Tonight Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson salvaged a degree of respectability for Team World at this years Laver Cup in Chicago. Having gone down 3 matches to 0 in the singles Team World's faces were looking as red as their jerseys. So it was up to Sock's pro doubles experience and Kevin Anderson's power plays to boost the morale of the home crowd hoping for a big win against the dream duo of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Having conceded the first set Team World looked like it was heading for a fourth straight defeat - but Sock and Anderson managed to pull a rabbit out of their hat.
My Thai tennis buddy Pete who spent his University years in Chicago was in attendance to witness this spectacular doubles occasion. He had flown all the way from Bangkok to be in Chicago for the first day of the Laver Cup and was also rooting for Team World. He was kind as to record some raw footage from his seat which I added to the bottom of this article.
In my previous article on the Laver Cup I had analysed and wrote about the doubles experience and skills of all 4 players that would feature in this years Laver Cup's first doubles match. Opting for a Sock and Anderson win I thought Sock's experience in doubles in particular would prove a pivotal factor.
What a match it was going to be on paper too. The dream team of Roger Federer (doesn't need an introduction) and Novak Djokovic (this years singles Wimbledon and US Open Champion) representing Team Europe were taking on the underdogs of Jack Sock (this year's Wimbledon and US Open Doubles Champion) and Kevin Anderson (this years singles Wimbledon finalist).
A Champion Singles Player Does Not Guarantee a Good Doubles Player
It's easy to get carried away with the dream duo but as previously mentioned doubles is a totally different game in tennis to singles. Not just the fact that you have four players on court and the opposition can cut what would usually be highly effective baseline shots off at the net but the need for soft hands, a cool head and the know of where to place the ball - only gained through years of doubles experience is key.
Federer is one of a few blessed with net skills mostly due to his singles game strategy - that's a rare thing these days. Most singles players do not have a soft touch and the volleying prowess possessed by Federer because the game has changed from serve and volley to baseline duelling. Perhaps the only other singles player you could mention in the same breadth as Federer for net play is Nadal.
Djokovic is not a pro net player, he has decent hands at the net but all his Grand Slams have been won from the back of the court.
On the other hand Sock has become a professional doubles player and with his recent experience partnering all time great Mike Bryan has become an excellent volley-er. Add to that a big serving Kevin Andersen and what do you get? - a not surprising win over two of the worlds best singles players. Perhaps what summed up the match for Federer and Djokovic was this moment...
Watch: Djokovic in Singles Player Mindset Hits Federer with the Ball During a Point
Clicking together as a doubles pairing and being aware of your partners position are another two key aspects to winning a doubles match no matter how greater singles players you are. Sock and Anderson gelled and complemented each better than Federer and Djokovic.
The two biggest key elements to Team Worlds victory covered in my match preview were Socks fine touch at the net and Anderson's big serving and forehand that left Federer and Djokovic incapable of a return or at best a flimsy one for Sock to mop up at the net.
Still with all this said it was not all one way traffic, Federer and Djokovic representing Team Europe played a respectable game and took a set off Sock and Anderson from a tie break. But Sock and Anderson's second set was more convincing than Federer and Djokovic's first. They took the second with a clean break avoiding a tense tie break and leaving the third set to come down to exactly that.
The second set is where Team World came into their element and in the fourth game this is where Anderson stepped up with his forehand producing some outstanding returns of serve to give him and Sock three break points. They only needed one!
In the final set tie break it was Anderson's big serving and forehand that again shone through for Team World. Sock at this point was in all the right positions at the net with his clinical and strategic volleying. If you watch the highlights below closely you will be able to see just where he positions himself, anticipates the volley and places the ball compared to Federer and Djokovic - he has a superior doubles IQ to both of them.
Team World eventually ran away with the tie break towards the end winning 10-6, a deserved this victory, let's hope they can claw back the now 2 match deficit to make this Laver Cup a tight and exciting affair!
Feature photo is courtesy of the Official Laver Cup Website.
Final Points of the Crucial Tie Break and Match Filmed by Pete
Watch: Highlights of Team Europe vs Team World in the First Doubles Match of the Cup
Comments