By the Numbers: 10 amazing Roger stats

As the Mighty Fed heads into the 2007 season, here are some statistics that bear out his greatness. • Only player in the Open era to win 10 or more titles in three consecutive seasons (2004-2006). • His final point total last season in the ATP entry rankings was 8,370 points, 3,900 more than No. 2 Rafael Nadal. If Federer cloned himself and gave his clone his extra points, Federer #2 would have been a comfortable No. 3 in the world. • Reached 10 Grand Slam titles at the age of 25, the second-fastest ever. The only person to reach 10 faster? Bjorn Borg, who did it at 24. • Holds the record for prize money in a single season, with $8 million in 2006. The previous high was $6.5 million pocketed by Pete Sampras in 1997. • Has lost just 15 matches in the last three years. • In February, Federer will break Jimmy Connors' record of 160 consecutive weeks at No. 1. • He's had five win-streaks of at least 20 matches, and he's taking a 29-match win streak into the 2007 season. Since 1990, two other players have won 20 consecutive matches more than once: Pete Sampras (three times) and Stefan Edberg (twice). • In 2006, Federer reached 16 finals in 17 events played (his only loss before a final coming to Andy Murray in Cincinnati). He won 12 of those tournaments, which, in turn, makes him the first player since Thomas Muster in 1995 to win a dozen titles in a season. • Averaged just 1.2 double faults per match, which was best among ATP Top 50 in 2006.

Return the Kick Serve

When I was a kid (and some question whether I still am), I was a big fan of the SUPER BALL®. For those who don’t remember, it’s that plum-sized, brightly colored rubber ball, that takes crazy high-hops when you bounce it. It’s nearly impossible to tell which direction the ball will dart, and trying to catch one can make you look foolish and feel uncoordinated.

It’s a little like trying to return a heavy kick serve. If one of the toughest shots to learn in tennis is a kick, figuring out how to return one isn’t far behind. The ball jumps up and away from your strike zone, hindering you from taking a good crack at it. And if you’re trying to defend against an effective kick, it may feel like you need a stepladder to return it. Here are a couple of options when dealing with this potent weapon:

Let it spin out: If you’re not an aggressive player, you may want to move back well behind the baseline to allow the ball to reach its peak and start to drop down­many good clay-court players apply this tactic. A drawback with this strategy is that the kick serve pushes you wide of the court (out toward the doubles alley), but you will be able to take a big swing at the ball. And you’d better, otherwise your shot will land short and your opponent will gain control of the point. Another potential issue you may run into is if your opponent is capable of coming in behind his serve. Since you’re so deep, they’ll have plenty of time to get on top of the net and in excellent volleying position. That’s why I prefer to. . .

Move in and take the ball early: It’s always wise to mix up your return positions so your opponents don’t find you predictable. That being said, most of the time I find it best to move inside the baseline on a kick serve and make contact with the ball while it’s rising off the court. At this point the action on the ball hasn’t taken it out of the strike zone, and you don’t have to forfeit court position by moving back. It’s a trickier shot than letting the ball spin itself out, but it affords you the chance to be offensive with your return.

