Art and Craft

Dancing around the court. Playing tennis in the air. That’s what it can look like when Alexandr Dolgopolov has it all going, as he did for most of his upset win over No. 4 seed Robin Soderling today. We like to say that certain players have “all the shots,” but Dolgopolov has them all and a few of his own invention. There’s the head high crosscourt backhand that he seems to take directly in front of his body. There’s the whip forehand he hits while hopping high in the air. There’s the slice backhand that’s spiced with a little extra sidespin. Plus, there's the usual array of threaded passing shots, sharp returns to the corners, and easy forehand winners. If