chris – after years of experience as a hockey goalie, I can bet that the serve receiver has already narrowed down the destination of the serve from the pose/action/eyeline/aspect of the racket head/racket head movement/etc of the server. For most hockey strikers I could predict roughly where the ball was going by the time the stick made contact with the ball. However, there was a National League player I faced in a cup match (I played Southern Premier, a league or so below Nat League) where I couldnt tell at all. Freaked me out, not to mention made me look like a real plum 🙂

No wonder Murray looked depressed, that’s another player on the scene with a much better array of weaponry. A deserved win for Dimitrov.

And Federer looks in trouble, plus Djokovic looks vulnerable considering the struggle he is having with the journeyman Cilic.

I think you can’t react faster than 1/4 second – that’s why some pro cricketers have their eyes closed when they are making the stroke, they have committed and they is nothing they could do to change the commitment based on the bounce .

Dream final: Federer vs Kyrgios.

or two of Federer, Kyrgios or Wawrinka – no double handed backhands in that mix…

TurnerGuy – Member
I had the pleasure of talking tennis with AC recently
Andrew Castle ? – the best times for his commentary are when Eurosport are also showing the same match so that I can change channels and hear some sensible comments and less fawning over Andy Murray.

No 😀 the far more engaging Ms Croft!

Agree on the singlehanded! Double handed backhand is a cheat IMO!! That and the woman shrieking. God I am old fashioned!

No the far more engaging Ms Croft!

I am now jealous – she still looks fantastic when presenting on Eurosport.

I can bet that the serve receiver has already narrowed down the destination of the serve from the pose/action/eyeline/aspect of the racket head/racket head movement/etc of the server

That was Syed’s conclusion, too – there just isn’t the time to react purely on sight of the ball, a lot of it is predictive through experience based on watching people serve at you for years and years and years. He puts it much better than that, though. 🙂

I can bet that the serve receiver has already narrowed down the destination of the serve from the pose/action/eyeline/aspect of the racket head/racket head movement/etc of the server.

Same in cricket, and in particular the advent of the slower ball in one day cricket. A normal fast bowler’s delivery will release the ball with a snap of the wrist and two fingers behind the ball, imparting spin on it. To bowl a slower ball, you don’t slow the arm down, you either snap less, or even more dangerous snap but allow the ball to come out between the fingers, so the action looks identical but the ball floats out. And makes you look very silly indeed.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6gPMq9qOTM[/video]