4

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/02/130902fa_fact_collins

1, does this mean he quickly goes back to the corners from the center to hit those attacks that land so close to the baseline?

2, dig up a drop shot ...does this mean he returns the shot? dig up is a tennis word?

3, starfishing for a high forehand...what does he mean by this?

He bounces the ball a million times before he serves. His play is plasmatic. He seems to flow toward the corners of the court. He is an origami man, folding at the waist to dig up a drop shot, starfishing for a high forehand return, cocking his leg behind his head in an arabesque as he blasts a backhand down the line....

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    Welcome to Sports SE! It may be recommended to split questions up, as different terminology have different meaning. However, if these terminology relate, then this is acceptable. See this for more information: meta.sports.stackexchange.com/a/335/527
    – user527
    Sep 11, 2013 at 22:00
  • 1
    Just a thought, The New Yorker is probably not the place you want to be getting your sports stories from. you might try somewhere with significantly less flourid prose, like ESPN, Y! sports or SI.com
    – wax eagle
    Sep 12, 2013 at 13:38

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1
  1. "Flow towards the corners of the court", means that Djokovic moves effortlessly and smoothly from one side of the court to the other, even though defending this area seems to be impossible without abrupt changes in speed and direction.
  2. "Origami man", refers to the fact that he flexible or fold-able (like paper while making origami), particularly at the waist when he bends low to, ..."dig up a drop shot..."
  3. "Dig up a drop shot", means to return a drop shot. The author uses "dig up" to colorfully describe that drop shots tend to stay very low, a well known characteristic of drop shots among tennis players. The drop shots that Djokovic returns stay so low that he has to, "...dig them up."
  4. "Star fishing for a high forehand", is a colorful description of a tennis player who has all 4 limbs fully stretched out, similar to the points of a starfish, prior to hitting a high forehand.
Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.