The Greatest Hard Court Players of the Open Era

[Laurie]

Article I've written. Read on....

http://burnstennis.blogspot.com/2011/08/greatest-hard-court-players-of-open-era.html

As we are presently in the heart of the North American hard court season, it's time to take a look at some of the greatest hard court players of the Open Era.

I will take a look at the greatest male champions first, analyzing their achievements, games, and what made them great on the surface. In the next article I will focus on the great women hard court players of the Open Era.

There have been some dominant players on the surface in the Open Era, especially since the late 1970s to mid 1980s, when most grass tournaments were pulled up and replaced with low-maintenance hard courts. The rise of hard court tennis coincided with the introduction of graphite rackets and the transition to the modern power game.

The Australian Open is the most high-profile example of this. They switched from grass to rubber hard courts called rebound ace in 1987 and then switched to a medium-paced plexicushion hard court in 2007.

Ivan Lendl

Ivan Lendl is a player that has consistently been presented as the “Father of Modern Tennis” throughout the media in recent times. I can say for sure that the way hard court tennis is played today can certainly be traced back to Lendl.

Lendl won over 20 hard court titles in his career. He’s up there with the very best hard court players of the Open Era. Ivan got to eight consecutive US Open finals between 1982 and 1989, winning three straight between 1985 and 1987, defeating John McEnroe, Miroslav Mecir, and Mats Wilander.

It's also fair to say that Lendl’s losses in US Open finals were to some of the best players of the Open Era in Jimmy Connors, McEnroe, Wilander, and Boris Becker.

Lendl also won two Australian Opens on rebound ace and was a regular winner on the American hard court circuit.
Most important of all is Lendl’s influence on the way tennis is played both tactically and technically, particularly on hard courts. Lendl had a very strong and big first serve that he used to set up his points very well by getting a short reply, which he could use to dominate the rally or end the point with a short ball he could attack. Lendl also scored many aces with that serve.

Lendl also changed his game significantly early on in the pro tour. When Lendl came on the circuit, he was initially known for a very good slice backhand—similar to many players from the 1970s who used wood racquets.

However, Lendl soon developed a superb topspin backhand, which he used to stay in rallies and to hit as passing winners when attacked by the many attacking players of that era.

With that topspin backhand, Lendl was able to cover mainly the backhand side of the court because Lendl possessed great athleticism and had the best running forehand during the 1980s and early 1990s, which he used to go down the line or crosscourt.

It’s the forehand that Lendl was most famous for, as it’s considered one of the best strokes in history. With the tactic of covering the backhand side of the court, Lendl could run around it and hit punishing inside-out forehands crosscourt or forehands down the line.

Basically a good length ball could become a fairly short ball in those circumstances, and it’s that level of tactics which made Lendl stand out as a superior tennis player. It’s also a tactic that was adopted by many great players after Lendl. However, the key to that strategy was his athleticism to quickly cover the right side of the court should the opponent go down the line to his forehand.

Lendl was also credited for taking fitness and training methods to a new level in tennis and was one of the first players to get a freshly strung racquet every time new balls were called by the umpire to take advantage of fresh strings.

Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi holds the record of the most hard court titles won with 46. Agassi won 60 titles, so three-quarters of his titles were on hard court! That ensures Agassi is one of the very best in the business.
In 1995, Andre won seven titles, all on hard court (including rebound ace).

Agassi won the Australian Open four times on rebound ace. In 1995 he won it in his debut there, defeating Pete Sampras in the final (who was defending champion). Agassi also won the title in 2000, 2001, and 2003.
Agassi also played in six US Open finals, winning in 1994 and 1999 and getting to the final in 2005 as a 35-year-old, losing to Roger Federer. Agassi also holds the record of winning Miami six times.

Agassi’s philosophy and style of play were somewhat different from Lendl’s, due to the fact Agassi is considered to have the gift of great hand-eye coordination and lightning-quick reflexes. Agassi wasn’t as athletic as Lendl, so he preferred to take the ball right on the baseline as opposed to well behind the baseline. Agassi did that to take time away from his opponent and dictate play.

Agassi also mainly took the position down the middle of the court so he could move his opponent around and wear them out punishing them with deep ground strokes. It’s often cited that Agassi’s father Mike, who was an Iranian boxer, instilled this style and ethic in him.

Agassi was most famous for his return of serve. Due to his superior hand-eye coordination, he had the ability to take the serve and nail it often straight back at the opponent either very hard or to his feet, setting him up for a passing shot off either wing.

In fact, Agassi had a winning record against every serve volleyer / attacking player on the tour bar one player—which is one hell of a feat! Michael Stich never beat him in five matches, and the guys with the closest records were Richard Krajicek and Goran Ivanisevic. Agassi had comprehensive records against Boris Becker and Patrick Rafter.

