Maria Marfina – The Cost of Success

Travelling between tournaments, from country to country, barely able to feed herself, Maria Marfina of the former Soviet Union recounts her life on tour as a female tennis professional, and the gruelling cost of success it entailed.

From the age of seven, Marfina now 37, was drilled for success through painstaking methods.

“I had to play the wall day in day out, I had to try and beat the wall” she said.

“It (the ball) kept coming back and back,” she recounted.

She was lucky to have a wall to practise against; many of the children didn’t even have this “luxury”. There were two indoor tennis courts (the rest were outside in the freezing Russian winter), a wall and 28 children at her tennis club. To play inside or with the wall, you had to be one of the best players, put simply, you had to win, losing meant you were in the cold with 20 children on two courts.

“In winter we had only two courts and 20 people wanting to play on them,” she recounts.

“If you are not good, you are not going to get a place on a court,” she said.

I would suggest that if a tennis club in England employed a philosophy akin to this, they would be reported to the governing bodies extremely quickly.

Marfina developed a knack for winning, and progressed through her club and turned professional age 17.

As one of the top players in Russia she was given the staggeringly generous sum of $2000 to help her on the way, not a massive amount of money, either then or now, and it wasn’t sufficient to really kick start her professional career.

The first step of her professional career was a long trip to South America playing small tournaments with even smaller prize money. A lack of money ensured back breaking long coach trips across the continent and she was only able stay in modest accommodation. Money was so much of a problem that amenities most people take for granted weren’t accessible to her.

“It was a privilege to have a can of coke,” she said.

It wasn’t the life of fine dining and fancy restaurants the top players are used to, merely eating to survive the rigorous nature of the tour.

“We couldn’t afford food or to go partying,” she said.

The worst part however, was the immense loneliness of the tour. The continuous solitude she had to cope with was clearly hard to deal with.

“I couldn’t afford to bring a friend or a coach, so I had to travel on my own”, she said.

Such was the grind of the tour; she felt she lost a sense of identity.

“At the age of 21 I didn’t even know where my home was,”

Throughout her career she was lucky enough to play against some of the best players in the game, she remembers playing Jennifer Capriati and irrespective of what tactic she used, Capriati was far too good.

“She was like Serena Williams now, she was just too big and powerful,” she said.

The Russian retired age 25 after having reached a career high singles ranking of 350

Although she talks of the struggle of the tour, she looks back on it with complete fondness and with a smile on her face. A career she would encourage for her children if they wished to peruse such a career.

“Only if they wanted to do it,” she said.

Currently coaching the next wave of English talent, she is using her first hand experience to nurture our home grown talent to excellent success. She has coached two players to a national level, and maybe we shall see one of them reach the level she did, she is without doubt a great addition to British tennis.

Lost in the Lockers?

Fortunately, tennis hasn’t succumbed to the lowly levels of boxing just yet, we are yet to see Nadal and Djokovic engage in virtual sparring via Twitter or other media outlets, but inevitably, as with all sports, mind games and pre game psyching are a huge part of tennis. Ones ability to deal with these games is paramount if you are to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

During the rigmarole of the modern day tennis tour, rivalries are bound to develop, friendships made and broken, and the unlikeliest of friends are created. It is not, however, often that this happens on the court, it is in the locker rooms and the canteens.

It is highly unusual that the first time you speak to or make eye contact with your opponent is on the court. Players share a locker room during tournaments and it is highly unlikely that your eyes don’t meet before a match.

The best players on the court also tend to be the best players in the locker room or in the press when it comes to taking the early psychological advantage. Brad Gilbert who is widely considered one of the greatest tacticians and strongest mentally in the history of tennis was never the most talented player, many say he reached the top 20 solely because of these two attributes. However, Gilbert famously admitted in 1984 he had lost a match to John McEnroe before it had started. McEnroe had said “Brad Gilbert doesn’t swing at the ball hard enough to break an egg. He doesn’t hit the ball. He waves at it”. Gilbert was irate by this claim, and came into the match and tried to hit the cover off every ball. Needless to say, McEnroe comfortably won 6-4 6-4 and had the cheek to say in the post match press conference “Brad seemed to be playing a little more aggressive than usual. I think it hurt his game”. Pure genius from McEnroe.

