This week, for the Masters Series event in Toronto, I'm joined from the tournament site by Canadian tennis journalist Kamakshi Tandon.
Hi Kamakshi,
Toronto is even less buzzed about the Masters than Montreal? That’s disappointing, and somewhat hard to believe. Are Canadians as generally blasé as us Yanks think you are (about everything other than hockey, of course)?
Next question: What do you think of your new tennis prospect, 17-year-old Philip Bester, who lost to James Blake tonight? My initial impression is that he’s the first child of Federer. Each No.1 player has his disciples—my Western grip is courtesy of Bjorn Borg. Lleyton Hewitt’s brief reign gave us fellow backwards-hatted, two-handed counter-puncher Alex Bogomolov, Jr. Andy Roddick was at the top long enough to inspire the sharp brutality of Gael Monfils’ game. Now Federer has given us Bester, who, like the Swiss great, spins his racquet after going into his return-of-serve crouch, does a quick hop after missing his one-handed backhand, and tries at all times to create as much racquet-head speed as possible on his strokes, much of the time to his detriment.
I wasn’t all that impressed with Bester tonight against Blake. The Canadian held serve four times in the first set, but Blake was coasting. The American broke in the first game of the match, held out the set, then broke again to open the second. Bester serves and volleys more than most young players, but he has a low toss and an awkward motion, and he stoned a few balls at net, likely due to nerves. Bester’s winning points came when he could use his Federer-esque, heavy-topspin forehand to move Blake around.
How good is Bester? I have trouble making those judgments—he is only 17, so just the fact that he could hang with Blake for a set is a good sign. One thing I know tennis experts look for is explosiveness, either in the legs or the swing. You can pretty much teach anything other than that. Bester is tall and explosive to a degree, but I feel like he tries too hard for it right now, particularly on his backhand side. When I saw him in the French juniors, he was winning matches despite shanking a lot of balls. It reminded me of the early days of—guess who?—Federer. We won’t know Bester’s true potential until he settles into his own game.
One more question: Did you see Nalbandian lose Monday? In the past, I’ve been a fan of his, particularly of the effortless way he gets into perfect hitting position. But I’m not sure what to make of his strange lack of will at the big moments. I don’t know whether he folds because he doesn’t quite care enough, or because he’s can’t overcome his own fear in those moments. I’m guessing, and hoping, it’s the latter. The Argentine is a surprising fan favorite, at least to Bodo and I, among posters on the blogs at TENNIS.com. Am I missing something?
Who are you watching Tuesday?
Steve