• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

*Official* Tennis Thread

James90

Cricketer Of The Year
This game seems remarkably similar to the women's final. Nadal just keeps plugging away and pulling out something special to save a break point or twelve. Federer on the other hand has more unforced errors and is getting a bit flustered.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Don't believe in skill to win clutch points tbh. Might do if I watched more tennis, but it seems like a story to make sense of a random, small sample of a bigger game. Every match I've watched with Federer before keeps pointing out "how good he is on clutch points", then suddnely he isn't.
How can there not be clutch points, but be clutch puts in golf and clutch kicks/shots on goal in soccer/AFL etc?
 

Magrat Garlick

Global Moderator
How can there not be clutch points, but be clutch puts in golf and clutch kicks/shots on goal in soccer/AFL etc?
Not there either imo. Just a smaller subset of a larger sample. Maybe with an exception for golf, where you have ages of time to think about what you're doing and the larger consequences of your shot, so more time to have doubts creep in.

The reason better players putt more clutch putts and shoot more clutch kicks is because they do it better in all the other situations too.
 

archie mac

International Coach
The last time I watched someone come back from two sets to nil in a Grandslam final was Lendl against The Brat back in 1984 or was it 82?:unsure:
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Not there either imo. Just a smaller subset of a larger sample. Maybe with an exception for golf, where you have ages of time to think about what you're doing and the larger consequences of your shot, so more time to have doubts creep in.

The reason better players putt more clutch putts and shoot more clutch kicks is because they do it better in all the other situations too.
Have to disagree. I do think it's overplayed a bit at times for the reason you just stated, however to suggest that pressure plays no role in performance would be way over the top. A lot of sport is about how you react mentally: in cricket and indeed tennis you have shot selection (or indeed delivery selection if you're a bowler). If you think too much about the state of the game and let the occasion of the high-pressure situation get to you, you can lose concentration and forget your basics or make the wrong decision.

I'm yet to be convinced that some players actually grow a leg in this situation, but it's all relative. Players described as being "good under pressure" or "good in clutch situations" may not actually improve in that situation, but they are level-headed enough to ensure it doesn't have a great impact on them. Being good under pressure is about understanding the state of the game at all times but minimising its effect of how you play. It certainly is a factor IMO.
 

archie mac

International Coach
1984 French Open. Down 4-2 in the fourth set, too.
I was a big Mac fan, he played Connors that year in England and beat him 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 (I think), the earliest I have ever gone to bed in a final:)

He won the USA open that year has well, and as the Aussie open was played on grass in those days I think he would have won three slams that year, still don't know how he lost the French:wacko:
 

duffer

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Have to disagree. I do think it's overplayed a bit at times for the reason you just stated, however to suggest that pressure plays no role in performance would be way over the top. A lot of sport is about how you react mentally: in cricket and indeed tennis you have shot selection (or indeed delivery selection if you're a bowler). If you think too much about the state of the game and let the occasion of the high-pressure situation get to you, you can lose concentration and forget your basics or make the wrong decision.

I'm yet to be convinced that some players actually grow a leg in this situation, but it's all relative. Players described as being "good under pressure" or "good in clutch situations" may not actually improve in that situation, but they are level-headed enough to ensure it doesn't have a great impact on them. Being good under pressure is about understanding the state of the game at all times but minimising its effect of how you play. It certainly is a factor IMO.
Bolded part describes it perfectly for me.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Haha McEnroe's one-hand backhand looks so unco, simply because he's left-handed.

And its hilarious seeing the umpires go 'now now' when the crowd are too loud. :lol:
 

irfan

State Captain
Just checked the score. Absolutely gutted Fed's down by two sets, but if anyone can win in 5, it's the champion Swiss maestro. Reckon if Rafa gets up (he should), he should consent to giving Federer the French next year in exchange.

It would be a travesty of the highest order if Fed never wins the French whereas Nadal is gonna pwn at everything as soon as Fed retires.
 

Magrat Garlick

Global Moderator
Have to disagree. I do think it's overplayed a bit at times for the reason you just stated, however to suggest that pressure plays no role in performance would be way over the top. A lot of sport is about how you react mentally: in cricket and indeed tennis you have shot selection (or indeed delivery selection if you're a bowler). If you think too much about the state of the game and let the occasion of the high-pressure situation get to you, you can lose concentration and forget your basics or make the wrong decision.

I'm yet to be convinced that some players actually grow a leg in this situation, but it's all relative. Players described as being "good under pressure" or "good in clutch situations" may not actually improve in that situation, but they are level-headed enough to ensure it doesn't have a great impact on them. Being good under pressure is about understanding the state of the game at all times but minimising its effect of how you play. It certainly is a factor IMO.
Fair enough, might have been a bit too railing on it. Will say that the thought processing time for a shot in baseball must be pretty close to what it is in tennis and cricket and there's little evidence for clutch performance there. (And, I will admit, this probably colours my view of things. But it seems logical to me that most top athletes have that ability to minimise the bolded effect, otherwise they would never have reached the top.)
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
But it seems logical to me that most top athletes have that ability to minimise the bolded effect, otherwise they would never have reached the top.
It's a skill just like anything else, IMO. Any batsman who makes it to the top level should be able to minimise the chance of falling over the the off side and getting hit on the pads for example but some are better at it than others. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and the ability (or lack thereof) to perform under pressure in no different in this regard AFAIC.
 
Last edited:

Top