Is Sinner vs Medvedev in a GS final good for tennis?

[Impetus]

In terms of style none of them are all court players. One is an aggressive baseliner and the other is a pusher (no spin or pace).
Here is some statistics on how often players come to the net compared to their groundstrokes:

Jannik Sinner 3,7%
Novak Djokovic 3,12%
Alcaraz 6,02%
Holger Rune 7,85%
Federer 6,69%
Medvedev 2,7%

Source: http://www.tennisabstract.com
A fun fact is that Federer has earned 550 million usd and Djoker has earned 240 million USD. There is almost a direct correlation between how many times they went to the net.

Tennis has decreased in popularity since the 80’s where the game was much more all court oriented. Is the decline in popularity a direct consequence of how the game has developed?

 

[BeatlesFan]

Neither player has one shred of charisma, though Med can be funny if he starts getting angry with the crowd. Med also has possibly the ugliest game of an elite player, maybe ever. But Sinner breaking through to win his first slam is good for new gen and tennis. Let's just say this final will generate about 1% of the interest a Federer-Nadal final used to generate, but that's a high bar. A Mannarino-Gilles Simon final would be the lowest possible bar.

It won't bring new fans since so few people will be watching it, especially outside Europe.

 

[Kralingen]

Medvedev alienates viewers and is awful for the game.

 

[PDJ]

In my case, yes. Some new faces (kinda).

 

[Zardoz7/12]

Yes I believe it is.

What I like about Medvedev in this tournament is his heart, his fight, his game not so much.

Sinner has everything and it's all coming together, I hope he wins in the final.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Yes I believe it is.

What I like about Medvedev in this tournament is his heart, his fight, his game not so much.

Sinner has everything and it's all coming together, I hope he wins in the final.

There's a Sinner fan on here, Dking, I hope he has happy viewing on Sunday.

But what does this have to do with bringing new fans to tennis? OP asked something else entirely.

 

[ChaelAZ]

I will give a qualified 'no' on that. We know the biggest draw in tennis has been Alcaraz with the likes of Sinner, Ruud, and Rune also getting a good share of lime light for the sport. A Sinner v Alcaraz final was the platinum ring tennis needed since both are young and energetic, and then they have already built a solid nextgen rivalry with epic matches for the history books. However, absent of that now, at least having Sinner there bring that nextgen energy to the forefront. And while I like Meddy, he isn't a huge draw outside of tennis fans to general sports fans, but does give some gangly flow to it all. And that is the crux of "good for tennis" to me, having an appeal outside of die hard tennis fans to making a highlight reel or hot take for tik tok in the general sports world.

 

[ActualTennisPlayer]

I think sinner has great tennis. I love to watch his ball bashing. And he seems to be popular.

I think medvedev is a bit polarizing

 

[TheSlicer]

A pusher lol

 

[Stradivarius]

Medvedev is the proof that mind rules this game. Sinner is awsome. Looking forward for this final.

 

[junior74]

I've never liked last man standing tennis. So I hope Sinner wins.

I also hope Sinner, Alcaraz and Rune will find ways to beat the pure baseline players and give us more variety in the years to come.

 

[TheLeadMaster]

My heart sank when Sasha lost.
I won't be watching a minute of this upcoming final. It's time to lighten up the balls and make the courts faster.

 

[jackson vile]

The only way you will know is by looking at the ratings

 

[nolefam_2024]

My heart sank when Sasha lost.
I won't be watching a minute of this upcoming final. It's time to lighten up the balls and make the courts faster.

OH No


Never support this man.

 

[Krish0608]

If Sinner wins, it is good for tennis.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I will give a qualified 'no' on that. We know the biggest draw in tennis has been Alcaraz with the likes of Sinner, Ruud, and Rune also getting a good share of lime light for the sport. A Sinner v Alcaraz final was the platinum ring tennis needed since both are young and energetic, and then they have already built a solid nextgen rivalry with epic matches for the history books. However, absent of that now, at least having Sinner there bring that nextgen energy to the forefront. And while I like Meddy, he isn't a huge draw outside of tennis fans to general sports fans, but does give some gangly flow to it all. And that is the crux of "good for tennis" to me, having an appeal outside of die hard tennis fans to making a highlight reel or hot take for tik tok in the general sports world.