Currently in men’s tennis we don’t have a personality like John McEnroe or indeed Jimmy Connors, the current top 4 Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray are all very much sedate in the press and don’t engage in a verbal war of words and off court are very much friends, unlike Connors and McEnroe who loathed each other both off and on the court. Although we see no evidence of mind games in the press, without doubt, games go on behind closed doors, within the locker room, in the canteen, even at the stringers.

Just how much of an effect does it have on his opponent when Nadal walks into the locker room, and refuses to smile or make eye contact? Nadal’s opponent’s attention and focus has now changed, it is on Nadal and not on himself. Nadal has the advantage already.

Roger Federer has an aura that only Roger Federer could ever possess. As he walks into the locker room with his latest cardigan perfectly positioned on his chest, the sheer sight of him is enough to cause his opponent to buckle at the knees in fear. Like Nadal, Federer has an immediate advantage without saying a word.

In 2011, the new world number 1, Novak Djokovic, has created an aura of invincibility, he has lost once in 50 matches, he doesn’t believe he can lose a set, let alone a tennis match, and this is noted by his opponents. His opponents already doubt if they can beat him, Djokovic is halfway to victory before a ball is struck.

It is without doubt that a tennis match can be won or lost before setting foot on the court, but, is there some way not to become effected by these mind games?

Wimbledon 2011 – The Good, the Bad and the Plain Ugly

Fred Perry once said "It's a very nostalgic place. I've had a love affair with Wimbledon ever since I can remember. It stays with you."

No matter in which way one looks at it, Wimbledon is an occasion to behold, a tennis tournament unlike any other, one which year upon year grabs the hearts and the attention of the British Public.

Even before the first ball of Wimbledon 2011 had been struck, it felt special. The chance of the unseeded duo of John Isner and Nicholas Mahut being drawn together in the first round were remote. A match up until Wimbledon 2010 that would have been lucky to make the BBC highlight package at the end of the day, an epic 3 days and 183 games in the 2010 championships ensured it was the most eagerly anticipated first round match up. 

Come 8pm on the evening of the 3^rd July, it was all over, gone for another year, over in the blink of the eye. Among the inevitable joy, pain and hysteria a few moments stand out as particularly noteworthy from the championships:

The Good:

1. The Eastern Block Champions – How the game has changed in the last 30 years. 30 years ago, if you had said to someone that we would be seeing both the men’s and the ladies champions from Eastern Europe then they would have looked at you in amazement, smiled and muttered something relating to a lack of tennis knowledge. Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic have ensured for the first time in the Open Era that both Wimbledon singles champions are from Eastern Europe. Djokovic produced arguably one of the greatest ever grass court performances to thrash Nadal in the final, although Nadal won a set, it was a case of when and not if Djokovic would lift the famous trophy. Petra Kvitova, a surprise semi finalist in 2010, showed this wasn’t a “one off”, and produced a fearsome display of devastating groundstrokes to dispatch the more experienced Sharapova in the final.
2. The Roof – Where would we be without the much maligned Centre Court roof? Probably still playing Wimbledon 2011 is the answer. Given the unpredictable nature of British summers the certainty of play the roof brings is absolutely vital for Wimbledon. I dare suggest that we may even see a roof on Court 1 in the not too distant future.
3. Liam Broady – During the fortnight at SW19 this 17 year old from Stockport has ensured he will carry “the next great British hope” label for the foreseeable future. Having been seeded 17 for the Junior Boys Championships, some may have considered him an outside shot for the title but not a serious contender. He slipped under the radar in the first few rounds, away from the glare of the British media, but as he progressed to the quarter finals he started to detract some of the spotlight away from Andy Murray. He cruised through both the quarter and semi finals with relative ease and for the first time in decades a British male was on the cusp of claiming a Wimbledon boy’s singles title. A set and a break up in the final he was all but there, not if Australia’s Luke Saville had his way. Whether it was a comeback of epic proportions from the Aussie junior, a typical British choke or a bit of both, Broady was unable to close out and Saville walked away with the title. Playing on Court 1 would have been a great experience for Broady, a moment he will no doubt cherish for a long while yet, and even though he tasted defeat he will grow stronger from the experience, and maybe, just maybe we have seen the first of a future British top 50 male player.

