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GRASS SPECIALIST COULD WIN ON CLAY
Yes, Henmania can reign at
Roland Garros
By Dan Weil
Special to tennisreporters.net
Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA |
| Henman will try convert his
serve-and-volley game and succeed on the French clay. |
The pre-dominant theme in 20th century
British history is loss of empire. The UK lost its military superiority,
its colonies and the pound's status as the world's reserve currency.
How to make up for that loss? For Tim Henman to win Roland Garros.
I've always thought that Britain's loss of empire is what made
British fans so eager for one of their own to win Wimbledon. That
creates enormous pressure for Tiger Tim. And that pressure, along
with the superiority of Pete Sampras' play, has prevented him
from satisfying the longings of his countrymen.
Put simply, Henman is a choker, and I'm proud to admit that I'm
a member of that same club, though I play at a slightly lower
level (USTA 4.0-4.5). But Roland Garros provides an opportunity
for Henman, because there is no pressure for him to win there.
No one has expected anything out of him at the French, and he
has met those low expectations grandly, never reaching the fourth
round until this year.
But now that he's overcome the third-round jinx he has a chance
to go all the way. A serve and volleyer with Henman's talent playing
at his best level should win the French. John McEnroe should have
won the French, and would have, had he not choked against Ivan
Lendl in 1984. And the same can be said for Stefan Edberg in his
match against Michael Chang in 1989.
Getting to the semis shouldn't be tough for Henman as long as
he plays solid tennis. And if he plays up to his potential, he
can beat the likes of Guillermo Coria in the semis. Coria could
go down to Carlos Moya in the quarters. But the Man from Mallorca
will be lucky to get by the red hot Tommy Robredo in the Round
of 16.
And if Moya only barely gets get through that match, it's hard
to imagine him keeping his nerve strong enough to beat Coria.
Moya is expected to do well here, and since 1998, he hasn't do
well at meeting high expectations, unless he's playing in Umag.
CORIA ON THE GROUND VS. HENMAN
AT THE NET
Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA |
| Coria brings the classic
ground stroke game to Roland Garros. |
So let's assume Coria plays Henman in
the semis. If Henman serves, volleys and hits his groundies as
well as he is capable of, I think he beats Coria. The Argentine's
biggest weapon is speed, and if Henman plays well enough, that
speed can be neutralized.
The top half of the draw is a crap shoot now that Roger Federer
is out. Gustavo Kuerten, David Nalbandian, Marat Safin, Albert
Costa and Lleyton Hewitt are the current favorites there. Henman
is psyched out by Hewitt, but the Aussie should find a way to
lose before the final, just as he has in every major since Wimbledon
'02. All the rest are vulnerable to Henman's serve and volley,
chip-charge style, if he plays at his top level.
So God save the Queen. The Empire will return. Henmania shall
reign.
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