Agree with all this. A Sinner-Alcaraz final would generate interest among new fans. Med in any major final is always a downer. Ridiculously passive play with zero net game. But Becker-Edberg players are 40 years in the past.

 

[Sentinel]

Nope.

Alcaraz in the final may have been better for tennis.

 

[bluetrain4]

I think it's a perfectly good matchup.

 

[ChrisJR3264]

Medvedev alienates viewers and is awful for the game.

Sasha zverev?

Medvedev is more honest and people don’t like it.

 

[ChrisJR3264]

My heart sank when Sasha lost.
I won't be watching a minute of this upcoming final. It's time to lighten up the balls and make the courts faster.

I am good with sinner or medvedev as the AO champ. Both likeable guys. Different players. Med has had some different tactics this event. Coming up more on serve. Coming to the net more. Very interesting to see where he’s at fitness wise being on court a ton.

Sinner is the favorite. He’s played lights out here.

I’m just happy zverev is not going to be lifting this trophy.

 

[Born_to_slice]

Stupid thread filled with idiotic comments. Final is fine, hope Medvedev wins.

 

[Sudacafan]

I would have preferred a Borg - McEnroe final, but I think this one's no harm.

 

[Tennfan123]

Better than Djokovic vs Zverev for sure.

 

[nighthawkrr]

Tennis has decreased in popularity since the 80’s where the game was much more all court oriented. Is the decline in popularity a direct consequence of how the game has developed?

How has it declined in popularity? Attendance at the US Open has never been higher and going was way more expensive too.

 

[Rosstour]

How has it declined in popularity? Attendance at the US Open has never been higher and going was way more expensive too.

Things are good right now, but they were great in the 70/80s.

There is a reason that every tennis club in the US feels like stepping back into the period of 1986-1996, because they were all built around that time in response to the boom of the 1970s.

 

[Rosstour]

Better than Djokovic vs Zverev for sure.

Djoko-Medvedev would've been the worst outcome. Sinner and Alcaraz the best.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Things are good right now, but they were great in the 70/80s.

There is a reason that every tennis club in the US feels like stepping back into the period of 1986-1996, because they were all built around that time in response to the boom of the 1970s.

It's not tennis's fault. The game is played at much higher pace today than ever. The only problem is players have figured out it's better to ballbash if you want to win.

And 70s there were far fewer choices for entertainment.

 

[mahatma]

In terms of style none of them are all court players. One is an aggressive baseliner and the other is a pusher (no spin or pace).
Here is some statistics on how often players come to the net compared to their groundstrokes:

Jannik Sinner 3,7%
Novak Djokovic 3,12%
Alcaraz 6,02%
Holger Rune 7,85%
Federer 6,69%
Medvedev 2,7%

Source: http://www.tennisabstract.com
A fun fact is that Federer has earned 550 million usd and Djoker has earned 240 million USD. There is almost a direct correlation between how many times they went to the net.

Tennis has decreased in popularity since the 80’s where the game was much more all court oriented. Is the decline in popularity a direct consequence of how the game has developed?

Pls give source of decrease in popularity since 80s. No eye test or “I feel so” sort of answers pls. Need solid data as proof. If not pls shut down your thread

 

[Rosstour]

It's not tennis's fault. The game is played at much higher pace today than ever. The only problem is players have figured out it's better to ballbash if you want to win.

And 70s there were far fewer choices for entertainment.

The decline in American tennis interest is directly related to the decline of American players. Things got hot when the B3 was Mac, Connors, Borg.

Then Sampras and Agassi were cool for a bit, but they didn't grow the game. And their rivalry was nothing like the ones of the 70s/80s. The game suffered a lot during/after their reign.

 

[nolefam_2024]

The decline in American tennis interest is directly related to the decline of American players. Things got hot when the B3 was Mac, Connors, Borg.

