[訪談] 回到原點:專訪Raymond & Stubbs
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關於Raymond跟Stubbs(還有Stosur)的關係
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訪問了睽違5年再度合作的兩人
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Getting Back Together: An Interview with Raymond and Stubbs
Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs were one of the best doubles teams a decade
ago, winning the Australian Open in 2000 and collecting two more Grand Slam
titles (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) in 2001. The pair split up in 2005, and
each had success on other teams, but now they’re back together after each
found herself without a partner heading into 2010. We caught up with them
about their style of play, the state of college tennis, and what it’s like
playing no-ad scoring.
What brought you back together?
Stubbs: I was playing with Sam [Stosur] and she wanted to concentrate a lot
more on her singles. Lisa was looking to play with someone else, so we were
essentially free at the same time, so Lisa proposed in an e-mail that we give
it another go. It might be my one of my last years, if not my last year, on
tour, so it’s nice to spend that time together.
Did it take a long time to get back into the groove as a team?
Raymond: It was kind of like getting back on a bike. We had played for so
long together and then playing against each other over the years. After a
couple of practices it was as if we had never stopped playing together.
Stubbs: The biggest difference for us is that the game has changed a little
bit. Teams are playing back a lot more, so we thought, as serve and volley
players and people who chip and come in, who play aggressive tennis, How do
we adjust to that style of play?
Is that the biggest change? How doubles has become more of a…
Raymond: More of a singles game? Oh, absolutely. Between the technology and
the fact the girls are so much fitter, the serves and returns are much bigger
and everyone is staying back. You can count on four fingers the teams who
serve and volley anymore.
Stubbs: A lot of people playing “I” formation because they are staying on
the baseline more. It’s kind of good for us in some ways because it keeps it
fresh.
How has your training changed as a result?
Raymond: We very rarely practice against someone who’s going to serve and
volley. Our standard play 10 years ago was, OK, girl’s going to serve and
volley, get the return down and go.
Stubbs: Now we have to be very clear about the game plan. If you return to
her forehand, we’re going to do this. If you’re going to lob, we’re going
to do that. It now has to be a lot more strategic where it used to be more
straight up. Don’t get us wrong, [it] was still hard [before]! When we
played against Martina [Navratilova], I’ll never forget we played her on
grass and I played my usual chip and come in. Most girls don’t try to serve
and volley on me when I chip and come in—there aren’t many girls who are
going to out-volley us—and Martina got the ball back and then she would toy
with me. I’m not used to girls playing like that anymore.
Teams seem to breakup a lot. Is it complicated to play teams when they switch
partners?
Stubbs: Definitely teams have very set things. So when they play with
different people they still have their strengths and weaknesses but maybe
they don’t gel as well with someone new. Or sometimes, they are better.
Where do you stand on the third-set tiebreaker?
Stubbs: We hate it.
Raymond: Here’s the thing: Obviously, I’d much rather have the traditional
best-of-three tiebreaker sets, but if I had to give up one thing, I’d take
the third set tiebreaker. It’s the no-ad that’s the killer. That is what
kills you in the format on the WTA tour week in, week out. You play one bad
point, you don’t hit your serve on your spot and they get a lucky return,
game’s over. In a 10-point breaker it’s long enough that you can get a
little momentum.
Stubbs: Mostly the better team wins.
Raymond: Usually. You get tons of tough teams dropping sets now but still win
the third-set tiebreaker.
Stubbs: It’s major pressure on the really good teams as opposed to the other
teams who think they have a chance. They get all upped and amped for it
because they think, “If we can get a set, we might win the super-tiebreak.”
We are so happy to be in the Slams because we know over time that, ad-deuce,
ad-deuce, you have to earn those games. There really isn’t an element of
luck.
Lisa, what do you think about the college situation? You were sort of the
poster woman for going to college [University of Florida] and then turning
pro. Now everyone talks about John Isner as a college success story.
Raymond: If you would have asked me five to eight years ago if I thought
someone should go to school, I definitely would have said yes, absolutely.
But now, what I think is happening, is the competition is just not there
anymore. The USTA and everyone is telling them to turn pro instead of going
to school. It would be nice to see people go back to school and other people,
someone like Chelsea Gullickson [University of Georgia], for example, who has
done well in college and might give the pro tour a try, inspire people to go
back and play college tennis. I’m still a huge advocate for players to go to
school, just to develop as a person and to get an education.
Stubbs: And to fall back on it. If it doesn’t work out [on the tour], you
can always go back to school and finish.
Raymond: But if you have aspirations of being a very good professional tennis
player, you could lose a couple of good years on tour by going to school.
Stubbs: Or, just go for one year, pick a great school. If the USTA pushed
their better players to go to the really great schools instead of turning
pro, then you would have those great girls belting at each other all year and
then you’ll really see the ones who want to be great. The “Lisa Raymonds”
will go undefeated at college and then maybe she can say, “OK, I’ve beaten
the best in my country.” If you can’t even beat the best in your country,
you shouldn’t be playing because there are 500 Lisa Raymonds out there
wanting to be a pro.
Players are playing longer, peaking later, what do you think about that?
Stubbs: It’s interesting. Tennis Australia is looking into that now. Players
aren’t playing their best until their 20s and there aren’t the phenoms any
longer. There are so few players who are teenagers even in the Top 50. Maybe
the USTA needs to look at that and see where can we get the competitiveness
back to make players better at 16, 17 and 18, instead of encouraging them to
turn pro at 17. They aren’t good enough and then they’re thrown into in the
system in the big washing machine, and eventually at 20 they think, “this
sucks,” and they have no life. Push them to go into the collegiate system
where they are playing each other. You know, Lisa played against girls who
turned pro.
Raymond: My competition was in the era of Meredith McGrath, Andrea Farley,
Debbie Graham. They all turned pro.
Would you include playing on the junior circuit before turning pro?
Raymond: I feel like you should dominate what you’re doing. I was No. 1 in
the 18s and then No. 1 in college, so then I thought, “OK, let’s see what I
can do at the next level.” Today, kids kind of meander, they’re kind of
mediocre. Players can be No. 8 or so in the country as a junior and then
think, “OK, let’s try [the pro tour].” I’m a huge believer that winning
breeds winning. If you dominate and you’re No. 1, you have confidence and
you move to the next level and you feel good about yourself. If you come out
here on the pro tour, it’s not easy. It’s a tough life. If you’re doing
well, it’s phenomenal.
Stubbs: Let’s not kid ourselves. When you’re doing well, it’s harder
because you have a lot of pressure on you.
Where do you go after here?
Stubbs: Asia, to China. Hopefully we’ll qualify for the championships. Our
goal is always to win every time we play and we always believe that quality
is much better than quantity.
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