The French underdog came close to unseating odds-on favourite Andy Roddick in the Artois final - and after beating and Ljubicic and Nadal on the way, Nicolas Mahut looks one for the future. After watching clay-court matches for the past few months, one thing that I forgot about tennis on grass is how quickly the points, games and sets can end. Instead of rallies that seemingly never allow a player to be out of the point if they have the requisite speed and footwork (which 99 percent of the ATP Tour possesses), the lawn speeds up the shots so much that often players just have to say “too good”. It’s no surprise then that the serve-and-volley tactic is so effective on grass, as it condenses the point into an even quicker sequence of shots. Long forlorn since the heydays of Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, serve-and-volley players are now a dying breed. But Nicolas Mahut’s performance this week gave us reason to think that the net-rushing strategy should be employed much more often, especially on quick courts like the ones at Queen’s Club. Aided by his play in doubles (Mahut also reached the semi-finals in that bracket, alongside Julien Benneteau), his volleys were crisp and effective throughout the match. But equally as impressive was the service of the Frenchman, who fired 21 aces, just three short of Andy Roddick’s total of 24. Add in the fact that Nicolas won 88 percent of his first serve points, and he had crafted a game plan than could compete with a grass court master like Roddick – and compete it did. Winning the first set after converting on the only break point opportunity he had, Mahut took the second set to a deciding tiebreaker, and held championship point after a back and forth battle with the American. Mini-breaks were just as scarce as regular breaks of serve, and Mahut eventually acquired one, giving him the chance to win his first ever ATP Tour tournament. On championship point, Andy was dead at the net, standing practically still in the middle after hitting two average volleys. Mahut looked for the winning pass down the baseline, but the shot caught the net and gave Roddick a lifeline he desperately needed. Soon after, the American took the second set, and the match continued, much to the crowd’s delight. As mentioned, breaks are not exactly easy to come by on the slick grass, a sharp contrast to the plethora of chances afforded to players on the slower clay. In my opinion, this brand of tennis produces a more exciting product – it’s much tenser for the fans to watch, where the first error can often spell doom. In the third set, breaks of serve were again non-existent, and another tiebreaker would be needed to decide the championship. This time around, Roddick didn’t have to worry about a Mahut gaffe on a crucial point, as he raced to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker. With an ace up the middle, Roddick took out a dejected Mahut, who desperately wanted this title – as the many grass stains on his shirt demonstrated. Watching this final, I found myself enjoying the tennis so much that I’m nominating it as one of the matches of the year, which I didn’t at all expect coming into it. With Mahut being the overwhelming underdog, handicappers probably figured a few games for the Frenchman, but a straight-setter in the end for the American. But unquestionably, Mahut showed why he deserved to be in the final, and his potential to do some damage at Wimbledon, should he qualify for the Grand Slam. The Frenchman took out Ivan Ljubicic and Rafael Nadal earlier in the tournament and following Sunday’s gallant effort against Roddick, he deserves just as much praise as the four-time champion of Queen’s Club.