Agassi was not only known for his hand-eye coordination and great forehand, but also a great double-handed inside-out backhand. Agassi really developed his serve to get a lot of kick because in his early years, his serve was seen as a liability, but he developed a great serve by the time of his retirement.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer has been by far the best hard court player of the Noughties (2000s). Federer won the US Open five straight times—something that may not happen again.Federer also won the Indian Wells / Miami double twice and was a multiple winner at both Cincinnati and the Canadian Open (Rogers Cup). And of course he's a 4 time Australian Open champion, winning in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

For quite a long period Federer was unbeatable on hard courts, and it's only recently that he has been challenged—for instance, by Juan Martin del Potro from Argentina, who has the potential to be a hard court great (Del Potro won the US Open in 2009, beating Federer in the final).

In my opinion Federer took the Ivan Lendl style of play to a new level. Federer dominated points and matches with his forehand like no other player, he’s able to hit winners anywhere on the court, and he covers the left side of the court relying on his athleticism and running forehand—just like Ivan Lendl.

Federer is able to dominate with his forehand by taking advantage of the technology that’s available to the modern player. But Federer is also of his time. By that I mean that Lendl was happy to rally all day at times when he could have pulled the trigger. But with the modern tennis strings now, the philosophy is to just pull the trigger anyway! From that viewpoint, Federer employed this philosophy better than anyone.

At the same time, Federer was more than capable of staying in any extended rally with his superb topspin backhand and slice, and when attacked, Federer came up with great passing shots off both wings. But again, due to the era we are now in, Federer didn’t face too many players who went after him, so he didn’t get opportunities to showcase his passing skills as often.

Federer doesn't go to the net as much to finish off points, especially in the last three years or so, but with a forehand like that, there probably isn't any need! Federer is also a beautifully balanced player, and it seems that his game was made for hard courts.

 

[Laurie]

John McEnroe

John McEnroe

John McEnroe has something that can also be said of Andre Agassi. His unorthodox approach was unique to him, and consequently he was seen as a very gifted player.

McEnroe won the US Open four times between 1979 and 1984, defeating Bjorn Borg twice, Vitas Gerulaitis, and Ivan Lendl. In fact, McEnroe won the tournament three times in a row from 1979 to 1981.
Whilst Andre Agassi took the ball very early, many times on the half volley, McEnroe took many shots on the rise. It looked a bit different but it was very effective, and McEnroe was able to generate more power from his strokes than he is probably given credit for by today’s fans and pundits.

McEnroe had a great lefty serve and was also a change-up server, meaning that he used his serve either way for deception, always looking to score aces. He also had the best volleys along with Stefan Edberg; he was able to knock away volleys for fun. When McEnroe rallied, he often did so with a purpose, always looking to get to the net to finish off points. McEnroe wouldn’t hit baseline winners too often in comparison to some of his contemporaries.

McEnroe was the ultimate chip and charge merchant when it came to returning serve. He really relied on his quickness and athleticism to cut off passing shots with stop volleys and overheads. He was an awesome sight when on top of his game (and not arguing with someone!).

One interesting thing about McEnroe’s style of play is that when he chipped and charged, because he took the ball on the rise well inside the baseline, he sort of bunted the ball and followed it to the net. It looked unusual but nice in its own way, and also effective, taking time away from his opponent.

Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors is tied with Roger Federer and Pete Sampras with the most US Open titles won. However, unlike the other players mentioned, Connors won one US Open on grass and green clay. Therefore Connors is in a class of his own. Connors also appeared in 12 consecutive US Open semifinals, which is a record.

Connors also won an astonishing number of tournaments, which is a testament to his durability. He won 109 official tournaments and countless tournaments not sanctioned by the ATP. That record is unlikely to be broken because top players retire on average at a much earlier age than in the past.

Connors' style of play was interesting because he had no big weapons, his serve was adequate, and his forehand was considered a weakness because he used a continental grip. What was in Connors’ favour was the fact that he was left-handed, so that always has an advantage on the ad court (the decision court).

But what really made Connors stand out was his competitive spirit. Connors was the baseliner who was never afraid to attack the net—he hit flat drives down the lines and was always looking to get to net to finish off points. Ion Tiriac once said of Jimmy Connors, “He’s the biggest fighter I’ve ever seen in professional sports.”

Connors was also the player who would use any means to win a match. Whether by getting the crowd on his side or undermining the umpire, he did it all!

Connors was also known for his signature shot, the sky hook, a hooked overhead shot taken after it was christened for the basketball player Julius Erving (Dr. J), who did a similar shot when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers during that era.

Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras is up there in the all-time list of hard court titles won with Andre Agassi and Roger Federer with 34 titles. Therefore in the era of Sampras and Agassi, they won 80 hard court titles between them!

Many people have said grass was Sampras’ best surface because he won Wimbledon so often. But Sampras had always said that hard court was his favourite surface. He won the US Open five times and played in eight finals. He also won the Australian Open twice, did the Indian Wells / Miami double in 1994, and won Cincinnati and Miami three times each.