Then Sampras and Agassi were cool for a bit, but they didn't grow the game. And their rivalry was nothing like the ones of the 70s/80s. The game suffered a lot during/after their reign.

Yes that's what I always heard. But why didn't they grow the game. Sampras won bucket load of slams. Agassi was super popular.

 

[Sipho]

In terms of style none of them are all court players. One is an aggressive baseliner and the other is a pusher (no spin or pace).
Here is some statistics on how often players come to the net compared to their groundstrokes:

Jannik Sinner 3,7%
Novak Djokovic 3,12%
Alcaraz 6,02%
Holger Rune 7,85%
Federer 6,69%
Medvedev 2,7%

Source: http://www.tennisabstract.com
A fun fact is that Federer has earned 550 million usd and Djoker has earned 240 million USD. There is almost a direct correlation between how many times they went to the net.

Tennis has decreased in popularity since the 80’s where the game was much more all court oriented. Is the decline in popularity a direct consequence of how the game has developed?

As far as brining in new viewers? I would say no.

No, I would say this is a tennis fan's tennis match, not a general audience or new audience tennis match.

Alcaraz and Sinner I think would have been better for a general or new audience. Or Alcaraz and Rune or something. Although I guess they were on the same side of the draw. Alcaraz and Dimitrov, maybe, even though Dimitrov is on the older side. And I guess they were on the same side of the draw too.

So Alcaraz versus anybody probably would have been better.

Sinner's game is great, and his demeanor on court is great. A cool customer. Hits great shots and is not even phased: "That's what I meant to do that."

His style though: Nike should force him to play in better looking clothes.

The hat too. He has great hair, but I guess he has too much hair? A stylist or something could maybe help with that. And he would look silly in a Federer headband, so you have to do something else.

Maybe that thing that Korda wears. He wore it with Adidas and now he has a Nike one. So maybe that. I love Musetti's "man bun" or "samurai bun," but I don't know if Sinner could pull that off.

The hat fits his personality, but it kind of takes away cool fashion points.

Anyway.

In terms of tennis popularity, yes, attendance to the slams are up, but the television ratings I don't think are the same?

Of course, yeah, I say everybody staying at the baseline hitting two-handed backhands is killing it.

But that's probably not the reason. No, running was huge in the 70s at the same time tennis was huge. So it was just a boom then and booms don't last forever.

 

[Rosstour]

Yes that's what I always heard. But why didn't they grow the game. Sampras won bucket load of slams. Agassi was super popular.

Sampras is the single reason they slowed down the courts. His matches with guys like Scud and Rusedski were total snooze fests. Every point was short, S&V. Might be impressive to us devotees but was terrible for ratings and attendance.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

Yeah, both are great players. One is young and up and coming, one is in his prime. The match is open and has no clear favorite. It's good I would say.

 

[The Blond Blur]

No, I think it was much better for tennis when a guy in his mid-late 30’s who’s severely declined compared to his prime was winning basically everything just by keeping the ball in play while watching #NextGen MUGS implode ad nauseam.

*sarcasm off*

 

[Tennfan123]

Djoko-Medvedev would've been the worst outcome. Sinner and Alcaraz the best.

I'd have liked Sinner-Alcaraz or Djoko-Alcaraz.
I agree Djoko-Med would have been bad. Depressing.
I'd have watched Sinner Zverev, too. The mauling would have been great to see.

 

[Rosstour]

I'd have liked Sinner-Alcaraz or Djoko-Alcaraz.
I agree Djoko-Med would have been bad. Depressing.
I'd have watched Sinner Zverev, too. The mauling would have been great to see.

If Z reached the Final, good chance he takes it. So if you are ABZ then it's good he was stopped where he was.

Sinner's postmatch remarks were refreshing. He isn't interested in being a bad boy, or warning Kosovo against making any sudden moves. He won me over with his play and his comportment afterwards.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Sampras is the single reason they slowed down the courts. His matches with guys like Scud and Rusedski were total snooze fests. Every point was short, S&V. Might be impressive to us devotees but was terrible for ratings and attendance.

