Who’s That Bearded American With the Wicked Backhand?

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The New York Sun

The man on Court 14 was mysterious. Wearing a bandana, a scruffy beard, and shaggy hair, he seemed to be a transplant from some Wimbledon of long ago, back when lawn tennis was the most popular game in town. His tennis was old-fashioned, too, laconic and single-minded in its purpose: find corners, attack the net, and finish with a volley.

“Look, that’s Mardy Fish,” a spectator said to his young son upon reviewing his guide to yesterday’s matches (the child could not see over the green wooden barrier surrounding the grass on Court 14). “Mardy Fish is winning easily.”

Fish, the 24-year-old American with plenty of bad luck, has not heard someone say that about him for a long, long time. But yesterday it was true, as he picked apart Robby Ginepri, an American whose fortunes are headed in a decidedly different direction (after a stellar 2005, Ginepri has played 14 tournaments this year and has yet to win more than two matches in any of them). Fish played aggressive, intelligent tennis, often knocking the 17th-seeded Ginepri off balance in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory. Best of all, his left wrist, the subject of two surgeries in June and September of last year, feels healthy again.

“I feel like I’m playing the best tennis I ever have before right now,” Fish said. “This is the surface I play best on.”

Even so, Fish has never gone beyond the third round at Wimbledon in three previous tries. He should have a chance for more this year, considering the nice patch of open draw he finds himself in. If he wins his next match against unseeded Melle Van Gemerden of the Netherlands, Fish would need to defeat claycourt specialist Gaston Gaudio, the no. 16 seed, for a place in the fourth round, where he could meet Rafael Nadal or perhaps Andre Agassi.

Fish has the tools to beat the lot of them. Yesterday, he won 45 of 61 points at net (74%), including 22 of 32 points on serve-and-volley (69%). Fish does nothing fancy with his volleys, relying instead on well placed approach shots followed by simple punches deep into his opponent’s court. On most points, good sense trumps flash, a habit that has undoubtedly been reinforced by his coach, former American star and U.S. Open finalist Todd Martin, whose game was one of the sturdiest on tour. For the match, Fish hit 35 winners against 18 unforced errors.

At the baseline, Fish’s backhand remains his biggest threat, and that’s where his left wrist comes into play. He said that his left hand is weaker than his dominant one, and perhaps was not durable enough for the forceful wrist snap he incorporates into his two-handed backhand. He first injured a ligament, and then, after his first surgery, the triangular fibro-cartilage in his wrist. His problems were similar to those suffered in recent years by Kim Clijsters, who feared that the injury might end her career.

“It’s the worst thing to tear,” Fish said.

After his surgery, Fish needed a month before he could begin to train and five months before he could play competitively. During that period, he said, he concentrated on his weaknesses.

“I worked hard on ground strokes, on the forehand because that was the only thing I could hit,” he said, adding his serve and his volley to the list. “I kind of feel like my backhand is always gonna be there. Those other things were a little bit lacking.”

Right now, the 86th-ranked Fish only lacks victories. At the All England Club, he hopes to correct that, too.


The New York Sun

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