Sampras came to everyone’s attention in 1990 when he won the US Open having barely turned 19. From the fourth round onwards he beat Thomas Muster, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and Andre Agassi back-to-back. In the final, he beat Agassi in 90 minutes of power tennis, breaking Agassi five times in the match but never broken himself.

In the semis, it was probably the most passing shots McEnroe had seen whistle past him in one match. McEnroe sums up Sampras as a hard court player in 1993 whilst commentating at the US Open when he said it was rare to see a serve and volley player with such an all-around game.

That’s what made Sampras the ultimate hard court player. On that surface he played from the net and from the baseline in equal measure, often going toe to toe with the top baseliners of the day in Agassi and Jim Courier. He had the big first serve and second serve, athleticism, and smoothness.

He could pull off incredible half volleys and turn them into outright winners into the corners. He also enjoyed hitting stop volleys off hard-hit and dipping shots. Sampras also took on the Lendl philosophy of covering the backhand side of the court (the left side) where he would rally, but any sniff of a relatively short ball and he would run around it and hit an inside-out forehand crosscourt or forehand down the line.

Sampras developed the best running forehand in history, which he could hit down the line or crosscourt, flat or loaded with topspin if he was attacked. Unlike many players today, Sampras would hit punishing inside-out forehands to take the net to finish off points—sneaking in, as Pat Cash would call it. Because he played in an era of many attacking players, Sampras often demonstrated great passing shots off both wings against players like Pat Rafter and Boris Becker.

In the last two years of his career, Pete’s style of play mirrored his grass play. He no longer stayed back on his second serve to rally and chipped and charged on return of serve, something he hardly ever did previously. Most people put that down to the influence of his latter coach Paul Annacone, who favoured aggressive play.

Sampras’ signature shots were his swing serve down the middle on the ad court, second serve aces, slam dunk, and running forehand.

 

[kiki]

Jimmy Connors won the USO on hard courts more times than Agassi and as many times as Lendl.also great was Pete Sampras and, in a lesser degree, Pat Rafter,Boris Becker and Marat Safin.

 

[Agassifan]

Nice read. One thing though - You talk about IW/Miami and such, but don't refer to the WTF, which is easily the 5th most important tournament.

 

[Gizo]

Federer's hard court domination is pretty underrated actually amongst his many achievements. It's pretty clear that this current era is hard court orientated, with the vast majority of players (including an increasing number of Spaniards and South Americans) more comfortable on hard courts than other surfaces. So to win 4 Australian Opens and 5 US Opens with so many comfortable hard courters around is pretty amazing.

When Federer became the first player to win 4 consecutive US Open titles in the open era in 2007, I was amazed at how little attention that achievement received. When he tied Borg's 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles earlier that year, there was a huge fuss.

In fact many of Federer's more meaningless records and streaks that were hyped up by the ATP stats department, received more attention than that genuinely significant record.

 

[Laurie]

Nice read. One thing though - You talk about IW/Miami and such, but don't refer to the WTF, which is easily the 5th most important tournament.

The majority of that tournament during the Open era was played on indoor carpet in New York and Germany. It has only been played on hard court and indoor hardcourt the last 10 years or so. The previous players won it on carpet so couldn't mention it as focusing on hard court events.

 

[Towser83]

Good article, however when was it written because Del Potro did not win the US Open last year. Also Federer managed to win Indian Wells in 2004, 2005, 2006 but won Miami only in 2005 and 2006

 

[OddJack]

Well written piece, thanks for sharing.

 

[TiberiusGracchus]

Great read.

Couples of things though...What is the difference between taking a ball early and taking a ball on the rise? You say these are two different things when talking about Agassi and Mcenroe...I always thought they meant the same thing?

Secondly, Dr. J. was known for his outrage, almost pornographic, dunking ability. It was Kareem Abdul Jabbar that made the Sky Hook shot famous.

 

[jokinla]

Nice read. One thing though - You talk about IW/Miami and such, but don't refer to the WTF, which is easily the 5th most important tournament.

The WTF might seem worthy with only the top guys qualifying, but it's hardly the fifth most important on their radars, with many years guys either not playing because of injury/really wanting to be on vacation or deciding to play and treating it more like an exhibition.

 

[Russeljones]

Not to be mean, but the level of English on display in this article is below par. If you are serious about journalism, I believe you should invest some time in improving your command of the written language.

 

[tennis_pro]

The WTF might seem worthy with only the top guys qualifying, but it's hardly the fifth most important on their radars, with many years guys either not playing because of injury/really wanting to be on vacation or deciding to play and treating it more like an exhibition.

I disagree, only the best from the best qualify for the event, you gain large sums of cash just for showing up/winning single matches in the RR stage, there are no easy draws (unless players ranked 5 or lower suck, then the top 4 in the semis is a lock, like last year). Those who decide not to participate have legit injuries which in mid/late November is understandable. It's the 5th most prestigious tournament in tennis at the moment without a doubt.