So today is better

 

[nighthawkrr]

No, I think it was much better for tennis when a guy in his mid-late 30’s who’s severely declined compared to his prime was winning basically everything just by keeping the ball in play while watching #NextGen MUGS implode ad nauseam.

*sarcasm off*

Not sure why an athlete being mid 30s dominating is considered bad. Did you forget Barry Bonds, Kipchoge, etc.

 

[mahatma]

So today is better

Some of those old matches are literally unwatchable because of near no rallies. It’s all 2-4 shots rallies mostly

 

[Rosstour]

So today is better

Depends on who you like, but yes longer rallies are better for the casual fans and drive a ton of interest.

We're sort of finding a middle ground now. The slowdown was like a crackpipe, we just kept going until we hit the bottom where winners were hard to come by and the matches started becoming marathons. The 5th set TBs that Slams are adopting was only necessary because the courts slowed down so much

 

[optic yellow]

Is sex generally enjoyable?

 

[Rosstour]

Is sex generally enjoyable?

Yes, but ask someone to watch one porn scene for 5 hours and you'll lose your viewers pretty quickly lol

 

[nolefam_2024]

Depends on who you like, but yes longer rallies are better for the casual fans and drive a ton of interest.

We're sort of finding a middle ground now. The slowdown was like a crackpipe, we just kept going until we hit the bottom where winners were hard to come by and the matches started becoming marathons. The 5th set TBs that Slams are adopting was only necessary because the courts slowed down so much

Yes. The rise of the pushbots is bad for tennis but it's where we are now. I was so surprised when every single next gen was saying clay as their favorite surface.

Obvious exception was Shapovalov and later Medvedev who became great much later.

These pushbots like Zverev Tsitsipas and others are the reason tennis popularity didn't rise. Add to the fact the non pushbots were simply brainless. FAA and Shapovalov for example. Why would people be invested in these players?

 

[The Blond Blur]

Not sure why an athlete being mid 30s dominating is considered bad. Did you forget Barry Bonds, Kipchoge, etc.

Because he’s a worse player now than he was a decade ago yet he’s been more dominant. That can only mean the competition is worse now than it was a decade ago. And if that’s the case then the overall quality of the product is down so by default it’s worse.

Also Bonds cheated and Kipchoge is a marathon runner where guys actually do peak later in their careers unlike a fast twitch sport like tennis.

 

[nolefam_2024]

He is not worse player at all. He is playing very high level tennis now.

 

[Rosstour]

Yes. The rise of the pushbots is bad for tennis but it's where we are now. I was so surprised when every single next gen was saying clay as their favorite surface.

Obvious exception was Shapovalov and later Medvedev who became great much later.

These pushbots like Zverev Tsitsipas and others are the reason tennis popularity didn't rise. Add to the fact the non pushbots were simply brainless. FAA and Shapovalov for example. Why would people be invested in these players?

Yup. All apprentices. Now there is a new master, maybe two. And that creates excitement.

 

[Rosstour]

He is not worse player at all. He is playing very high level tennis now.

Sinner exposed his movement to the corners. Ppl have been talking about the decline in his corner to corner movement for a while but no one has been able to exploit that for an entire match. And he couldn't get enough power on his shots to trouble Sinner.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Sinner exposed his movement to the corners. Ppl have been talking about the decline in his corner to corner movement for a while but no one has been able to exploit that for an entire match. And he couldn't get enough power on his shots to trouble Sinner.

He played a very bad match. Last year he played same sinner in Wimbledon and won in straight sets.

 

[Rosstour]

He played a very bad match. Last year he played same sinner in Wimbledon and won in straight sets.

Yea because he is safest at Wimbledon. I was much more surprised by the Wimbledon loss to 'Raz than by this loss to Sinner. I expect Djoko's last Slam win to be on a natural surface.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Yea because he is safest at Wimbledon. I was much more surprised by the Wimbledon loss to 'Raz than by this loss to Sinner. I expect Djoko's last Slam win to be on a natural surface.

Odd but ok. Why is he safer on Wimbledon. He was winning AO 23 easily. Wimbledon he lost many sets before the final.