I think he's taking it more seriously than a practice for a Singles... a gold is a gold after all. Silver medal assured at least.
oh definitely he takes it seriously
there's NO guarantee getting gold to any of them -- so doubles getting him'/them already a silver is at least 'in the bank' just for being in RIO.
but i had in mind - at least being ''out there competing" as sort of practice session instead of yet another hour of private practice...it takes care of the endurance and that kind of thing..u know -- the general - day to day fitness and muscle tone.
remember how Steffi used to go about it? she said that she got most of her actual ''exercise" in the matches -- apart from the running -- even if of course she practice also.
what she meant was she had no taste for going to the GYM and do all the ''drills" (like probably these updated things they do -- big balls , crunches, lifting weights, and all that...
she said in an interview she really hated even the thought of it..and DIDN'T want to grow big muscles! i really read it . and so she basically built whatever power she had in her shots from the actual tennis playing or practicing itself -- and then for 'fitness' in general -- she just ran. that's all she did.
one of her reasons was that not only did she not like all the ''other things" like so common nowadays - outside of the tennis court or playing itself -- she had to take care of so many things so early -- the business, the family obligations as her dad's peccadilloes , womanizing, etc..crept up - and she had to become her mom's ''friend" and then her brother married and had a baby - and not least her many interests outside of tennis..
which included -- painting (i think she mentioned water-color painting only but wanted to learn oil painting) - and she got into serious photography and was dreaming of one day having her own exhibition , and also mentioned she wanted to seriously learn piano, -- and not least - she said she HAD to have her time in reading books and novels...
on top of course of her ''star-related" obligations and projects like calendar spreads for Wildlife conservation, children's causes, drug addiction causes, and the community and school projects she had in south africa that she periodically visited..
i saw those pictures with the buildings in the villages that she helped build and the community and children projects...
an online friend in those 1990's told me - as she sometimes would e mail me ''latest private pics" of steffi with those people - that steffi ''walks very fast ...always in a rush because of so many commitments -- i'm always running right behind her!! but she never declines people asking for autograph as she keeps going!!".
i had a tape from that online friend that showed steffi in private practice.wearing all black which the friend said WAS the favorite color of steffi, lol.
TONS of TOPSPIN backhands -- that were SO heavy...and it's just a mystery she NEVER displayed as a regular weapon like HENIN became famous for? and i saw her go through her DOUBLE HAND backhand , would you believe? as GOOD as any we see today that's become so common.
AGAIN something she never revealed in her career ...can you imagine? but i recall one interview in whcih she was asked WHAT shot she would have liked to ''add" --
and she said "i would like to have had MORE TIME to add in my practice my two-handed backhands"
meaning -- she HAD it - but probably everything was already calculated in terms of just how much TIME does one really have to cover everything in the arsenal when you're right in the middle of a career where the one in practice - her serves, returns, slices, forehand, -- were already working just fine ?
so -- can you just imagine how much more ''complete' her arsenal might have become WITHOUT all the other obligations to allow her add that extra hour for these TWO other shots she actually possessed? TOPSPIN and TWO HANDER?
I remember Navatilova was always complaining, kind of, after MN ''retired'" that
"i just can't understand why steffi doesn't volley more often -- she's such an amazing volleyer and did it so much against me - there !!! did you see that? she did a volley just now -- and everytime she does it she looks just like an amazing doubles player at the net!! why doesn't she do it more?"
so -- what i gathered from all that is this:
that graf had SHOTS that people rarely if ever saw and by the ''absence' of those shots in matches -- then would say "she's just forehand with a weak backhand" ..
when in fact -- she actually had mastery over those shots - but for some reason preferred or decided they were not needed for her to win consistently or just demanded time she really did not have anymore.
but i seem to remember her response to that sort of ''suggestion" from interviewer about people wondering why she relied on slice so much -- and she said
"why fix something that isn't broken?"
i also remember clearly some small tournament she won in her comeback after her knee thingie ..and they didn't protect her ranking at all -- and she had to start rank number 60 or something like that...and so REALLY had to earn her return to eventual number 3 when she won her last FO?
IN that little tournament, hardcourt - when fans against her online would put her down calling her ''queen of small tournaments" -- as hingis was then the new number one --
and steffi's ''nemesis" amanda coetzer tried a shot midstream that surprised steffi and amanda won that game or point...
the next time amanda tried it -- steffi was ready and answered the SAME WAY and won the point or game -- and amanda didn't try it again --
you know what it was?
amanda ''tricked' steffi by SWITCHING HANDS mid-point -- so the trajectory of course was suddenly changed.
next time she tried -- STEFFI responded by ALSO switching hands and WON .MEANING playing LEFTIE! HEHE.
i SAW IT live on tv -- one of those before the USO and just before steffi played and won the hardcourt PILOT OPEN OVER number one HINGIS and then NUMBER 2 DAVENPORT . but the ''leftie" shots were , i think in late 1998 and she was really struggling ....since that 1997 knee surgery and her months away...which was when she returned in that 1998 to prepare for her last season 1999.
. it was so funny!
interesting isn't it?
::sw1::