I don't remember Agassi, Sampras, Nadal, Federer or whichever slam winners skip the event unless they were injured. It's not Monte Carlo.

 

[velkov]

well done , thanks for sharing.

 

[Manus Domini]

Nice read.

One thing though: Juan Martin Del Potro didn't win the USO last year

 

[mattennis]

Some minor errors:

Agassi won Miami six times (not five).

Federer did not win Indian Wells/Miami double three times, but two. (He did not win Miami in 04 ).

Jimmy Connors won one USOPEN on green clay, not two. ( He was in the final the three years it was played on green clay, but only won one of them).

 

[stringertom]

^^^

Some minor errors:

Agassi won Miami six times (not five).

Federer did not win Indian Wells/Miami double three times, but two. (He did not win Miami in 04 ).

Jimmy Connors won one USOPEN on green clay, not two. ( He was in the final the three years it was played on green clay, but only won one of them).

Yeah, Jimbo apparently developed an allergy to Spanish-speaking lefties in Har-Tru major finals. The Vilas win was fairly predictable (Willie was in the middle of his 46-win streak), but Orantes??? The guy played a marathon in the semis, returned to a flooded hotel room that delayed getting to sleep and still came out and steamrolled.

 

[mattennis]

Yeah, Jimbo apparently developed an allergy to Spanish-speaking lefties in Har-Tru major finals. The Vilas win was fairly predictable (Willie was in the middle of his 46-win streak), but Orantes??? The guy played a marathon in the semis, returned to a flooded hotel room that delayed getting to sleep and still came out and steamrolled.

Perhaps Orantes felt himself like a super-man after that gruelling semifinal against Vilas (he was two sets to love down and he saved like 5 or 6 matchpoints and 0-5 0-40 deficit in the fourth set, to finally win that fourth set 7-5 and the fifth set 6-4, probably one of the most incredible comeback of the tennis history). After that, maybe he thought he could no longer lose a tennis match.

In all seriousness, Orantes was a very talented and extremely good clay court player. He beat Nastase in the QF aswell in that tournament, and won multiple clay titles in his career ( 30 something ). He was leading two sets to love against Borg in the final of RolandGarros'74. He lost to Borg in five sets in the QF of the USOPEN'76.

He even won a YEC indoor-carpet (in 76 I believe) and he was as high as nº2 in the world in some weeks.

 

[Novak123]

My god, Novak wasn't on that list? I read through it and immediately knew this was a load of ******** when I couldn't find Novak's name. If you want to go ahead and determine it by their successes, then sure, Novak shouldn't be on that list. But that wouldn't be accurate, would it? Novak has preformed the highest level of hard court tennis in existence, and that's what should be judged when you say "Greatest Hard Court Players". It shouldn't be the greatest achievers, because that doesn't tell us anything besides that the field was weak when they played. The king deserves to be on that list, so please edit it.

 

[RAFA2005RG]

My god, Novak wasn't on that list? I read through it and immediately knew this was a load of ******** when I couldn't find Novak's name. If you want to go ahead and determine it by their successes, then sure, Novak shouldn't be on that list. But that wouldn't be accurate, would it? Novak has preformed the highest level of hard court tennis in existence, and that's what should be judged when you say "Greatest Hard Court Players". It shouldn't be the greatest achievers, because that doesn't tell us anything besides that the field was weak when they played. The king deserves to be on that list, so please edit it.

If Nadal isn't on the best hardcourters list then obviously Djokovic isn't either. Djokovic hasn't even won the US Open.

 

[Laurie]

Nice read.

One thing though: Juan Martin Del Potro didn't win the USO last year

Yes, sorry an oversight, I corrected it.

 

[Kunohara]

neither nadal nor djoko deserve to be on that list for now.

 

[Laurie]

My god, Novak wasn't on that list? I read through it and immediately knew this was a load of ******** when I couldn't find Novak's name. If you want to go ahead and determine it by their successes, then sure, Novak shouldn't be on that list. But that wouldn't be accurate, would it? Novak has preformed the highest level of hard court tennis in existence, and that's what should be judged when you say "Greatest Hard Court Players". It shouldn't be the greatest achievers, because that doesn't tell us anything besides that the field was weak when they played. The king deserves to be on that list, so please edit it.

Not at all, the title clearly states - "The Greatest Hard Court Players of the Open Era". So it's a historical perspective taken over years of play and titles. Considering Novak is 24 years old and has at least six years at the top, then I am within my rights not to include him or Del Potro. In 5 years time, it will be a different list naturally.

Now if the title was "The Best" then it would have well over 10 names including Becker, Edberg, Rafter, Wilander, Roddick etc etc. But its not the best, it's the greatest.

 

[TheMagicianOfPrecision]

Does any other player got 9 HC Slams like Federer?

Sampras got 7.

Agassi 6.

