National Treasure: Bryan Bros. Reclaim No. 1 Ranking

Greetings tennis obsessed,

Ever since I spent a good chunk of a picture perfect afternoon staring down at the Bryan Brothers playing on the Grandstand Court at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y, I've been wanting to take a moment to tell the world how truly awesome doubles tennis can be. Not that the world doesn't already know, but I figure it can't hurt to remind the world in case it has forgotten.

On that long hot day in early September I had watched more matches than I could even begin to write about. I had scribbled so many notes on so many different pieces of paper — stuff like, Mikhail Youznhy isn't as big as I pictured him to be, but he is quite a character isn't he?...and... is Andy Murray ever going to stop playing soccer with his mates and start playing tennis over on the practice courts?...and... just who the hell is this very loud girl named Wickmayer? — and I really didn't know how much enthusiasm for the sport I had left in me.

Then it happened. I stumbled upon the Bryan Brothers as they took on Jose Acasuso and Martin Vassallo Arguello on Grandstand. Immediately I was captivated by the action on the court, by the frantic stops and starts, by the intense banter between the members of each team, and by the quick and heated exchanges that were occurring at the net.

This, I thought to myself, is the place to be. The Bryan brothers, heavily favored, played with such passion that it was hard not to fall in love with what they were doing. They were so exuberant, so together, and they were just emanating this grass-roots lust for the sport. Even their opponents, who played brilliantly even as they never seemed to have a chance to win, seemed to be in awe of the Bryan's conviction, enthusiasm, and love for the sport at its most basic level.

There was something about the experience that just made you want to grab a racquet and give it a shot. Watching the brothers bounce around between points made you want to move your feet as well.

This was rapid fire, think-on-your-toes tennis. This was chest bumping, high-fiving tennis. Each point was an adventure, complete with lobs, smash volleys, impossibly angled approach shots, and other plays I don't even know how to begin to describe. I was blown away, both by the beauty of the game of doubles and the brand of unique shot making that it brings to the fans. But more importantly, I was blown away by the Bryan Brothers - by the immense desire and competitive spirit that they bring to the court and how unbelievably passionate they are about what they do.

Yesterday, as they clinched their fifth year-end No. 1 ranking by capping an improbable run at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the Bryan Brothers were once again on an emotional high. After reversing the results of their round-robin loss to Max Myrni and Andy Ram, the Bryan's now find themselves a mere six titles from the all-time record of 61 ATP doubles titles , which is held by Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

The fact that the Bryans have won at least five doubles titles for each of the last eight years means that next year could be really special for the Camarillo, California natives.

They already have the most doubles wins as a team in Davis Cup history (16), so why should it be a surprise that they become the ATP's most winning doubles team of all time?

If their quest for doubles immortality helps make 2010 the year where the beauty of doubles tennis becomes more widely known and respected, than we should consider ourselves lucky. We should also consider ourselves lucky to have the Bryan brothers showing us the way to play the game properly - to lead with your heart and follow with your racquet.

Del Potro V Soderling: They Call It "Clutch".

Greetings tennis obsessed,

In tennis, every match consists of "stories within stories".   Sometimes those stories morph into a colossal work.  Other times there is no rhyme or reason to them.  Eventually, each story gives way to a similar but unrelated version of itself.  Usually, in colossal matches where the stakes are improbably high, the winner is the player who can build his series of "stories within stories" into a larger more forceful work - not built just of technique, but also of desire, improvisation, and belief.

Tennis is like reality TV in the sense that it has no script.  A match is often a contest of how each player can react to the countless number of spontaneous situations that will eventually arise out of the chaos that is being played, freeform, out on the court.

One such "story within a story" took place in the 8th game of the 2nd set today at the O2 Arena in London.  It was one of those unexpected moments that can, in the span of a blink of an eye, explode into a match-altering event that looms forever large to those who participated in the match and the also the lucky spectators who were able to witness the moment blossom into a chess-like execution of a foolproof strategy.

