1993: Mansdorf Uses Guile to Outlast Martin
By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer
July 26, 1993
Amos Mansdorf is not a big man, and he doesn't have a big serve or forehand. But if an opponent is not careful, Mansdorf will wear him out, as he did Todd Martin in the final of the Newsweek Tennis Classic yesterday. That's what happens when a man has spent 10 years on the professional tennis circuit and builds a mountain of knowledge.
Mansdorf, 27, used all of his experience and guile to beat the bigger, stronger, younger Martin, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.
He moved the 23-year-old Martin around the court in the 100-degree heat; he approached the net when Martin least expected it.
"At this point in my career, I'm very much in control out there,"said Mansdorf, an Israeli who turned professional in 1983 and played while serving a compulsory three-year stint in the military."I know when the big point is coming, and I was ready today every time we played a big point. Playing 10 years on the tour helped with that."
When the two-hour match was over, Mansdorf's cap was turned slightly crooked on his head and he wore a punch-drunk-like grin. He accepted the $84,000 winner's check and addressed the crowd with nice words about Washington.
This is"probably the best I've played in three years,"he told the crowd of 7,041.
This was Mansdorf's first tournament victory since 1990, when he won in Rosmalen, Netherlands. After his semifinal victory Saturday against Richey Reneberg, Mansdorf said he had forgotten how it felt to win.
When asked today if he remembered, Mansdorf said,"It feels good."
He added:"When I started on the tour it was completely different. ... Now the whole philosophy is different. When I was young and knew I could do well in tennis, I didn't know how to do it. I didn't listen. I didn't know what they meant by commitment and working hard.
"That's why I think maybe I have my best years ahead of me at age 27, 28, 29 as opposed to guys {who have their best years at} 22, 23."
Martin, who turned pro in 1990 after a successful college career at Northwestern, is one of those young guys.
He is playing better than ever, having reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, the final of the U.S. Pro Championships last week in Boston and the final here.
In Boston, Martin defeated Mansdorf en route to the final, in which he lost to Ivan Lendl. But yesterday, Martin was outplayed by a man with a better game plan.
"In Boston. ... I wasn't playing as well as this week, but I had a few ideas {after the match} about what I should have done tactically,"Mansdorf said.
Mansdorf was coy about what those tactics were, but it was obvious from his play.
Martin had played all but one of his matches leading up to the final at night. So Mansdorf, who played just one night match, knew Martin would have trouble adjusting to the midday heat.
Also, Mansdorf knows Martin is a serve-and-volley player who does not like long rallies. And while Martin's size helps him cover the net when his serve-and-volley game is on, it hurts him when he has to run from sideline to sideline.
"I'd like to get quicker,"Martin said."People might say I'm quick for a 6-6 guy, but if I were 5-10, I'd be laughed off the court. Maybe someday people will say I move quick -- period."
Martin opened the match by coming to the net -- and it worked for him -- he won the first three games.
"It's intimidating," Mansdorf said of Martin's serve-and-volley game."I'd much prefer to see him at the baseline than at the net."
So Mansdorf countered by focusing on keeping Martin pinned to the baseline or moving him all over the court.
The strategy gave Mansdorf he next three games, and the players held serve to make it 6-5, Martin, with Mansdorf serving. Mansdorf fought off three set points by keeping Martin at the baseline, held serve and forced a tiebreaker.
On serve at 1-2 in tiebreaker with Martin serving, Mansdorf took a weak second ball and hit a shot down the line that Martin returned long. On the next point, Mansdorf froze Martin on the baseline. When Martin guessed left, Mansdorf smacked a forehand right for an easy winner.
At that point Martin was looking tentative, trying just to stay alive in rallies rather than come to the net.
"The way the match was going, Amos was hitting so well from the backcourt that it was tough to win any points by outrallying him,"Martin said."... It would have been good for me to get to the net more often in the crucial points, especially in the first set."
In the second set, each player had one service break to get to 6-5. In the final game, with Martin serving at 15-all, Mansdorf hit a forehand short and a sluggish Martin hit it weakly into the net. On match point, Martin sent a backhand into the net.
When asked whether Martin was tiring, Mansdorf said:"I think so. It worked against him playing a lot of night games and today he had to play in the heat.
"It's a different ballgame {during the day}. He's a big guy and it's tougher for him, he has to spend more energy. So I tried to get him moving."That's what it came down to. Whoever got the other guy moving more won the point."
And the match.
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