 

[Laurie]

Great read.

Couples of things though...What is the difference between taking a ball early and taking a ball on the rise? You say these are two different things when talking about Agassi and Mcenroe...I always thought they meant the same thing?

Secondly, Dr. J. was known for his outrage, almost pornographic, dunking ability. It was Kareem Abdul Jabbar that made the Sky Hook shot famous.

Perhaps its McEnroe's style, look? He often took the ball as it was coming up on him (if that makes any sense), trying to take time away from his opponent and absorbing power instead of generating power. Agassi just took it early often (not always), including half volley shots from the baseline either for winners or to keep the rally going. Not exclusive to Agassi, I've seen Federer and Sampras do it as well.

 

[Manus Domini]

My god, Novak wasn't on that list? I read through it and immediately knew this was a load of ******** when I couldn't find Novak's name. If you want to go ahead and determine it by their successes, then sure, Novak shouldn't be on that list. But that wouldn't be accurate, would it? Novak has preformed the highest level of hard court tennis in existence, and that's what should be judged when you say "Greatest Hard Court Players". It shouldn't be the greatest achievers, because that doesn't tell us anything besides that the field was weak when they played. The king deserves to be on that list, so please edit it.

Sorry, Yoda, but he needs a couple more HC slams to be on it imo. If he wins at least two USOs and another couple AOs, then he should go on it (even if it is a weak era), but 2 HC slams is hardly anything GHCOAT worthy. And who knows, maybe this year was a lucky fluke for him? If he continues to play like this for another couple years, yeah, he should be on there, but not yet

 

[beast of mallorca]

Greatest HC Player ?

Probably a toss-up between Sampras and Fed.

Unless the Son of Zeus (Novak) rakes up the same number of HC Slams. We'll see, no?

 

[Semi-Pro]

Greatest HC Player ?

Probably a toss-up between Sampras and Fed.

Unless the Son of Zeus (Novak) rakes up the same number of HC Slams. We'll see, no?

What do you mean toss-up?

Fed has more of almost everything when comparing the two. This includes: #of GS wins won on HC, better overall HC career %, and more HC titles. What can possibly be more significant that Sampras actually has over Fed?

 

[beast of mallorca]

When I said Greatest, I'm not referring mainly to GS HC accomplishments. Surely, if you put a prime Fed vs a prime Pete on a HC of say US Open, it will definitely be a great match. And the winner would not be definite IMHO.

That's why I said a toss-up.

 

[celoft]

Federer
Sampras
Agassi
Lendl
McEnroe
Connors

 

[Laurie]

Not to forget the ladies, this article is about the greatest women hard court players of the Open era. Of course there will be discussions about who's on the list, but I want to reiterate, this is the greatest, not just the best - thinking about that chap who wanted Djokovic on the mens list :-o

http://burnstennis.blogspot.com/2011/08/greatest-hard-court-players-of-open-era.html

 

[Laurie]

Sorry, I posted wrong url

http://burnstennis.blogspot.com/2011/08/greatest-women-hard-court-players-of.html

Last week we took a look at the best male players. Now let’s take a look at the best female players since Hard Courts became an important feature of Professional Tennis.


All of the players here are current or former world number 1 champions. Showing once again that to be the very best, you have to excel on hard courts because it’s played so often throughout the Tennis season, both indoor and outdoor.


Kim Clijsters


Whenever I think of Kim Clijsters I think of Andre Agassi. Kim hasn’t achieved anything near as much as Agassi, but she certainly shares one thing in common which is her love of hard courts.

Clijsters has won 41 titles and 29 have come on hard court. So like Agassi, three quarters of Clijsters’ titles have come on hard courts.


Putting aside the statistics, what reminds me of Agassi is the way Kim approaches hard court matches. Clijsters seems to have faith in the bounce where she knows there will not be any bad or strange bounces that you would get on clay and grass, consequently Clijsters feels very comfortable and can go for her shots very freely indeed.


Clijsters had a great year in 2005 when she did the Indian Wells / Miami double, and won virtually all of the summer hard court tournaments she entered which culminated with her first title at the US Open.


Since Clijsters returned from her retirement in 2009, she has won only hard court events including winning the US Open in 2009 and 2010, the end of year WTA Championships in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2011. Clijsters also won Miami and Cincinnati in 2010 but unfortunately has suffered a lot of injuries since winning the Australian Open in January.


Clijsters’ strengths on hard courts are undoubtedly her movement—she is a great athlete who can get to any ball at any time when stretched, and is one of the best players at employing the wide to wide tactic, especially when serving. It’s in the genes as Clijsters’ father was a professional footballer for Belgium, and her mother was a gymnast.


Surprisingly, Clijsters’ weakness is that she doesn’t like high balls to her backhand, especially on return of serve. Not many players are able to exploit that—mainly because women players just don’t play a varied game.


