Mailbag: How Will Tennis Hiatus Impact the Big Three's Dominance?

Hope everyone is well, fully safe and least somewhat sane.

• Last week’s podcast guests, the Bryan Brothers, who were excellent (and leaving the door open a slight crack to reconsider their retirement plans.)

• This week’s guest/host: the great Ted Robinson and I talk tennis topics.

• Red-faced and ashen-faced, I note that Venus Envy was the subject of the NCR podcast.

• A reminder that Tennis Channel is live noon-3 p.m. ET weekdays with a variety of guests, including Andy Roddick.

• A reminder that if you want Mailbag sent to you directly, we are now providing that service….

Mailbag

Have a question or comment for Jon? Email him at jon_wertheim@yahoo.com or tweet him @jon_wertheim.

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the impact of this potentially large layoff on the Big Three dominance. One could argue that their experience will serve them well and they will be able to come back well rested/trained and dominate to an even higher degree. On the other side of that argument, they are significantly older than much of the other top 10, in particular the true challengers (Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Thiem, etc). Perhaps their bodies may not get "back into the swing of things" as easily as a younger player? Either way, it will be interesting to see, however unlikely, if this is the starting point of the Big Three decline.
—Anthony

• You stay healthy as well.

For obvious reasons, there’s pessimism about what this layoff does to the Big Three and Federer and Nadal in particular. Time does its usual shuffle, while opportunity is frozen. When play resumes, Nadal will be 34, Djokovic 33 and Federer (likely) 39. Like a swimmer tapering before a big meet, Federer designs his year to peak at Wimbledon, the major that presents the best chance of victory. He now needs to wait an entire year.

But here are four ways the Big Three benefit:

1) The players may be aging chronologically, but there’s not adding many miles to the odometer. Federer, of course, is coming off knee surgery so he wasn’t planning on playing this stretch anyway. Nadal plays tennis as if raising a barn; he can benefit from a layoff. Even Djokovic is almost 33 and can use an enforced break.

2) Spiritually, these three—each married and each with other interests—can use the break and have plenty to occupy their time.

3) Each has spent time injured and out of the sport and has experience returning after a layoff and maximizing time away from the sport. It’s spiritually depleting to sit home and not be able to put to use your one-in-a-billion skill. While a global pandemic is different from a back/wrist/elbow injury, each of the Big Three has been through a variation of this drill before. (In Nadal’s case, many times before.)

4) Let’s spend a crass moment on money, the great divide in so many sectors, including tennis. When you have a home gym and access to specialists and physios and namesake academies, it’s easier to stay in shape and easier to jump back in.

I agree with your conclusion about all these hypothetical discussions about player x from era y in his prime against Nadal on clay. Nadal is a beast. One thing I have always wondered is, if Nadal played exactly the same tennis, but was right-handed, would he be as dominant?

It seems like a distinct advantage to be left-handed in tennis because it is so uncommon. The left-handed players are used to playing against right handers, but the right handers only occasionally have to play against a left-handed player.

I am not saying it is a huge advantage, but given the small margins at the top of the game, I wonder if players would have as much trouble with Nadal if he were right handed. Personally, I don't think so.

Also, I loved the documentary about your book on the Fed/Nadal Wimbledon match. Hearing Nadal speak in Spanish was so enlightening. I liked him before, but after watching the documentary, I really like him a lot more.
—Jimmy

• 1) So much in society—school desks, fishing rods, shirt buttons, guitars, the baseball batting box—are geared for righties. It’s only fair that lefties (insert Ned Flanders’ Leftorium joke here) get some benefits. Candidly, I’ve never gotten an unimpeachably convincing explanation. Yes, lefties can use “the lower part of the net” on crosscourts. Yes, the most fundamental shot, the crosscourt forehand goes the opponent’s less natural shot, the crosscourt backhand. Yes, their kick-serve wide is especially effective in the ad-court, where most of the big points are played.

My take: the real advantage is the scarcity. Because there are so few lefties, it can hard for righties to anticipate movement and angles. It can be hard to find practice partners. The array of spins and geometry confound.

2) Two good reads on this: Here in The New York Times and here in Sports Illustrated.

3) You’re absolutely right on Nadal. And it’s a good lesson—one I learned the hard way—for journalists. When (celebrity) subjects can express themselves in the native tongue, they speak more freely, worry less about misinterpretations and don’t hold fast to cliché and empty pet expression.

Why isn't Andres Gomez in the Hall of Fame?
—Srikanth, Richmond, Va.

• Given the precedent and standards, perhaps he ought to be. He only got No. 4 in the world and only reached one major semi, when he won the 1990 French Open. Then again, 20 other titles in addition to his major aren’t shabby. He also won two doubles majors. And was an early South American champ.

There's surely a book or two in our present tennis/coronavirus crisis. Are you working on an outline?
—Valerie Smith, San Jose, Calif.

