He decided this after he had fallen behind, three games to none, in the first set of the final. He was being driven crazy by Zaras’s assortment of spins, slices, lobs, and drop shots, which had him back on his heels and confused. The same thing had happened, he remembered, when he had last played Tony a month before, and lost. As he got ready to serve the fourth game, he tried to think of a way to turn this match around. He had to get back in control. Tony had weaknesses to be attacked. What were they? There was Tony’s backhand, for one thing. Tony used a two-handed grip. That made the backhand stronger, but it shortened his reach a little. Maybe Steve could concentrate more on the backhand, force him to run and lunge more, make Tony the guy who was off balance and uncertain for a change. He tried the strategy on his next serve. Taking a deep breath, Steve sent a smash down the centerline, making Tony lunge at it with his two-handed backhand.
