Wimbledon 2015 has produced a repeat of the 2014 Final with Roger Federer taking on the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Last year Djokovic took the win with a display of supreme athleticism and consistency in a 5 set classic (6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4).
Art v Science?
Last month I attended the Men's Final at Roland Garros when the other top Swiss Stan Wawrinka defeated Novak in 4 sets. This was one of those occasions when the line between art and science was evidently clear. Stan (the artist) was unpredictable and every shot seemed to be a blur between instincts and creativity. Some were winners and some were.. well, not winners. Novak (the scientist) on the other hand was predictable, calculated, measured, analytical, supremely athletic etc. The issue for Novak was that his meticulous conditioning, skills and preparation could never prepare him for the artist at his best. The artist produces moments of genius, moments you can't prepare for in training as they happen in an instant - unpredictable, unimaginable and soul destroying for the person who's calculations don't add up anymore. I'm not saying Novak doesn't have some artistic genius in his locker but if you see art and science on a spectrum, Novak is more scientist and less artist.
The Artist - Roger Federer
In tomorrow's final, Roger will enter Centre Court for the 10th time on final Sunday at SW19. If Stan is an elite modern day artist, Roger is Van Gogh, Dali, Matisse and Picasso combined - unquestionably the greatest.
Like Novak, Roger isn't all art but he is more art than science. His battles with Rafa were arguably the most legendary duals in tennis history, as again the styles of art v science came head to head in many great finals.
In 2014 the bit that Roger lacked was that little bit of science to see him take the title. He seemed tired when it came to 5 sets and being a 100% fit is science with very little art. This year Roger looks much fitter and seems to be in as good a shape as ever, even though he is at the supposed old age of 33.
Art meets Science - The Perfect Storm
Roger's first serve is the perfect balance of the two ends of the spectrum. The great artist produces serves that his opponent simply can't read, just ask Andy Murray after their semi final. It seems Roger decides where he will place his serve almost at the point when his racket strings connect with the yellow fur. The science is in the fact that his first serve % was 73% against Simon in the Qtr Finals and 76% against Andy Murray in the Semis.
The Scientist - Novak Djokovic
Novak enters tomorrow as the favourite and rightly so. The stats are in his favour this year and the defending champion is bringing his 'A-game' to every match in the tournament apart from a scare against Kevin Anderson in the fourth round.
Novak, as stated previously, is not all science. You can't be the number 1 tennis player in the World without having some artistry and genius in your armory. The thing is, when he meets the World's elite who sit on the artist side of the fence - that is when things get uncomfortable for him. In that final at Roland Garros against Stan, you could tell he was very frustrated that his tactics weren't enough, his best shots weren't winning the rallies. He was hitting the ball cleanly and playing extremely well, but when it wasn't winning and his calculations weren't adding up he panicked. He didn't know what to do as Wawrinka continued to bombard the Serb with shots that couldn't be calculated, couldn't be predicted and as a result couldn't be returned.
So Who will win?
The 2015 Wimbledon final looks set for Roger to lift his 8th Wimbledon trophy. He looks fitter, stronger, more confident than last year and the stats on his serve highlight that. In last year's semi against Milos Raonic and in the quarters against Wawrinka, Roger served 65% on first serves in both matches. In the final he managed to take that to 69% which was a big factor in taking Novak to the wire.
To sum up the great artist has brushed up (no pun intended) on the science side of his game. On the other hand Novak was at his peak last year, and that peak is arguably as high as he can go. Don't get me wrong, Novak's peak is at an altitude with some of the game's all time greats. However, with Roger being the greatest artist of them all he has time and time again redefined how high the summit can truly reach.
At 33, he looks like he is ready to do that again in his favourite court, the greatest gallery for the greatest artistic work the tennis world has ever seen.
Art v Science?
Last month I attended the Men's Final at Roland Garros when the other top Swiss Stan Wawrinka defeated Novak in 4 sets. This was one of those occasions when the line between art and science was evidently clear. Stan (the artist) was unpredictable and every shot seemed to be a blur between instincts and creativity. Some were winners and some were.. well, not winners. Novak (the scientist) on the other hand was predictable, calculated, measured, analytical, supremely athletic etc. The issue for Novak was that his meticulous conditioning, skills and preparation could never prepare him for the artist at his best. The artist produces moments of genius, moments you can't prepare for in training as they happen in an instant - unpredictable, unimaginable and soul destroying for the person who's calculations don't add up anymore. I'm not saying Novak doesn't have some artistic genius in his locker but if you see art and science on a spectrum, Novak is more scientist and less artist.
The Artist - Roger Federer
In tomorrow's final, Roger will enter Centre Court for the 10th time on final Sunday at SW19. If Stan is an elite modern day artist, Roger is Van Gogh, Dali, Matisse and Picasso combined - unquestionably the greatest.
Like Novak, Roger isn't all art but he is more art than science. His battles with Rafa were arguably the most legendary duals in tennis history, as again the styles of art v science came head to head in many great finals.
In 2014 the bit that Roger lacked was that little bit of science to see him take the title. He seemed tired when it came to 5 sets and being a 100% fit is science with very little art. This year Roger looks much fitter and seems to be in as good a shape as ever, even though he is at the supposed old age of 33.
Art meets Science - The Perfect Storm
Roger's first serve is the perfect balance of the two ends of the spectrum. The great artist produces serves that his opponent simply can't read, just ask Andy Murray after their semi final. It seems Roger decides where he will place his serve almost at the point when his racket strings connect with the yellow fur. The science is in the fact that his first serve % was 73% against Simon in the Qtr Finals and 76% against Andy Murray in the Semis.
The Scientist - Novak Djokovic
Novak enters tomorrow as the favourite and rightly so. The stats are in his favour this year and the defending champion is bringing his 'A-game' to every match in the tournament apart from a scare against Kevin Anderson in the fourth round.
Novak, as stated previously, is not all science. You can't be the number 1 tennis player in the World without having some artistry and genius in your armory. The thing is, when he meets the World's elite who sit on the artist side of the fence - that is when things get uncomfortable for him. In that final at Roland Garros against Stan, you could tell he was very frustrated that his tactics weren't enough, his best shots weren't winning the rallies. He was hitting the ball cleanly and playing extremely well, but when it wasn't winning and his calculations weren't adding up he panicked. He didn't know what to do as Wawrinka continued to bombard the Serb with shots that couldn't be calculated, couldn't be predicted and as a result couldn't be returned.
So Who will win?
The 2015 Wimbledon final looks set for Roger to lift his 8th Wimbledon trophy. He looks fitter, stronger, more confident than last year and the stats on his serve highlight that. In last year's semi against Milos Raonic and in the quarters against Wawrinka, Roger served 65% on first serves in both matches. In the final he managed to take that to 69% which was a big factor in taking Novak to the wire.
To sum up the great artist has brushed up (no pun intended) on the science side of his game. On the other hand Novak was at his peak last year, and that peak is arguably as high as he can go. Don't get me wrong, Novak's peak is at an altitude with some of the game's all time greats. However, with Roger being the greatest artist of them all he has time and time again redefined how high the summit can truly reach.
At 33, he looks like he is ready to do that again in his favourite court, the greatest gallery for the greatest artistic work the tennis world has ever seen.
Comments
Post a Comment