The Bad

1. The end of the great man? – Without question, the greatest tennis player in history, Roger Federer achieved a first this year. Unfortunately for him it wasn’t a first he would have dreamed about, he lost from 2 sets to love ahead, the first time he’s ever lost in a Grand Slam from 2 sets ahead. Federer will undeniably make several further appearances in South West London, fitness and health permitting, but will he ever really challenge for the hallowed trophy again? Only time will tell, but it can only be seen as a low point of the tournament when we watch such a great champion so tamely limp out of his signature tournament.
2. The number 1 in the women’s game? – Caroline Wozniaki is an excellent tennis player, but can she really be the best player in the world if she has never won a Grand Slam? Most would say no. She certainly wasn’t the best player at Wimbledon, dumped out by Dominika Cibulkova in round 4. Having been knocked out in the 3^rd round at the French this year, she has to start performing in the Slams if she is ever to be taken seriously as the number one player in the world. 

The Ugly

1. Bethanie Mattek-Sands – Dare I suggest a professional tennis player should be remembered for their tennis playing ability rather than their ability to dress themselves on court, not to a certain Mrs Mattek-Sands. As she walked onto court in round 1 she drew gasps from the smattering of spectators around, she was wearing a dress so hideous it made Lady Gaga’s meat dress seem acceptable. Undoubtedly the biggest fashion disaster of the fortnight, potentially in the history of Wimbledon, it certainly gives Serena’s denim outfit a run for its money. Please Bethanie; focus on the tennis in the future.
2. Grunting – To hit a tennis ball at the optimum level, does it really require a grunt, screech, moan, shriek or whatever you want to call it, of nearly 100 decibels?  Semi finalist Maria Sharapova recently recorded a “grunt” of 101 decibels, 9 decibels shy of a lion’s roar. Victoria Azarenka also a semi finalist this year is not far behind in the grunting races, she evens advocates it as a way to increase the power and precision of shots. Lots of research has been undertaken into the effects of “grunting” within tennis and, thus far, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest it improves one’s game. So, just like the fashion faux-pas’s, can we cut out the grunting so we no longer have to mute the television.    

Once again we have witnessed a truly special Championship, and the eager wait begins for the start of the 126^th Wimbledon in 2012.

Wimbledon 2011 - The Contenders

The Men

The Favourites:

Nadal (Seeded 1) – He hasn’t lost at Wimbledon since 2007, having won in 2008 and 2010, and injured in 2009, a remarkable record for a so called “clay-court specialist”.

Despite a relatively average first week at the French, Nadal cruised through the second week to glory. He dispatched both Soderling and Murray in 3 sets with minimal fuss, and then bar a slight hiccup eased past Federer in the final. With his recent success at the French, further triumph was predicted at Queens. However, a rejuvenated Tsonga put pay to Rafa in the quarters. This wasn’t the ideal grass court preparation he had envisioned, but decent nonetheless.

Verdict: He remains the man to beat.

Djokovic (Seeded 2) – He has reached the semis at Wimbledon twice, 2007 and 2010, yet has never really appeared totally comfortable with the grass at SW19.

The man to beat all of 2011, with a truly astonishing unbeaten run which was only beaten by the greatest of all time, Federer, a fitting end. Following the defeat, he pulled out of Queens with a mixture of fatigue and injury, far from the Wimbledon preparation he would have chosen. This being said, he reached superhuman levels during the early months of the year and has surely already surpassed even his own wildest dreams with a winning streak of 42 matches.

Verdict: If he can recapture his form from the American hard court season on the green grass, tough to see how he can be beaten.

Federer (Seeded 3) – 6 Wimbledon titles and quite simply the greatest tennis player to have ever graced the Planet.

Federer has been written off countless times for the past 18 months, “too old” and “past it” being frequently said. Most would agree he has been in a slow decline of recent times, not a rapid decline that the Press would have had you believe. Yet we saw glimpses of the Federer of old at the French, his racquet was his wand again, his forehand was out of this world for the majority of the tournament, his serve cleaned the lines more times than I care count. He beat Djokovic in the semis, took a set off Nadal in the final and should have been two sets up, two of the hardest feats in tennis at the present time.

Verdict: If the Federer from the French Open turns up, we may be seeing him hold the most famous trophy in tennis above his head for the 7^th time.

The Strong Contenders

Murray (Seeded 4) – Undoubtedly the 4^th best player in the world, but quite a way off being in the top 3. Murray sits in limbo in the current state of affairs.

Murray is a good grass court player, especially these days now the courts a much slower, proven by winning Queens for the 2^nd time last week. He does possess all the weapons needed to win Grand Slams, but he often fails to utilise them.

Verdict: Will make the semi finals bar a freak result but won’t be putting his name on the trophy.

Soderling (Seeded 5) – Big Rob, a player no one wants to draw.

