, but in this case what you are inviting is mental unbalance.
Simply to set the context: I like go for an early run in the desert, perhaps batting tennis balls on the neighborhood courts on the way back when local pals are up to the same schedule, then home for a quick shower, check the markets, resist (these days) calling my broker in a panic, and scan the news. I got into the habit of looking at TAS some months ago. I admit I had a subscription to the print magazine that I allowed to lapse, along with NR and a few other journals of this persuasion, after repeated admonitions from my wife that she had better uses for space in the garage than cardboard boxes containing a peculiar part of our children’s inheritance, which she forced me to admit they are unlikely to ever claim when the time comes to settle the estate.
Still, a stiff dose of right-wing slanted news and opinion can be salutary in these times, and what else is a computer on a desk in a den for. One of these days, I keep promising myself, I will give in to an obscure urge, open my checkbook, and send a few thousand dollars to Messrs Tyrrell and his colleagues in this industry with notes telling them the libraries of every school and neighborhood my family has known want subscriptions to their wares.
However, there is an odd species that lurks in these on-line news sites, and it reminds you of nothing so much as pasty faced men in soiled black raincoats lurking around elementary schools. The preceding is a textbook example. It is not clear why Messrs Tyrrell and colleagues allow this to pass. Letters to the editor, after all, are supposed to be from readers, not escaped lunatic asylum patients. It certainly does nothing for the conservative side to advertise the possibility, always present, that we are a bunch of cranks and mental cases, nor, I am sure, does it suggest to the journal’s potential advertisers and supporters that they would be putting their money in a profitable demographic.
I suppose there is a public service involved, in that it is, indeed, better to have these peculiar sorts venting their spleen here than under their raincoats, but balancing the advantages and disadvantages, I would suggest you edit these expressions of paranoia or simply block them.