Amelie Mauresmo however, consistently exploited that with high topspin backhands to Kim’s backhand and then low slices making Kim hit up a lot, that put Clisjters’ off her rhythm often. But only the best and tactical players are able to exploit that weakness.


Monica Seles


Monica Seles is without doubt another legend of this type of surface. Out of Seles’ 53 titles, 28 of them were on hard court. Like most American based players, Seles grew up on the hard courts of Florida at the Nick Bollettieri Academy.


Seles was also a mean clay court player as well having won the French Open three times in a row.

Seles won the US Open in 1991 and 1992 and got to the finals in 1995 and 1996. Seles also won the Australian Open 4 times from 1991 to 1993, and 1996. She also won the Canadian Open four times in a row between 1995 and 1998, and quite rightly is a legend in Canada.


Seles’ approach to tennis was the successful Bolliettieri blueprint—which was to control the middle of the court and move the opponent side to side wearing them out with punishing groundstrokes. She didn’t go to the net often, something she attempted to do more later in her career to shorten the points. Seles also developed a stronger serve later in her career.


Like Agassi, Seles used the serve more as a tool to get the point started and to take the offensive, as opposed to looking to hit aces or end the point with unreturnable serves too often. However, the lefty serve gave Seles a big advantage, especially on the ad court (the decision court).

Seles wasn’t the most athletic player though (this is a trait I find with many players who excelled at the Bolliettieri Academy, hence the focus on dictating play by controlling the middle of the court)

Therefore, latter players like Venus Williams was able to give Seles a lot of trouble. So did Steffi Graf with constant slices to Seles’ backhand—keeping the ball low making Monica have to hit up often.


Seles’ main strengths were her return of serve, which she used to punish opponents, especially off the 2nd serve. Seles was also double handed off both sides so had great control, even if it limited her on wide balls, although she was happy to take one hand off the racquet to get the reach.


Monica was also legendary for being a cool customer under pressure and had nerves of steel in the big moments, playing more aggressive when backed into a corner score wise.


Lindsay Davenport


Whilst you can associate Monica Seles’ game with the Nick Bollettieri formula in Florida, Lindsay Davenport’s game can definitely be associated to what is referred as the California Big Game—Big serve and big groundstrokes. Davenport was among the best in both departments. Naturally that type of game lends itself to the hard courts which she grew up on.


Most of Davenport’s titles have come on hard court. Out of the 55 titles Davenport has won, 34 have come on hard court. Davenport won the US Open in 1998 and the Australian Open in 2000, each time defeating Martina Hingis.

Davenport also appeared in the 2000 US Open final losing to Venus Williams and the 2005 Australian Open final, losing to Serena Williams. On each occasion Davenport seemed set to win, but was not able to see it through to victory.


Davenport has also won Indian Wells in 1997 and 2000 plus Olympic Gold in Atlanta in 1996. Davenport was also an excellent doubles player, winning 38 doubles titles including 24 on hard court. Davenport also won 3 Grand Slam doubles titles: French Open in 1996 with Mary Joe Fernandez, US Open in 1997 with Jana Novotna and Wimbledon in 1999 with Corina Morariu.


Her best weapons was her serve. As I mentioned before, Davenport embodied the big game, which always starts with the serve. She had a stint under Robert Landsdorp who also coached Pete Sampras and Tracy Austin. And like Sampras, Davenport placed her serve beautifully into the corners with a lot of spin. It wasn’t the fastest, but it was certainly a heavy serve and her 2nd serve was very good indeed.


Davenport also had an excellent forehand which she really drove through the ball, it was very penetrating and perfect for hard courts, Davenport was also good with crosscourt shots, making her opponent move, where she could control the point or attack the net. She also had a very good double handed backhand, therefore in her ground game, was a very secure player and often put her opponents into difficult situations.


Davenport’s biggest weakness was her movement. She was very tall and had difficulty getting around the court, and must be given credit for recognizing the problem early in her career and working on it.

By the time she won the US Open in 1998 as a 22 year old, she had shed 30 pounds in weight from the previous 24 months. That ensured Davenport could compete consistently at the highest level.


And that consistently ensured that not too many players could get the better of Davenport as Davenport often sought to get the first strike in. Only Venus and Serena Williams due to their superior athleticism were able to give Davenport problems and win big matches they looked like they might lose to her. She had the upper hand often on the rest of the field.

 

[Laurie]

Venus Williams


Venus Williams is definitely another product of The Californian Big Game. Starting with her serve, Venus holds the world record with, plus speed records at Wimbledon and many other tournaments around the world.

Venus is also one of the most athletic female players ever to play tennis, and some people may argue the most athletic.

Venus has won 43 titles so far in her career, 26 coming on hard court. Venus won the US open in 2000 and 2001; plus Olympic Gold in Sydney in 2000 in both singles and doubles. She has also won Miami in 1998, 1999, 2001, and the year end Sony Ericson Championships in 2008 in Qatar.