• Long as you asked…I am finishing up a book on the Summer of 1984. Unlike athletes, writers have the good fortune of being able to work through this. In fact, it’s never been harder to justify procrastination.

Last week, Jon B. from Seattle asked about Tennis Channel showing some classic matches during this downtime. You responded with some great choices, including Delpo/Thiem and Venus/Serena. But I’ll reference your colleague Jimmy Traina from his March 31 Traina Thoughts where he begged the various sports networks to show some true classics from the 1980s and ‘90s across various sports. I’ll echo that request for the Tennis Channel. How about showing today’s younger generation there used to actually be contrasting styles and artistry that simply doesn’t exist today. To that end, let’s see some classic matches such as Evert/Navratilova, Graf/Seles, Connors/McEnroe, Borg/McEnroe, etc.? Maybe for good measure throw in some Evonne Goolagong, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall? (And no, I’m not Australian!)
—Todd, Charlotte, N.C.

• Far be it from us to agree with anything Jimmy Traina suggests. But I agree. Let’s at least mix up Federer/Nadal and Serena/Venus with some ’80s and ’90s ball. By the way, have you guys seen this? (H/T/ Bryan Graham—former Mailbag producer!—on this.) Here’s McEnroe on 16mm! A free tennis documentary.

Been reading your tennis Mailbag since the ’90s! In this week’s Mailbag, someone suggested doing the Mailbag more often during this time of self-isolation and you pointed them to the Tennis Channel for daily updates. What about those who live in other countries, for example, like in Australia like me? Is there a way to access the material/watch the Tennis Channel?
—Cheers, Al

• It’s really heartening to hear that. It’s also really strange to see your name to affixed to the phrase “since the ’90s.” Corona-willing, Tennis Channel has plans for international expansion and could well be in Europe soon.

Question for you: for one of the first times, I disagree with one of your opinions on a recent podcast. Can't see why the weeks where there is no tennis due to coronavirus should be added to anyone's No. 1 (or any other ranking). If this goes on for 3 years—would Novak accumulate 150+ weeks to his total? What is the downside to freezing the rankings and restarting when the tours pick back up—doesn't seem to help or hurt anyone to freeze the rankings, does it?
—JG from Vancouver.

• Yeah, I’d like to take a second serve on that. Initially I had suggested that, even if the rankings froze, these streaks ought to continue. To the victor go the spoils, and all that. I likened it to finishing the year at No. 1 and getting those “free” weeks in December when there are no events.

But it does seem unfair. If other players don’t have the opportunity to make inroads, should the clock continue ticking? And the ATP agrees with you (and, belatedly, me) and has indeed frozen Djokovic’s week at No.1.

Viktor Orban has since exceeded the expectations of the segment.
—Wil Blake

• A non-tennis lapse into nationalism/populism. A gentle reminder that, yes, your global autocrats are using the pandemic as a way to consolidate still more power. Wil refers to this from 60 Minutes.

I don’t have any good questions for the Mailbag right now (do I ever??) but I still read it cover to virtual cover. Most importantly, since the days all blend together now, seeing it arrive in my inbox reminds me that it’s Wednesday. This is all so weird. All over the country, we all live the same lives now. Also, no Wimbledon means no queuing and I know how the Brits love to queue! I guess they’ll just have to queue from home?
—P.

• The Wimbledon queue via Zoom. You heard it here first.

I think you once promised Mailbag readers you would share an Oscar Robertson story with us when you had the time. I don't remember ever seeing the story. Now might be the time?
—Mary B.

• I think this is the story you (and I) are referencing. This is cringingly immodest. But these are strange times, when all norms are suspended. So here goes.

Maybe 10 years ago, I was heading to the Cincinnati event and someone contacted me via the Mailbag about getting together. The note was lovely and I said sure. A day or two before the appointed meet-up, she asked if she could bring her friend. She explained, the friend and her father are tennis fans and had recently read the Federer/Nadal book. Could they say a quick hello and maybe have me sign a book? Sure.

I met the woman, who was lovely. As was her friend, who apologized that her father couldn’t make it. Which was a pity because he, too, was from Indiana and she thought we would have a lot to discuss. Anyway, we had a pleasant conversation, we talked about tennis and about the charms of the Midwest, and I signed a book. As we prepared to split, the woman said that if I her gave her my address, her father would reciprocate and send me a book he had written. Absently, I gave her my info.

A few days later I’m back in New York and I get a care package from something called OR Solutions southern Ohio. What? Then I remembered, Oh right, that nice woman’s dad was going to send me his book. I envisioned this was a self-published murder mystery or maybe some memoir. Then I saw that it was The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game and I realized Tia’s father was, of course, the great Oscar Robertson, a Mt. Rushmore figure to me.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK EVERYONE