Here's how it happened:  While leading in games 4-3, but trailing against the nearly invincible Soderling serve  (30-40), Del Potro plopped an impromptu drop shot just over the net.  It sent Soderling running in desperation to the forecourt. Out of his comfort zone, Soderling was in no-mans land without a paddle.  He was forced to: a) hit a very difficult shot at a critical juncture of the match while on a dead sprint, then b) try to chase down a lung-collapsing lob that was cleverly placed just over his outsretched racquet, a few feet inside the baseline.

Soderling failed to provide a solution to that lob.  Even more importantly, he was gassed after the two sprints - gassed in a way that he had not experienced all match long - and as a result he missed both ensuing first serves.  This led to Del Potro scoring the break, and eventually, the set.

It was a quick and decisive sneak attack from a player who is not only a monster from the baseline but a server extraordinaire.  It was a point that turned into a clinic.  The logical progression for a tennis player that not only exerts himself over his opponents, but also thinks his way cleverly around them.

These are the subtle ebbs and flows in momentum that can have everything to say about who wins or loses a match in which both players have equal amounts of prowess.

The drop shot-lob combo was such a clever play at that moment.  And the fact that Del Potro had the presence to use it and to execute it properly proves that he is mature beyond his years.

There it was.  The perfect strategic play at the perfect time of the match where it nets the greatest effect.   Whether it was planned or culled out of thin air makes no difference - the fact that Del Potro was able to harness the magic of the moment with such aplomb is the fact that counts.  

From here, Del Potro looked to have the momentum which would propel him to victory.

But Soderling held fast.  The imposing Swede, long on a commodity known as belief, does indeed seem ready for the big time. He's confident these days, and he can be utterly dominant when he is playing with confidence.   Undeterred by his ill-willed foe, Soderling set out to reconquer. He didn't just find the momentum as the 3rd set began, he grabbed it back.  

Soderling's confidence, exhibit A:  Soderling did not sink beneath the weight of his disappointment in the conclusion of the second set. Instead he stiffened.   He maintained his swagger as the final set began, and proceeded to parlay his big serves into easy looks at winners.   Capitalizing, he drew first blood by breaking Del Potro's serve with two consecutive grade-A returns that put the Argentine on the defensive.

It was impressive stuff by Soderling indeed, but when he was looking for a quick ending to his work, the script flipped.

While looking to consolidate his break, Del Potro grabbed the pen.

When the tennis ball fuzz settled on the hard court, the theme of this match became apparent: Juan Martin Del Potro is getting very good at gutting out victories.  Add to that the fact that he can, at least at the moment, summon his most impressive and otherworldly abilities when the situation most desperately calls for it, and you've got a lethal combination.

They call it clutch, and you're nothing in tennis if you're not clutch. Del Potro has the uncanny ability to reach new heights under pressure. He senses how to steal the momentum and make it his friend.  Once Juan Martin Del Potro has momentum in a match, it's hard to wrestle it back from him.  He got it back in the third set by being clutch and by hitting through the ball when the pressure was on.  He never let it go after that.

Del Potros clutchness, Exhibit A:  In the very first point of the tiebreaker, the gentle giant from Tandil outlasted Soderling in a raging heavyweight-style rally that finally came to an end when Del Potro sent a letter-perfect inside-out backhand winner down the line as Soderling stood at the service hash.

How did Del Potro play so effortlessly there?  What is this special something - this something that Nadal had going for him just 1 short year ago - that brings players through to the other side?

What is it that turns a player's tools into a very compelling tour-de-force who seems made for winning Slams?

Whatever it is - that precious commodity, that je ne sais quoi - it seems that Del Potro has the lions share of it at the moment.

Take no credit from Soderling, this match was a veritable clinic of a match. He did everything he could to get on the winning end of the 6-7-(1), 6-3, 7-6(3) thriller.   Del Potro just beat him to the finish line.

As usual, there was more to the tennis than the score indicates.