He may have succumbed to the brilliance that is Roger Federer, but all those involved in tennis – at every level of the sport – must not forget how he got there.
The score did not tell the full story. It reads that Federer comfortably progressed to his 41st grand slam semi-final 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 and at 35, the legend continues to grow.
Yet it was the previous victory of Mischa Zverev that really tells the tale.
By defeating Andy Murray in four sets on Sunday, Zverev proved one very important point. That serve and volley tennis can still beat the world’s best.
The match on Tuesday night was littered with quick points. It lasted just one hour and 32 minutes. With a style foreign to countless other players, Zverev forced Federer in on more than one occasion and once again fans witnessed the supreme touch of the Swiss Master at net.
While the commentators noted that Zverev could not get to the first volley as easily as he did against Murray due to the top spin and precision of the Federer return, the German surely lost very few admirers.
For a national audience Zverev brought to the fore a method of play that many thought was dead, buried and never to return.
Maybe as Australians we yearn for that style more than most given our history of great players who professed in the lost art. Our tennis culture was once predicated on coming in and finishing off the point as soon as possible.
Pat Rafter was perhaps the last of the true believers. Since that epic final between Rafter and Goran Ivanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001, where serve and volley from both players was on full display, such matches have been few and far between.
Female tennis continues in large part to experience a drought of the serve and volley proponents. Arguably not since the era of Martina Navratilova has the women’s game seen such tennis widely utilised by the world’s top ranked players.
Many cite slower courts. Others might argue it is not being coached. Whatever the reason, the technique has disappeared in recent times. Until now.
Thanks to the likes of Zverev, Feliciano Lopez and the man who triumphed in Sydney, Gilles Muller, the serve and volley may be on its way back.
Before the exploits of Zverev in Melbourne, Muller not only defied conventional wisdom but also his 33 years to take home his first career title.
The style of play employed by all these men requires a different type of athleticism. It is not so much dependent on court coverage and lateral movement used to the utmost effect by Novak Djokovic. Nor is it reliant on the force of shot that Stan Wawrinka commands.
It requires stamina to keep charging forward to cut off the pass and an elite level of fitness to continue this for several hours of play. It requires exacting technique and placement. It is a high risk, high reward strategy.
Although, as the last few weeks have confirmed, it is also a game plan that can still be successful in the modern era.
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