Mountain Ghost
02-07-2007, 02:26 PM
Really “good” tennis is divided into two different worlds. There are those select few who have the dream AND the supernatural ability to actually make money playing competitive tennis, and then there are those who hit the ball very well, but are “doomed” to merely enjoy a long life of playing the game at a respectably high level. All young players start out wanting to become pros, and it’s not until college age that they finally catch a glimpse of their true destiny in the game.
I grew up in a large tennis scene where I saw two types of “great” players . . . the scrappy little “machines”, some of whom had great wins, and the beautiful strokers, all of whom had great technical grace. On any non-tournament day, who do you think had the most fun and attracted the most audience appreciation? It was always the ones with the best strokes. If it wasn’t a tournament, we didn’t care who won. We just wanted to see something beautiful that we could emulate.
Hats off to all professional players and their coaches, and I’ll always watch them in total amazement. But if you have aspirations in tennis and are trying to decide what kind of game you should develop, just be absolutely real about what you want to get out of the game BEYOND stardom. Find a pro who can teach you some beautiful strokes, and you’ll never be sorry.
MG
I grew up in a large tennis scene where I saw two types of “great” players . . . the scrappy little “machines”, some of whom had great wins, and the beautiful strokers, all of whom had great technical grace. On any non-tournament day, who do you think had the most fun and attracted the most audience appreciation? It was always the ones with the best strokes. If it wasn’t a tournament, we didn’t care who won. We just wanted to see something beautiful that we could emulate.
Hats off to all professional players and their coaches, and I’ll always watch them in total amazement. But if you have aspirations in tennis and are trying to decide what kind of game you should develop, just be absolutely real about what you want to get out of the game BEYOND stardom. Find a pro who can teach you some beautiful strokes, and you’ll never be sorry.
MG