On Tuesday afternoon, as Aryna Sabalenka took centre stage on Centre Court, I wandered out to the practice courts to see what 29 Grand Slams looked like on two tennis courts no more than a few metres apart.
Novak Djokovic, winner at Wimbledon on seven occasions, and Iga Swiatek, the recent darling of the French Open, were both preparing for quarter-final matches on the Wednesday and had slots booked in the afternoon to ensure they were primed.
Tennis, unlike a sport like football, is a rhythm game. You can’t be that individual who is a poor trainer yet turns up on a Saturday and stuns fans with how good they are. Repetition is the king.
One question I have always asked myself is, just what can a man who has been on top of his sport for 15-plus years still be practicing? What is a female, who was a Grand Slam winner in her teens, still tapping into on a practice court?
One coach told me it was “the sensation” that they were looking for. Trying to make sure that 100 forehands all feel right on the money. Djokovic walked onto court and hit dozens of ground strokes, largely as a warm-up, so the sensation idea certainly rings true.
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Swiatek, who won the girls’ singles at Wimbledon but has struggled to make an impact in her professional career on grass – until this tournament at least – was also being put through her paces. Her coach was standing at the net and forcing her to hit numerous ground strokes. The Pole has experienced a dip from her lofty heights of recent years, but is grinding to get back to the top of the world rankings.
It is hard to fathom just how many bases they make sure are ticked. One particular exercise had Swiatek serving out wide, before receiving the ball on her forehand side and having to hit the line on the opposite side of the court. It wasn’t just the odd few, it was repetition after repetition after repetition. And then some more.
One player told me “there’s always something to work on”. They cited numerous facets on your game that can be honed, but even when you think you’ve got it, you haven’t.
It was put to me that you need to work on your serve, make sure you’re hitting the line. If you’re hitting the line, are you hitting the line every time. If so, can you hit the line with a faster serve. You start to see why so much time is spent on the practice courts.
They say there’s no such thing as perfection and some players on show on Tuesday certainly hit the odd wayward shot which came flying off the frame of the racket.