The big serving Swede was my tip for Wimbledon last year but was ousted in 4 sets by Nadal in the quarter finals. Again I would suggest he could make a dive deep into the latter rounds, however, his mental ability has been questioned when it comes to playing other top players.

Verdict: A banker for the quarter finals, potential semi finalist.

The Outside Bet

Milos Raonic (Seeded 31) – The “wonderkid”.

Much has been written about Raonic, a 20 year old from Canada who is well known for serving bombs. Tipped for the top by many, Wimbledon 2011 may be slightly too soon but watch out for his name in the very near future.

Verdict: Defeat by Nadal in the 3^rd round.

Freddie’s One to Watch

Grigor Dimitriov (Unseeded) – Better than Federer?

Coach Peter Lundgren described Dimitriov as better than Federer at his age, a huge tag to place on someone so young, yet the similarities are there for all to see, an elegant one handed backhand, a forehand that he bases his game around and a serve which he can hit all 4 corners with varying degrees of spin with. We may have to wait a couple of years to see Dimitriov really put his mark on the top of the tennis world, but along with Raonic, he is the future of tennis.

Verdict: Defeat in the 2^nd round.

Winner – Rafael Nadal

Runner Up – Roger Federer

The Women

The Favourites:

Na Li (Seeded 3) – Comes into on the back of her triumph in France.

Unfancied at the French, surely got to be one of the title contenders at SW19. Fiercely competitive, mentally strong, hard flat groundstrokes, surely a winning combination on the grass. Will be interesting to see how she adapts her game from the clay.

Verdict: Expect her to equal or better her two previous quarter final appearances at Wimbledon.

Maria Sharapova (Seeded 5) – A model competitor and true champion, can Maria regain her crown?

Has recovered from her extensive injuries, most notably the career threatening shoulder injury. She is starting to regain the form that took her to number 1 in the world, and along with her immense ability to fight to the last ball, it stands her in good stead for Wimbledon.

Verdict: A semi final appearance at worst, and possibly a good shout for the tournament outright.

Serena Williams (Seeded 7) – Back from a life threatening illness, but you still can’t write her off.

On her day, she is unbeatable. Has played very little tennis, a couple of scratchy wins at Eastbourne are unlikely to have filled her with confidence, but she will just be pleased to be back on the court.

Verdict: A quarter final spot at worst, expect her to dump out a top 10’er or two.

Strong Contenders

Caroline Wozniaki (Seeded 1) - Holds the top spot in the women’s game, still without a Grand slam.

Seems to win plenty of smaller tournaments without really making the grade at the four majors. She will need to win a grand slam title to fully justify her world number one ranking. She has the ability but does she have what it takes mentally.

Verdict: A quarter final, however to see her going back home with the title appears to be unlikely.

Vera Zvonareva (Seeded 2) – Slowly worked her way to the top of the game after overcoming her mental fragilities.

She hits hard and flat and moves exceptionally well, and now her head is screwed on correctly, she has the weapons to pose anyone a challenge. Having made the final last year she has the experience to rely upon as well.

Verdict: A semi final and maybe one better.

Venus Williams (Seeded 23) – On her game she can beat anybody and she has vast experience of the back end of Grand Slams.

Like her sister, Venus has played very little tennis, but Wimbledon brings out the best in her. Expect to see some inconsistent tennis, but good enough to win several rounds.

Verdict: A place in the last eight. It may be too much to expect more, but one can never write her off.

The Outside Bet

Daniela Hantuchova (Seeded 25) – Starting to become more renowned for her tennis than her beauty.

She has started to put together strings of good performances at various tournaments, most recently Eastbourne. Has always been capable of a good match at a tournament but has never found the consistency that her ability has deserved.

Verdict: A possible semi final appearance providing she avoids her nemesis’s in the William’s sisters!

Freddie’s One to Watch

Andrea Petkovic (Seeded 11) – A feisty German who has started to make a name for herself, and her dance.

Has a big game, she has beaten big names in the past and shows no sign of stopping this form. Formidable off both sides with athleticism to match. Definitely going to conquer the top 5 at some point in her career.

Verdict: A quarter final and possibly a semi final.

Winner – Maria Sharapova

Runner Up – Vera Zvonareva

The Start of a New Era?

