Sallydaisy
30-09-2012, 09:54
The Flying Finn has been around a while on the ATP Tour (http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Jarkko-Nieminen.aspx); a journeyman if you will. He's been known to produce great tennis at times but he also has difficulty serving out matches ...
Anyway - on his official website he writes a blog (http://jarkkonieminen.fi/blog.php)about his life on the tour and match analysis.
Some interesting items to read and here's an extract with his take on his Semi-Final loss to Gasquet.
I played really well until
6-3, 3-0. If I have done something well this year, I have closed out matches well and when I have had a lead in the match, I have not often lost it, many times I have put one more gear on. Today I didn't do it. I had a double break in the second set, I was playing great and controlling the game totally, it even felt quite easy in that moment... but for feeling that, there was a reason: I did the right things and executed my game extremely well. After that I gamewise stopped doing the right things for a while. Even though I held my serve to 4-0, the game was not good. Then Gasquet started to serve better and the serves were really accurate. He held to 4-1, then he played a more aggressive game and broke me to 4-2. After that he served and played well again to 4-3. I played a good game to 5-3 and then he again held the serve easy to 5-4.
When I was serving for the match I had 30-0, I played two good points. I hit a good first serve in 30-0 but Gasquet returned it back deep, hit to another corner, came in and hit the short volley where I sprint and hit a passing shot a bit out from the sideline. Then I did a rookie-mistake. After the sprint to the corner and then sprint to the short volley, my pulse was obviously high. I should have taken more time before the next points. Instead of that I went to play the next points fast and I rushed. I still had the pulse very high, I had tension in the arm and no tension at all in the legs. I hit next serves totally without body, trying to put slice to the ball only with the tight arm. After not hitting solid topspin serves for two days/not having good rhythm in it, the result was even more crucial. I ended up hitting two double faults and after those one unforced error from backhand so then it went to 5-5. I had a breakpoint in the next game but Gasquet hit a big serve to the line, I lost the game and then in the next game I had game point to 6-6 but I lost that one as well. Set went 7-5 for Gasquet and the third set 6-2 for him.
I didn't have to think the loss for so long because I immediately started to organize my trip to the next place, to Tokyo. I did the things on site first, iced the wrist, paid the stringing etc. Then I left to the hotel, packed my bags and headed to the airport. Now I'm already at the gate and I try to rush to be able to finish this text before the flight takes off. I got the night flight to Tokyo so I'll be there tomorrow morning. My physio will be also there so I'm confident that my wrist will be fine for the next match and then hopefully for the rest of the season. I'll play against Robredo in Tokyo and I'm also playing doubles there with Butorac, we'll play against Andy and Jamie Murray.
Here's (http://jarkkonieminen.fi/blog.php?year=2012#2012-May) his take on THAT match against Andy at Roland Garros earlier this year.
Anyway - on his official website he writes a blog (http://jarkkonieminen.fi/blog.php)about his life on the tour and match analysis.
Some interesting items to read and here's an extract with his take on his Semi-Final loss to Gasquet.
I played really well until
6-3, 3-0. If I have done something well this year, I have closed out matches well and when I have had a lead in the match, I have not often lost it, many times I have put one more gear on. Today I didn't do it. I had a double break in the second set, I was playing great and controlling the game totally, it even felt quite easy in that moment... but for feeling that, there was a reason: I did the right things and executed my game extremely well. After that I gamewise stopped doing the right things for a while. Even though I held my serve to 4-0, the game was not good. Then Gasquet started to serve better and the serves were really accurate. He held to 4-1, then he played a more aggressive game and broke me to 4-2. After that he served and played well again to 4-3. I played a good game to 5-3 and then he again held the serve easy to 5-4.
When I was serving for the match I had 30-0, I played two good points. I hit a good first serve in 30-0 but Gasquet returned it back deep, hit to another corner, came in and hit the short volley where I sprint and hit a passing shot a bit out from the sideline. Then I did a rookie-mistake. After the sprint to the corner and then sprint to the short volley, my pulse was obviously high. I should have taken more time before the next points. Instead of that I went to play the next points fast and I rushed. I still had the pulse very high, I had tension in the arm and no tension at all in the legs. I hit next serves totally without body, trying to put slice to the ball only with the tight arm. After not hitting solid topspin serves for two days/not having good rhythm in it, the result was even more crucial. I ended up hitting two double faults and after those one unforced error from backhand so then it went to 5-5. I had a breakpoint in the next game but Gasquet hit a big serve to the line, I lost the game and then in the next game I had game point to 6-6 but I lost that one as well. Set went 7-5 for Gasquet and the third set 6-2 for him.
I didn't have to think the loss for so long because I immediately started to organize my trip to the next place, to Tokyo. I did the things on site first, iced the wrist, paid the stringing etc. Then I left to the hotel, packed my bags and headed to the airport. Now I'm already at the gate and I try to rush to be able to finish this text before the flight takes off. I got the night flight to Tokyo so I'll be there tomorrow morning. My physio will be also there so I'm confident that my wrist will be fine for the next match and then hopefully for the rest of the season. I'll play against Robredo in Tokyo and I'm also playing doubles there with Butorac, we'll play against Andy and Jamie Murray.
Here's (http://jarkkonieminen.fi/blog.php?year=2012#2012-May) his take on THAT match against Andy at Roland Garros earlier this year.