Surprisingly Venus has never won the Australian Open on rebound ace or conventional hard court. Venus’ most incredible statistic is she has won 5 grass court titles, all at Wimbledon.

Venus’ strengths are her serve and athleticism. Venus has the fastest serve in the womens game. Her world record stands at 130mph. She can also be described as an all court player who uses her groundstrokes to put her opponent into a defensive position to finish the points off at net. Venus is very athletic and balletic around the net , and due to her height and spring is difficult to lob.

Her weakness is probably her forehand which can be shaky when under pressure. Also, despite having a great 1st serve, Venus often has quite a shaky 2nd serve which can break down under pressure due to having problems with the ball toss.

Her best groundstroke is her two handed backhand which she can hit down the line or crosscourt with angle.

Another strength Venus has is her speed around the baseline which means she defends fantastically well and stays in points other players wouldn’t be able to, and hits brilliantly on the run.

Venus’ defensive skills, and her athleticism to go with her aggressive play make her one hell of a player on hard courts.


Justine Henin


Justine Henin is the most petite of the ladies here in this company. The fact that Henin is able to compete so well at the top level is a credit to her. Henin has made the maximum of her abilities as a Tennis player.

There are a few players you see for the first time, who you know is going to be a good player. I saw Henin the first time in 2000 at the Canadian Open, and I instantly knew she would be top class, her backhand was incredible.

It was nice to see a new player coming through with a single handed backhand at the time. The other player who came through around the same time with a single handed backhand was Amelie Mauresmo.

As time went on, Henin improved her forehand to make it a weapon. Henin has been forced to remodel her serve on a few occasions, and although not a major weapon, she makes the most of it, able to serve up to 110 mph at times and uses an intelligent 2nd serve.

Whereas a lot of female players like topspin 2nd serves, Henin used a slice 2nd serve which often skids at the opponent, often into the body, and making returning difficult.

Henin won 43 titles, of which 25 came on hard court. Henin won the US Open in 2003 and 2007, plus the Australian Open in 2004 on rebound ace.

Henin also won Olympic Gold in Athens in 2004, and the WTA Championships in Madrid in 2006 and 2007 on indoor hard court.

Her strengths were her backhand which she used to slice, hit with topspin, and hit flat for winners down the line and crosscourt. Henin often hit winners when leaning back, as opposed to weight transfer forward, making her backhand winners look even more spectacular.

Justine also can be described as an all court player, she was equally at home at the net, able to pull off stunning volleys. Even though Henin is 5 ft 6 in height, she was difficult to lob due to her athleticism and quickness.

Henin’s only issue is the fact that she had to put so much into her game to get results, therefore she’s often prone to injury and illness.


Serena Williams


Serena Williams is one of the all time greats at Grand Slam level along with Seles, Graf, Navratilova and Evert in modern times.

Serena has the best serve in the game, probably the best serve in the history of womens Tennis. Again, it can be traced to the Californian game of the big serve and big ground strokes.

Like Davenport, Serena is able to mix up her serve with tremendous placement and different spins, with slice and topspin. Serena’s deliveries are therefore not only fast, but full with spin which makes her serve very heavy and difficult to return. Serena also has the best 2nd serve delivery in the womens game at present which has depth, and placement.

Serena has has won 38 titles so far with 27 coming on hard court. Serena won her first US Open title in 1999 as a 17 year old and has won 3 US Opens overall. Serena also lost the 2001 US Open final to Venus Williams.

Serena has also won the Australian Open 5 times in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Williams has won the tournament on both rebound ace, and plexicushion hard court.

Serena has also won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus, and two mixed doubles titles at the 1998 Wimbledon and US Open events, with Max Myrni. She's won Miami 5 times (tied with Steffi Graf) and Indian Wells in 2001. Serena also won Olympic doubles with her sister Venus at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Besides her serve, Serena’s strengths are also her athleticism, movement and will to win, which in the present era is probably matched only by Justine Henin.

Serena has a great two handed backhand and probably the best return of serve in the business, taking over from Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport. Especially when it comes to standing inside the baseline and punishing fairly weak 2nd serves.

Like her sister Venus, Serena is great at defence and retrieving lost causes and turning them into winning situations in rallies, which make her very dangerous.

Serena’s forehand can be technically shaky at times but that’s about it as far as weaknesses go. Her only real issue is been injury prone which is preventing her from winning even more titles more often as she gets older.

 

[Laurie]

Steffi Graf


Steffi Graf is the most successful Grand Slam champion in the Open era. Steffi Graf won an incredible 22 Grand Slam titles and lost 9 finals, she played in 31 finals overall.

Steffi Graf won 107 titles overall, and a large proportion of those coming on hard court. Graf has won the US Open 5 times and the Australian Open 4 times, all on rebound ace. She has also won Miami 5 times in 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995 and 1996. Graf won Olympic Gold in 1988 in Seoul as part of her golden slam.