Until last Saturday, tennis hadn’t seen an Asian grand slam winner. Li Na, born in Wuhen, Hubei, China, changed this by winning the French Open and has changed the face of Asian tennis forever. Up until now we’ve seen the occasional Asian player threaten the world’s elite group of players, Zheng Jie in the women’s game and Paradorn Srichapan briefly entering the world’s top ten in the men’s game. However, given Asia’s vast population, one may have expected a greater number of players hitting the headlines in the world game.

In Asia and in China in particular, particular attention has been paid to all racket sports except tennis. Asia has practically ruled the worlds of Badminton and Table Tennis for a good while now and many had predicted that it was only a matter of time before tennis was added to this list. It has taken longer than many thought, but have we now reached this time?

Having worked directly with several Asian families, what is absolutely evident is the vital attribute in life, to continually strive to become the best. This facet is without doubt the key to becoming top of any sport. To become the best, one must never settle for anything except perfection, but can anything be completely perfect? Is a 150mph serve out wide the best one can achieve, why not 151mph with more spin, more deception and better technique?

It is well documented that the work ethic within Asian families is particularly fierce, not a moment is spared when it comes to training, most notably when their offspring is involved. This work ethic is ideal if one is to try and produce the next global superstar.

Seeing this endeavour leaves me with no doubt whatsoever that we shall soon an influx of Asian players in both the men’s and women top 50.

People have often suggested that a lack of physical prowess may hinder the development of top tennis athletes within Asia. I would like to dismiss these sentiments as nonsense. China has developed top hurdlers and top basketball players, all of whom possess the so called “required physical attributes” to become a top tennis player, and there is no reason why men or women such as these won’t in the future be pursuing a career in tennis.

Michael Berrer - A gentleman or a choker?

To reach the third round of a Grand Slam is undoubtedly an achievement not to be taken lightly, especially when you have defeated "tennis wonderkid" Milos Raonic and previous Grand Slam finalist Arnaud Clement on the way.

Michael Berrer a German tennis “journeyman” raised an eyebrow or two when he took out Raonic and turned a head or two when he beat Clement on his home turf. Andy Murray can't have been expecting to face Berrer in the third round given the draw, and may well have been quietly pleased when he found out he was due to face Berrer.

Since turning pro in 1999, Berrer has hardly caused shockwaves within the tennis world. He reached a career high ranking of 42 in the world last year, but this slipped as 2010 progressed and 2011 started. He has never won a singles ATP tournament to this day/

To face Murray in the third round at the French Open would have been the highlight of Berrer's career. With a large crowd and television audience Berrer was sure to want to make an impression.

Murray took the first set with such ease that left the crowd wondering how Berrer made it to round three. Midway through the second set Murray nastily turned his ankle chasing down a short forehand. It was heavily strapped for the remainder of the match. Murray was clearly struggling to move and thus had adopted a “win or bust” strategy.

What followed, in my opinion, was astonishing.

Murray playing with his "win or bust" mentality closed out the second set, and then waltzed through the third to book his place in the fourth round.

With Murray clearly barely able to change direction, the obvious thing it seemed, for Berrer to do would be to hit a combination of drop shots, lobs, short angles and off pace balls, yet throughout the set and a half following Murray's injury, Berrer barely mustered any of the above. He continued with his big hitting through the middle of the court straight towards Murray. As the already bemused French Crowd looked on, they must have wondered what was going through Berrer's mind. Did he really want to win?

In the post match press conference Berrer was quizzed about his tactics, the seemingly lack of intent to exploit Murray's obvious inability to move swiftly around the court. Berrer explained that he felt he "couldn't" play on Murray's injury and maybe it was this lack of ruthlessness that had stopped him climbing the tennis ladder further.

To me, this whole episode shows that Berrer lacks the mental game to ever really make waves within the game.


When you enter a competition of any sort, one must assume that whoever your opponent or opponents are, they feel that they can operate at the level of the competition. If one is to injure themselves during an event, surely one can feel, without guilt, to play upon his or her injury. To me, it is the same as playing upon an opponent’s weakness.

However, many would argue (as my housemate does) that it is ungentlemanly to target an injury. Personally I can see no reason not to. Do you need this ruthless streak to reach the top of a sport or is it possible to remain a complete gentleman and reach the top of a sport? Can you be ruthless and a gentleman?

If Michael Berrer had played on Murray’s injured ankle and won, how would the British press have reacted? Would they have slated Berrer or would they have simply stated that Murray can learn from his ruthless streak?

These are my thoughts on a debate that is bound to go on for years without ever reaching a conclusion.