Five things you can learn from Maria Sharapova’s victory over Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon women’s final.
1. GO DEEP
Serena Williams is known for putting her opponents on their heels, but in this match she was the one hitting off her back foot. Maria Sharapova’s ground strokes had tremendous pace, but equally important was how deep they were. Her shots landed just inside the baseline, and she created a large margin for error by only occasionally going for the sidelines. That’s the epitome of “controlled aggression.”
2. USE LITTLE STEPS
Hitting with depth also knocks your opponent offbalance. Time and again Serena would lift her front leg or even fall over trying to return Sharapova’s shots. To deal with such power, you have to hunker down and get control over your center of gravity. That requires using little adjustment steps to get in ideal hitting position. Serena has always been great at using long strides to retrieve seemingly unreachable balls, but she can struggle with smaller positioning steps. You saw the results in this match.
3. SHARPEN YOUR SECOND SERVE
I spent some time with Sharapova last summer and saw how hard she works on her serve. But I was still surprised by how much more effective her second serve was than Serena’s, which is the best in women’s tennis. Sharapova outpaced Serena on the second serve (she averaged 97 m.p.h., compared with Serena’s 86 m.p.h.), and she won a higher percentage of points with it (60 percent to 43 percent). It’s a huge advantage when you have confidence in your second serve, and it gives you more freedom on your first serve.
4. VARY YOUR PASSES
Sharapova didn’t just pound the ball; she also used guile. Serena isn’t especially comfortable in the forecourt, and the last thing you want to do against an insecure volleyer is hit her the same kind of passing shot each time. So Sharapova hit a rocket right at Serena (almost hitting her nose) and then dipped a slowpaced angle that caused a backhand volley error. And when Sharapova really needed a point late in the second set, she threw up a beautiful backhand topspin lob that froze Serena, who was smothering the net.
5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
If Sharapova is down in a game, set, or match, you’d never know it by looking at her. Between points, she focuses on her strings to stay composed. So many players burn energy getting emotional about the score. Sharapova saves everything she has for her shots and her strategy.