Changes in technology and changes in the game

[oldhacker]

Often when I watched tennis on television the commentators and pundits (usually ex pros) will talk about how the changes in racquet and string technology have caused major shifts in the game. For example the disappearance of serve and volley players always seems to be put down to the 'new racquets and strings' greatly improving the service returns and ability to hit passing shots.

When I hear this I wonder exactly what these changes are and when they are supposed to ahve happened. It is not that long ago that serve and volley players like Sampras and Rafter had great success and to my mind the major changes in technology had already taken place at that time. For example the Wilson Pro-Staff racquet that Sampras used has been a very popular frame amongst top players (even if PJ'd to look like a 'higher tech' more recent model) a couple of guys I know who were world ranked players back in the mid 1990's still use those Pro Staff frames today depsite the supposedly much better technology that is now available.

I also read on here how many current pros are using old model frames PJ'ed as the latest model.

Does anyone else have any thought on the effect of technology on the game and is it really the cause of the decline of S&V which dominatyed on most surfaces right through the eras of McEnroe, Edberg, Becker, Sampras, Rafter etc.

 

[msc886]

its just how recent players a brought up. Perhaps they learn how to play differently. If it is equipment, more than anything, its the strings. the poly strings allow players to swing hardwhile the ball lands in.

 

[don_nguyen11490]

It has more to do with the court and strings than the rackets themselves. All Grand Slam courts have slowed down significantly since Sampras' time. Remember 2001, where Sampras was hardly winning at all? That was the year they slowed everything down tremendously.

Also, the advent of poly strings such as Luxilon have put everything in favor of the baseliner. Baseliners can now hit the ball as hard as they can (ala Blake or Roddick) and the ball is almost guaranteed not to go out. On the other hand, this does very little for volleyers.

 

[TennezSport]

Agreed......

I agree with both replies here and would like to add a quote from AA about the strings. AA stated that poly string should either be outlawed or everyone should use them (pretty much do now), as they allow you to swing away and keep the ball in.

As mentioned before with the new strings and the court surfaces slowed down, it's really difficult to get away with a S&V game today. An example is Wimbly with the harder ground, tougher but slower grass and opening the tennis balls a week before the tourny, all in an attempt to slow the game up.

This is all because people complained that the game was too fast with big serves, but the powers that be went too far the other way and we now have a game that is becoming one dimensional for baseliners. Who knows where we will go from here.

TennezSport

 

[cadfael_tex]

Maybe a dumb question. Why have courts slowed down so much? Is it intentional? To benefit certain players? because the game was too fast? Curious why the shift at that particular junction.