Interview with Larry Stefanki (from Shanghai)

Gonzo goes wild !!

(From tennis.com)

Did you see the second set tiebreaker between Roger Federer and Fernando Gonzalez last night? The Chilean won one breathtaking point after another, the best one on a defensive block of a Federer smash that went from a sure point for the world no. 1 to a lob winner for Gonzalez. The second set began with more of the same: Gonzalez dug his way out of a 0-40 hole with a crackling backhand pass and a few monstrous forehands, and then won one of the best points I’ve seen this year (he ended a punishing rally with a running—from far, far away—backhand-slice-crosscourt-half-lob job that Federer, retreating from the net, could not return). At 5-5, 15-15 in the third set, on Federer’s serve, Gonzalez hit without doubt the most fearsome forehand I’ve ever seen in a live match, harder than the one James Blake hit against Federer at the 2006 U.S. Open or the one Gael Monfils struck at last year’s Australian Open. Federer was in position when Gonzalez unloaded crosscourt. The ball went right by him even though he was a few feet away. Gonzalez nailed another forehand to win the next point and closed out his final break with a soft forehand drop volley (he volleyed well all night).

All this begs the question: Where the heck has this Gonzalez guy been the last nine months? The second set breaker was a reprise of the Australian Open, where Gonzalez forgot how to make an error. Maybe it’s something about long haul flights. In Australia and Asia, the guy plays something fierce. Everywhere in between, he’s a kitten.

I ran down Larry Stefanki after the match to ask him what’s happened to his star pupil since his Australian romp. Here’s a sample of what he had to say:

On Gonzalez’s decline since Australia: “It’s the evolution of a top player. Everyone has to go through it. It’s a growing process. Roger went through it, he knows what it’s all about. Djokovic is gonna find out next year…. It’s not like [Fernando] just doesn’t focus on what he’s trying to do. All these practice sessions, he knows when things break down, when he can’t hit two balls in a row. He knows what’s going on. Before this tournament started is the first time he could maybe free up a little bit and have no pressure on him being the seventh ranked guy in an eight man field. He’s loose, and no one’s going to muscle Fernando Gonzalez. They’re not going to do it…. It’s a growing pain. Luckily after the horrible summer that he had for four months, he won Beijing and made three quarterfinals in a row. You know, he played very average, but he did make three quarters.” (Stefanki said the bad summer had one benefit: Gonzalez is well rested and healthy.)

The forehand at 5-5, 15-15: “Did you see how hard that thing was hit? Crosscourt. [Federer] was standing right there and he blew it right by him. He just said I just went for it.”

On beating Federer for the first time (no one beats Gonzo 11 times in a row): “He played him in the Madrid final [2006], played him in the Australia final, played him in the semis in [Toronto 2006]. He knows that when he gets his opportunity he’s got to go for his shot, but it’s just a matter of not going for it on the first ball…. If he keeps it together and hits his backhand like he did tonight, and not just slice the ball, mixes it up a lot more which we talked about after the summer. When he loses a little confidence he just tries to get the ball back and he starts playing like a clay court guy. You’re not going to play top level tennis doing that. You’re going to beat the guys ranked 20 to 50 but after that you’re going to struggle. You’ve got to return, hit over the ball, and wait for the short forehand and then nuke it. He has the style, it’s just a matter of consolidating that style and staying relaxed and trusting it. And I don’t know if you’ve looked at his serving in Australia, he served UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE.”

On playing in Shanghai: “His flight back is like—Shanghai, Tokyo, L.A., Santiago, and it’s like 27 hours in the air.”

By the time Gonzalez gets home, the off season will be over. From Shanghai, good night.