Sighter #3 - THAT backhand

Agreed that I was on knife's edge at first set, 0-0, 30-15 Andre Agassi serving, but when that high kicking serve, sent out wide on the ad court, was met above shoulder by an immaculate backhand, I knew (as opposed to suspected) that someone was playing a cruel joke at AA's expense.

Last year, in the finals, AA traded backhands with Roger and came off best on most occasions. This time around, the tactic was similar. Not because, Pavel's backhand was expected to breakdown, but to open up the forehand side. Within a few games, it sure seemed like suicide to hit a single ball to the backhand of Pavel, let alone use it as a tactic.

Typically, the AA of this decade avoids taking huge cuts on the ball. Yesterday, when he realised that the spin he generated on his backhand, wasn't even close to getting Pavel to scamper, he visibly increased his backswing, flattened his backhand and let it rip. Except, the ball was coming back and it came back deeper and quicker. Added to that, Pavel did not appear to be the least bit stretched by the effort.

He scampered like a Hewitt/Chang (Nadal remains out of reach), but whenever a topspin was feasible, the fluidity of the stroke, the spin on it and angles he generated were breathtaking. A couple of on the run backhands were simply out of the world, at which point, I wished that Agassi was up against a Gasquet backhand rather than the Pavel backhand! On the run or on the rise or making contact well above shoulder to sending it screaming down the line appeared to be run of the mill stuff.

Playing Pavel could be Nadal's worst nightmare! Enough said...