Watching Federer

I got a jolt of enthusiasm from watching the French Open semi's and finals. Roger Federer against Rafael Nada is riveting to watch. I'm a fan of Roger for his dexterous movement and graceful strokes. His game is still tops if not for the tenacity of Rafa who brings 110% intensity to every shot. Despite being ranked number 1, Rafa still plays like the underdog. Rafa's quickness and explosion just can't be beat. Still, I prefer to emulate Roger over Rafa. His game is about efficiency. Being efficient grants longevity. The payoff to Roger has been an injury free career. At my age I have to consider longevity and health.

I can't help but make a comment on Roger's struggle against Rafa. Success is much closer to his grasp than the scores tell. In the finals, Roger started out playing aggressively in a different way than he has or in the way Rafa plays aggressively. He came to the net frequently and won. This is different than hitting hard from the baseline like Rafa plays. Surely Roger can slug it out on the occasional point, but that's not the game he is suited to. With his nimble movement to the net, he easily can shorten the time Rafa has to react and shorten the points to his favor. The last set proved how going toe to toe with Rafa from the baseline is a losing prospect. Roger's ground strokes could not match the pace of Rafa's and put him in constant defense. I'm eager to see Roger play in Wimbledon. I hope to see a lot more net play and to see him win the championship.

I continue to play my squash. I kept up with practice over the past three weeks and the result is good. I am playing better with mainly reaction and movement improving. I'm getting on the ball early and diving low to get control of the ball. I definitely feel relaxed and unconcerned about my own performance. One change I've made that's given me more confidence is adding a higher toss in my serve. It has made it harder to attack. That has eased my anxiety tremendously. Now I have something to aim for and repeat when I play.