Fish shows net result from shedding pounds

About this Fish diet: Is something afoot at the U.S. Open, in terms of dramatic weight loss translating into a radical performance enhancement?

At 28, Mardy Fish - who had been a legitimate if not threatening presence at major events for a decade - suddenly has transformed himself into a lean, mean tennis machine, 30 pounds lighter than a year ago and 77 places higher in the world rankings, at No. 21.

There is, about him, an undeniable lightness of being lately, both physically and mentally. "Just sort of feeling confident," he said. "A lot of it is mental. I want to set a precedent to the guys that I can play in the hottest stuff out here . . . I want to at least try to put some sort of myth out there that, you know, I can last as long as anyone."

This is not new to the sport, either. In the 1980s, both in men's and women's elite tennis, prominent players found ways to shed opponents by dropping pounds. Both Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl tailored nourishment regimes to their exhaustive workout routines to become dominant during that decade.

In Lendl's case, he employed Robert Haas' then-fashionable "Eat to Win" diet. (John McEnroe, so often Lendl's nemesis, famously kidded that he personally favored "the Häagen Dazs diet.") Navratilova's conviction to lose weight - she gained 20 pounds within two weeks of her defection from Czechoslovakia to the United States at 18 - soon prompted top rival Chris Evert to emphasize her own stepped-up fitness push.

Evert "had the feeling," she recently said, "of, 'Boy, if she ever gets herself in shape," Navratilova would be a handful across the net.

Tennis in the 21st century, Lendl said earlier this week, is full of players who are "much fitter" than his generation. Yet Fish had been able to keep up with most players carrying the 30 pounds he now considers pure excess for years. Which raises the question of whether tennis skill can cover up for less-than-peak conditioning.

"You know, Mardy has a game that made it possible to do that," said James Blake, one of Fish's close friends on the tour. "His hand-eye is so good, he was able to dictate play . He could pick a ball off the baseline and just rip a winner. With a huge serve as well."

A year ago, Andy Roddick embarked on a similar weight-loss routine - cutting out fast food and late-night meals - and attributed his months of improved play, including his notable five-set loss to Roger Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon final, to his loss of 15 pounds.

Still, other players argued that dropping pounds also would decrease power and endurance. American Taylor Dent said eating broccoli only sapped his energy and Blake, when asked if Fish might be starting a trend, said, "Not with me.

"I usually try to put on weight. I'd lose weight and wouldn't have enough in the tank for five-setters or anything like that," Blake said. "Everybody's different. I know every girl I talked to hates me because I say I have to force in food, an extra dinner or Power Bar."

Maybe even Häagen Dazs.