January 28, 2104--Rafa

One of the greatest of sports rivalries is the one between tennis superstars Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.

Between them they have won 30 Grand Slam titles, 17 by Federer, 13 by the younger Rafa, and during their careers they have played each other 33 times. Nadal holds the edge, having won 20 matches; also he has dominated the 20 finals in which they confronted one another, 14-6.

Sometimes these matches have been classics. The 2008 final at Wimbledon comes to mind. It lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes, went five sets with Rafa winning the fifth and deciding one 9-7. John McEnroe, among others, considers it the greatest tennis match of all time. Who's to argue with that?

After another confrontation--this time in the semifinals of the Australian Open last Friday, there was an interesting article in the New York Times about Rafa's approach, his strategy when playing Federer. Considering the outcomes, this has been a very successful strategy that has Nadal dominating Federer.

The article is noteworthy not because of its appeal to tennis enthusiasts, that it is, but because of its lessons to those striving for success in general. It is a tennis-focused strategy that translates well to many fields and endeavors.

In the article (linked below), Craig O'Shannessy goes into illuminating detail about the specifics of Nadal's strategy. How he exploits Federer's very few weakness.

Here is a tennis-specific example--

The most obvious of Nadal's simple strategies is his serve direction. 

He made 56 first serves for the match and pinpointed (92 percent) to Federer's backhand. Nadal has been doing that for years, and it is remarkable Federer has not figured out a way to counter this tactic. 

You could almost imagine Nadal yelling over the net, telling Federer where the serve was going to go, but Federer still managed to lose the point. Federer won only 28 percent (15 of 52) of points beginning with a backhand return off a first serve, and none of four directed to his forehand.

In a contest of wills, which has many correlates in non-sports situations, being able to do the expected and in effect flaunting one's strategy in and of itself can be devastatingly effective. Here is a bit more from O'Shannessy--

While the match looked close at the beginning [my emphasis], the pressure was silently building as Federer searched in vain for holes in Nadal's game. For Federer to beat Nadal on such an important occasion, he needed to win the first set and apply scoreboard pressure, hit rock-solid backhand returns back to Nadal's backhand [his one vulnerability], and stop approaching Nadal's forehand [his special strength]. That will at least get him on a level playing field.

To succeed in competitive environments, having or establishing an edge in advance is a great asset. To have a chance, a level playing field is the minimum requirement. To have a proverbial "even chance."

When confronting a talented strategist this alone is difficult to accomplish. To start out behind, immediately under pressure, doesn't often get the job done.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/sports/tennis/breaking-it-down-nadal-vs-federer.html?action=click&contentCollection=Tennis&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article