Wishing for more...

[VillaJ100]

All it would take for SV to make a comeback is to somebody (preferably american) to win wimbledon or the US with a hybrid baseline and net game and SV about 25%. Sure racket technology and strings are beneficial to baseliners now, but in 10 years time somebody could make a string the can compeltly kill all spin and create perfect drop volleys 9/10. What would everyone do then? start playing the net of course!

People play the way they have to to win. You hear people say 'well Borg and Agassi won wimbledon from the back', well that's just a load of horses ass. Borg came forward on nearly every 1st serve and at least 50% of second serves. And when Agassi won, he serve and volleyed on a lot of his service points and finished a lot at the net!

[Moralspain]

We always want what we don't have.

In the past when Ivanisevic and Sampras were playing finals at Wimbledon we wanted to see some guy winning from the baseline, many people thought that matches were "some times" kinda boring, too fast. Nowadays that, without a shadow of a doubt, we're seeing the best tennis ever from the baseline and Wimbledon is played from the baseline we want back the old days, that's normal.

I want Pizza, after having Pizza for 2 weeks i will hate Pizza and want another thing, but after 2 weeks i will want my Pizza back......that's the Human condition.




wow hahaha



btw yes now i wanna see more SV guys, kinda miss them

[Samael]

No S&V guy can beat Nadal, Djokovic or Murray nowadays. No matter how good that player is.

[Corbon]

Back then Ivanisevic was what Karlovic is now. Only serve and no real ground game. High error rate on first serve too. Players like Sampras and Rafter were MUCH more versatile and their successes cements that. Especially Rafter with his genuine chip'n charge move.

You can partly blame today's power play tennis on Bolletieri who created the first players using the style, most notably Seles and Agassi, which is so extremely dominant today. Because of the game's development (technology, fitness) it is the only high level competitive style now. Just like Diesel-powered race cars sweeping Le Mans year after year.

I would honestly trade the entire ****ing top ten of the WTA for just one Davenport. The fact that a player like Caroline Wozniacki can hold the No. 1 spot for almost a year is a sad testament of today's women's tennis.

Where are the big on-court characters now? McEnroe throwing a tantrum, Connors cheerign up the crowd, Becker almost crying (in comparison Stich having the entertainment factor of a sleeping dog). Agassi taking aim at the umpire with a ball. Even Serena turning ghetto from time to time is more entertaining than Azarenka's 1.5 second grunts being measured at xx decibel.

I've been watching tennis on and off since the rise of Boris Becker and Steffi Graf and even though I am not a big nostalgia fan, I can honestly say that yesterday, the sport was better.

[VillaJ100]

I still think a exhibition tournament on grass with wooden rackets and gut strings would be great fun to watch. I think federer would actually piss it. No insanity grips, squash shots, hook forehands etc, just a test of pure technique.

[Moralspain]

please define technique

[djarvik]

I guess he means Classic Tennis technique. I take an issue with it, as technique is subjective to what you trying to accomplish. It is basically how consistently you can perform one element, any element. Modern technique is just as much of a technique as classic one.

[Rob ITST]

I think what he means is it would be a battle of skill and shot making ability, and not necessarily stamina and speed - where being able to improvise and play from all areas of the court is more important than being able to run down every ball and throw up defensive lobs.

[djarvik]

Spot on.

[Corbon]

This would be like putting a formula one driver into a "reasonably priced car".

[Tamthewasp]

Top gear FTW.

Yeah the wooden bats would be fun 2 watch.

It's a shame it's more about pyshical endurance these days.

I just hope a 7 foot monster does'nt come out that can just serve people away and smash the ball so hard. Just like what happened with the Klitcho's in boxing.

Do they even still teach SnV or do you need too hire a special coach. I'm talking at the lower levels n kids here.

P.S I just found out Stefan Edberg killed a guy in the U.S Open with a serve.

So maybe SnV should never come back

[Corbon]

Yeah I read that on Wiki, never heard it before. It was the Junior US Open. Must have haunted him for a while.

Do they even still teach SnV or do you need too hire a special coach. I'm talking at the lower levels n kids here.

Nah everyone puts at least 15 points into OBL now. And watches Isner and Mahut burning each other out with their useless serve and volley game

[VillaJ100]

I think what he means is it would be a battle of skill and shot making ability, and not necessarily stamina and speed - where being able to improvise and play from all areas of the court is more important than being able to run down every ball and throw up defensive lobs.

Yeah, this

Also technique as in, with a wooden bat you have such a small sweet spot if you mishit it you will shank it pretty badly, unlike a sweet spot that is pretty big in modern rackets and a lot more forgiving. For sure these guys don't have exactly 'bad' stroke technique, but i mean like Joko, how many brittle and binned volleys does he have? If he played 70 in the whole of the Oz open i will guess at least half were a little iffy. Plus Murray's FH is sometimes painful to watch, not surprised that he snapped some wrist ligaments in 2007. with a wooden racket everyone's grips will have to head further east and with less topspin, less dip, less margin for error over the net etc as the topspin won't be there to drag the ball back down if you have to hit flatter, so more errors and especially missed passing shots will increase hugely.

[Cro Morgan]

I think what he means is it would be a battle of skill and shot making ability, and not necessarily stamina and speed - where being able to improvise and play from all areas of the court is more important than being able to run down every ball and throw up defensive lobs.

Spot on.

I get what Djarvik is saying -- and, as a purist, agree with mostly everything -- but it is what it is. This transformation/evolution is what all sports endure. Better equipment, stronger, bigger, more well-conditioned athletes, longer shorts, etc., etc, blah, blah, blah.

In 2040, we'll look back at this era and reminisce about the good old days -- when serves were clocked at under 220 mph and when players couldn't float or teleport.

[Chederer]

lol....teleportation---s/v is dead everyone plays like agassi these days...the top 4 are good on any surface, but also in my honest opinion s/v is boring to watch