norcal
Legend
I had the good fortune to watch Querry v. Spadea from the first row behind the baseline yesterday. My friend and I predicted a blowout, no way this kid could compete with a veteran (some may say 'journeyman') like Spadea. Donald Young has not come close to winning a set in 8 or so ATP matches after all.
Well here's one way to avoid being blown out: Serve out of a tree. That's what Sam does. He was hitting so far down on the ball he was able to hit tremendous angles at above 120 mph. And he had a good first serve % for the first two sets. Add to that a very good forehand and he was holding serve pretty comfortably the first set.
Vince, being a smart player recognized two things pretty quickly: Sam likes pace and does not like (or is not very good at) hitting backhands on the run. So while Sam bombed away Vince hit mainly slice serves to pull Sam off the court and begin the track meet. Vince hit a lot of serves out wide on the deuce cout (slow serves; one first serve was 81 mph) and then hit a sharp angle to the open court. Vince was giving Sam junk I guarantee he doesn't get in the juniors.
Sam played clutch in the first set tiebreak and Vince missed an easy volley to give Sam the set. I was very impressed with the kid's mental toughness and agressive serve.
The second set Vince was picking up Sam's serve a bit better and getting some first serves back in play, making Sam work that much harder. Sam knew if he hit a second serve it was time to run. Vince started to not even put away some balls to make Sam run even more. A double fault, crushed return and an error and Spadea was up a break and closed out the set.
Spadea broke in the first game of the third set and the writing was on the wall. Sam still competed hard, running down every ball but in the end didn't have the energy to break Spadea's serve.
Positives for Sam's future as a pro:
Very good serve. Very little knee bend too; when he gets a bit stronger and uses his legs more the serve will get better.
Very good forehand. Runs around the backhand pretty well and can also hit the forehand on the run pretty well.
Good mental toughness. Showed no nerves really. Could have nerved away the first set TB but hung tough.
Things to work on:
Movement in general. Not suprising considering he's so tall so young. Specifically moving to the backhand side looks awkward and slow. More so when it is a low angled shot so he has to run to his left and a bit foreward.
Volleys. Never followed the big firs serve in. When he did come in on high floaters he chose to hit the swinging volley - mishit one and hit another one 3 feet out. With a regular volley stroke those were easy winners.
Physique. Put a slide rule in his pocket and he looks like a geek on his way to calculus class, not an athlete. Gotta strengthen up.
Conclusion: Future looks promising when he grows into that big frame. This match should be a great confidence builder for him.
Sidenote: After a particularly good point Vince came back to the wall to towel off and I said "Vince you're the pimp" and he smiled. And he made constant eye contact with the group of MILFs sitting in the next section. Boy did that make them happy.
Well here's one way to avoid being blown out: Serve out of a tree. That's what Sam does. He was hitting so far down on the ball he was able to hit tremendous angles at above 120 mph. And he had a good first serve % for the first two sets. Add to that a very good forehand and he was holding serve pretty comfortably the first set.
Vince, being a smart player recognized two things pretty quickly: Sam likes pace and does not like (or is not very good at) hitting backhands on the run. So while Sam bombed away Vince hit mainly slice serves to pull Sam off the court and begin the track meet. Vince hit a lot of serves out wide on the deuce cout (slow serves; one first serve was 81 mph) and then hit a sharp angle to the open court. Vince was giving Sam junk I guarantee he doesn't get in the juniors.
Sam played clutch in the first set tiebreak and Vince missed an easy volley to give Sam the set. I was very impressed with the kid's mental toughness and agressive serve.
The second set Vince was picking up Sam's serve a bit better and getting some first serves back in play, making Sam work that much harder. Sam knew if he hit a second serve it was time to run. Vince started to not even put away some balls to make Sam run even more. A double fault, crushed return and an error and Spadea was up a break and closed out the set.
Spadea broke in the first game of the third set and the writing was on the wall. Sam still competed hard, running down every ball but in the end didn't have the energy to break Spadea's serve.
Positives for Sam's future as a pro:
Very good serve. Very little knee bend too; when he gets a bit stronger and uses his legs more the serve will get better.
Very good forehand. Runs around the backhand pretty well and can also hit the forehand on the run pretty well.
Good mental toughness. Showed no nerves really. Could have nerved away the first set TB but hung tough.
Things to work on:
Movement in general. Not suprising considering he's so tall so young. Specifically moving to the backhand side looks awkward and slow. More so when it is a low angled shot so he has to run to his left and a bit foreward.
Volleys. Never followed the big firs serve in. When he did come in on high floaters he chose to hit the swinging volley - mishit one and hit another one 3 feet out. With a regular volley stroke those were easy winners.
Physique. Put a slide rule in his pocket and he looks like a geek on his way to calculus class, not an athlete. Gotta strengthen up.
Conclusion: Future looks promising when he grows into that big frame. This match should be a great confidence builder for him.
Sidenote: After a particularly good point Vince came back to the wall to towel off and I said "Vince you're the pimp" and he smiled. And he made constant eye contact with the group of MILFs sitting in the next section. Boy did that make them happy.
