What makes the top guys so hard to beat?

[stringertom]

Originally Posted by jakemcclain32

Mental mental mental!

#150 in the world can trade forehands and backhands with Federer all day long, but it's a lot more than that.

One of the most honest and surprisingly candid statements made to me by a pro player came from a guy ranked near your #150 threshold...he told me his "audition" as a sparring partner for Fed failed simply because he couldn't stay in a rally with the Maestro.

I think a ranking # is too arbitrary but, if used, JMac's inflammatory "The 100th best male player in the world could beat Martina" contention would be about where the stroke quality factor kicks in.

[BreakPoint]

Originally Posted by stringertom

One of the most honest and surprisingly candid statements made to me by a pro player came from a guy ranked near your #150 threshold...he told me his "audition" as a sparring partner for Fed failed simply because he couldn't stay in a rally with the Maestro.

I suspect that was all mental. He probably couldn't keep up with Federer because it got into his head that he was hitting against the greatest tennis player who ever lived. A lot of lower ranked players lose to the top guys even before they leave the locker room and step out onto the court because they don't mentally believe they could win going in.

[stringertom]

Originally Posted by BreakPoint

I suspect that was all mental. He probably couldn't keep up with Federer because it got into his head that he was hitting against the greatest tennis player who ever lived. A lot of lower ranked players lose to the top guys even before they leave the locker room and step out onto the court because they don't mentally believe they could win going in.

The mental pressure of competition was not a factor...this was not a tour match, rather an "audition" practice session to see if he had the "goods" to simulate matchplay in a practice session. It's what Levine, Berrer et al pass to get called to Dubai or Basel for extended practice.

[slice bh compliment]

Originally Posted by TopFH

Fort Minor really got it right. Life is really how the song says it.

Yes, thank you. But....what song? And where is this Fort Minor of which you speak? Is that a person or a research institute?
I was just relaying the results of a new study at the USTA High Performance Institute.