An Effective Backhand Slice

An effective slice can add some much-needed variety to your game. In today's game, and you see it all the time at the professional leve, players are most comfortable when they’re in a routine of hammering balls back and forth. They like to exchange shots hit from their strike zones, which is between thigh and chest height, and use some degree of topspin on a majority of shots. You can be successful playing this style, but it makes your game pretty predictable. If you work a dependable slice into your repertoire, though, you’ll add some variety to your attack. A slice is effective for many reasons. If you’re stretched wide, the slice can be a safe, defensive shot that will get you back in the point. When hit as a rally ball, the backspin slows the pace of the shot and keeps the ball low and out of your opponent’s strike zone. And when you’re inside the court, you can be more aggressive with the slice by driving a deep, low, skidding shot that you can follow to net. It’s also the spin you need to be successful with volleys and drop shots. Here’s a quick lesson on the slice for all skill levels. BEGINNER OBJECTIVE: Learn the proper swing path and keep your wrist firm. When players first learn the slice, they sometimes start by drastically swinging down on the ball. Although the basic motion is from high to low (opposite of the low to high you’re first taught for your ground strokes) and back to high, it’s actually fairly subtle. If you hack down severely on the ball, you may put a great deal of underspin on it, but the resulting shot will float and have little pace, penetration, or consistency. You never want to lose that feeling of hitting through the ball. The other thing to stress is keeping your wrist firm. Many players snap or flip their wrists, trying to get pace and spin on the ball, and end up suffering the same problems as those who chop down when they swing. For a penetrating slice, use a swing that moves gradually from high to low and back to high. This way you hit through the ball instead of chopping at it. In fact, the swing path of the slice is almost parallel to the court. One way to think of the motion is to compare it to that of a karate chop. You start with your arm bent, and you straighten it out toward contact with a gradual reduction from high to low, keeping a slightly open racquet face. That way you’re still driving the racquet through contact. INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE: Incorporate your bigger muscles into the shot and learn to cup the ball. Players who use their whole bodies when they swing are generally more consistent with their strokes. Take the serve as an example: A player who gets good body rotation and uses his shoulders and legs is going to have a more effective serve than someone who just uses his arm. Using the big muscle groups will sustain consistency for the course of the match, whereas using only the smaller ones will cause fatigue (which will lead to inconsistency). With the slice, it’s no different. To better control the ball’s flight path and add pace to your slice, cup the outside edge of the ball. If you cup the inside, the ball will float with sidespin. At this point in your development, you understand the proper swing plane of the slice. You can repeatedly use good technique, but if you’re relying on your arm and hand to power the shot, your slice will never have adequate bite or penetration, and late in a match, when you get tired, it could break down. So stepping into the slice with your legs and stretching your arms out (with your hitting arm moving toward the contact point and your off arm behind you) will involve your quads, chest, and back—your best power sources. Besides using your whole body to hit the slice, you also need to have good feel and control. That’s where “cupping” the ball begins to become important. When you cup the ball, you cut under and around the outside edge of it. If you’re a right-hander, you’re trying to cup the left corner of the ball (the opposite corner for lefties). This helps control the flight path and adds zip to the shot. If you hit the inside part of the ball, that means your wrist is ahead of the racquet face, which will result in more sidespin than backspin on the shot. It takes great talent to control this type of slice because the ball has a tendency to sail. Cupping the outside of the ball is a much more reliable technique. ADVANCED OBJECTIVE: Develop your shot awareness and begin to use your slice as a weapon. As I’ve mentioned, slice affords a player variety because there are several different ways in which you can hit it. At this level, you can call upon all your options, and understanding your positioning and status in the point will help you determine which slice to use. For example, being on the dead run and far behind the baseline would call for a defensive slice. In an even backhand rally from the baseline, you may choose to use the slice as a change of pace to throw your opponent off. And inside the court, you can move forward and use your slice to attack. This is what I call shot awareness— having a clear grasp of what’s coming at you and what shot to use in response. From this perspective, you can use your slice to create openings by getting your opponent out of position. For example, if you’re in a backhand crosscourt rally and you get a ball that lands short, hit a deep, skidding slice down the line to open up the court. Or from the same position you can carve a short, sharp angle that forces your opponent up and wide into an uncomfortable position— almost like a drop shot, but with more pace and less arc. If your opponent has to attack off that, you’ll have a good look at a passing shot. And if he tries to retreat to the baseline, you’ll have an opening on his forehand side. Players with versatile slices, like Roger Federer and Tim Henman, often use this tactic against clay-courters who are leery of coming to net. During a backhand rally, a sharply angled slice can throw off your opponent’s rhythm by drawing him off the baseline and wide of the court.

Get More Depth on Your Forehand

Pushing with your dominant shoulder will give your stroke added pop and penetration. PROBLEM Your forehand lacks depth and power. A possible reason for this is that in an effort to increase racquet-head speed you prematurely whip open your front shoulder. This pulls your racquet toward the center of the court and away from the point of contact, compromising the power and control of the swing. Your shot can deteriorate further when you’re in a pressure situation. SOLUTION Instead of looking for more pace by swinging harder, focus on pushing your dominant shoulder toward the incoming ball. This action helps you lean your body into the shot while helping you retain stable posture throughout the stroke. Now the momentum of your swing is going in the direction of the target rather than off to the side. This gives your forehand added pace and penetration, two elements that will increase your chances of hitting an effective shot and taking control of the point.

Between the legs shot

This is the ultimate show-time shot. I don’t generally advocate it because you seldom win the point with it, but returning a lob from between your legs will please any crowd.

To familiarize yourself with the technique, practice it while standing still. Hold your racquet with a Continental or Eastern backhand grip to give your wrist ample snapping flexibility and to get more of the strings on the ball. Turn away from the net and bend your legs to get a wide base. Now drop a ball right between your legs. This will allow you to swing through contact without banging the racquet on the court or against your body.

When the ball is at shin level, snap the racquet down, squaring the face at impact. Depending on your objective, you can either bring the racquet through the hitting zone with a slight low-tohigh motion, which will be more of a drive shot, or you can snap up severely, which will produce a defensive lob.

After you get comfortable hitting from a stationary position, incorporate some movement by tossing the ball up and toward the baseline. Instead of running to the side of the ball, go straight at it. As you approach, make sure to overrun it a bit so you can take a full and, more important, safe swing.

Stretching: The Truth

If you're like most tennis players, you've been told that stretching just before you hit the court will help you play better and decrease your chances of injury. So you touch your toes, hold your stretches for counts of 30, and push against the fence or net post until it's ready to fall over. But there's a better way to loosen up. Don't get me wrong, it's essential to stretch before you play-just not the way we've been told. Research shows that while traditional static stretches (stretching to the point of tension in the muscle and holding it) and the less frequently used dynamic stretches {quick sport-specific movements) are both beneficial to tennis players, their effectiveness is determined by when they're performed. Static stretches, the type most recreational players do before a match, lengthen muscles and increase their flexi- bility; This is what you want over the long term, but during play muscles that have been lengthened will suffer tempo- rary decreases in power and therefore performance, according to Dr.]eff Chandler, associate professor of exer- cise science, sport, and recreation at Marshall University in Huntington, WVa., and an advisor to the PTR. This can include a decrease in your vertical jump. These findings are echoed by Dr. Ben Kibler, medical director at the Lexington (K)') Clinic Sports Medicine Center and a founder of the Society for Tennis Medicine and Science. He says static stretching can cause decreases in muscle perform- ance for about 20 minutes. Static stretches, according to Kibler, are best done immediately after you leave the court, when your blood is flowing and your muscles aren't tight, This will help you 9 reach your maximum stretch. For adult and senior players, in particular, stretching after matches will decrease post-play stiffness and soreness. So what should you do before you play? The key is to get your muscles moving the way they will during the match. The best way to do this .is with a set of dynamic stretches that mimic the movements of tennis, including high-steps, arm circles, quick racquet swings, and lunges. What you shouldn't do are movements that stretch the muscles to extremes. But don't ignore static stretches altogether. This ideal routine combines the two to help you perform better on court, recover from the stresses placed on your body during play and increase your long-term flexibility and power. Here's what to do when: On-court warm-up his should consist of light hitting, not high-intensity movements. That doesn't mean you should slouch at the baseline, however. If the other player hits a short ball during the warm'-up, don't play it on two bounces! You won't do that in practice or in a match, so warm up like you play and use good footwork to move around the court and put your body through a full range of motions. Dynamic stretching o the stretches described on these pages right before you play (after your warm-up, if possible). Static stretching fter you play but before you hop into that air-conditioned car, take the time to do a set of traditional static stretches. These are done by extending a muscle until you feel tension and then holding it for 15 to 30 seconds. Work your entire body to lengthen all of the key muscles you used on court. You'll be glad you did the next time you playas well as when you wake up in the morning. Start your dynamic stretching routine when you get to the court. Before practicing, take your time after the warm-up and do a full routine like the one below. When you play a match, you won’t have as much time, so take a minute both before and after the warm-up and do as many exercises as you can. Make sure to include your legs, trunk and arms. Use the moves below as samples (jumping jacks are also effective) and quickly go from one to the next. There are no guidelines for how long you should perform a move, but try to do as many of the exercises as possible. QUICK KICKS tanding in place or lightly jogging, bring heels up to buttocks rapidly. (If you have knee problems, skip this exercise.) HIGH-STEP TRUNK ROTATIONS ith arms bent inward (fists on chest), bring your right knee up high while rotating your trunk to the right (don't hold the stretch). For increased trunk rotation, extend one arm away from your body (parallel to the ground) in the direction of the stretch. Switch legs and repeat, rotating your trunk to the left. CROSSOVER LUNGE Planting one foot, take a wide step across your body and slightly forward with the opposite leg and move into a quarter squat. Switch legs and repeat. SIDE LUNGE lanting one foot, take a wide step out to the side with the opposite leg and move into a quarter squat. Switch legs and repeat. FRONT LUNGE lanting one foot, take a long step forward with the opposite leg and move into a quarter squat and hold for two seconds. Switch legs and repeat. (Note: Do not literally "lunge." Stretching past your point of comfort can be detrimental.)

Go to the Fence for Better Volleys

One of the most challenging lessons for beginners and intermediates is to avoid taking a big swing on the volley. Since most players learn to hit ground strokes first, they have a tendency to carry that swing over to the volley. But swinging on the volley is a sure way to make errors. A classic corrective measure used by tennis instructors everywhere can help you shorten this swing. And you don’t need a coach to do it, just a partner. Here’s how: Stand with your back against a court’s fence. Have your partner toss balls for you to volley. If your racquet clanks the fence, your swing is too big. Practice until you can hit volleys without striking the fence.