Steffi Graf is one of the most athletic and graceful female players of all time. She had tremendous footwork, often dancing into her shots. Of course, Graf was known primarily for her tremendous forehand and slice backhand.

Along with Ivan Lendl, Graf took the forehand shot to a new level from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s. She loved to run around her backhand to hit the big forehand inside out or down the line.

Like many of the male players mentioned in my previous article, Graf liked to camp on the backhand side, always looking to get the forehand into play whenever possible.

Graf also had tremendous speed and athleticism which was put to good use on all surfaces. In Graf’s case, it’s actually difficult to argue what was her best surface because she seemed equally at home on all of them.

Her slice was designed to stay low, always making her opponents constantly hit up, a great weapon against the many two handers she was facing at the time. Graf didn’t hit too many topspin backhands in her career, but was capable of hitting backhand passing shots against players like Navratilova.

Graf was a good volleyer although she didn’t use her athleticism too often to take her to net, Graf preferred to play most of her Tennis from the baseline.

In Graf’s case, it’s fair to say that despite the fact she didn’t like to hit too many topspin backhands, she had no weakness in her game.


Martina Navratilova


Martina is probably the last great female serve and volleyer to play Tennis. There have been players since her who have succeeded at that tactic, but only on grass. Jana Novotna won Wimbledon in 1998 with that tactic, and Amelie Mauresmo won Wimbledon in 2006.

However, both players were more likely to stay back on their serve on other surfaces, and serve and volley as a surprise tactic. Martina served and volleyed all of the time on every surface she played on, making her a master of that art.

Navratilova won a whopping 167 titles and an even more whopping 223 doubles titles. Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam titles and played in 32 finals.

On hard court, she won the US Open 4 times in 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987. She also won her 3 Australian Open titles back when they played tennis on grass. Navratilova also won the US doubles titles on 9 occasions, 8 of them coming on hard court.

Navratilova had the huge advantage of been left handed and therefore had the advantage of using the lefty swing serve on the ad court (the decision court).

She was the female Lendl of her time, taking fitness training to new levels, to ensure she kept winning at the highest level. That allowed her to go on long winning streaks, and a career grand slam between 1983 and 1984 winning four slams in a row.

Navratilova’s strengths were undoubtedly her athleticism and fitness and speed at net. Navratilova had great reflexes to pull off great volleys off passing shots.
Martina was always willing to use the chip and charge tactic, and used a sliced backhand to attack the net off any relatively short balls. When receiving serve, she would always be looking to get to net.

Navratilova would rally with a purpose, she wouldn’t hit too many baseline winners from the back court too often. Martina was also difficult to lob as she was athletic, and able to track lobs and smash them away for winners.

Navratilova didn’t have any weaknesses once she figured out how to get to the top and stay there. But she was eventually challenged by the younger generation of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

The fact that Navratilova was around long enough to compete with those two players, shows why Navratilova is such a legend in womens Tennis.


Chris Evert


Chris Evert is up there with Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the most prolific Grand Slam champions in the Open era. Like Navratilova, Evert had a very long and distinguished career and was virtually at the top throughout the whole of her career.

Chris Evert won 18 Grand Slam titles, and played in 34 finals. Evert holds the record of US Open titles with 6 victories with three of those victories coming on hard court. Evert also holds the record of French Open titles with 7. Her Australian Open titles came on grass in the early 1980s before the rebound ace era. Evert also won an incredible 157 singles titles. Along with Navratilova, its unlikely any female player will get near that amount of title wins in future.

Evert’s nickname was the Ice Maiden. Her style of play was extremely consistent and steady, she didn’t make too many mistakes in the course of rallies. However, Evert was definitely capable of cranking up the pace on her shots when required and was helped by the change from wooden rackets to graphite rackets. Evert switched to the famous Wilson Pro Staff original 85 in the early 1980s.

Evert is unique in that respect as the conventional wisdom in Tennis has always been to dictate play by taking the game to the opponent to be very successful.

She was a counterpuncher extraordinaire with great powers of patience and concentration. Tracey Austin and Andrea Jaegger were probably pretenders to the throne, but due to injuries and burn out never managed to usurp Evert from that position.

Evert’s greatest rivalry was of course with Martina Navratilova which was the classic match up of attacker vs baseliner. Navratilova had the edge 43- 37 in their rivalry.


Martina Hingis


Martina Hingis won 43 titles in her career and 18 of those titles came on hard court. Hingis was also an excellent indoor player, winning 16 events on carpet as well.

Martina is definitely one of the most naturally talented and instinctive players of the last 30 years. Hingis is the youngest ever number 1 player, a record she took from Monica Seles.

Hingis won 5 Grand Slam titles and played in 12 finals overall, losing 7 finals. Her best results came at the Australian open on rebound ace where she played in 6 consecutive finals from 1997 to 2002.

She won the first three finals defeating Mary Pierce, Conchita Martinez and Amelie Mauresmo. Martina then lost the next three finals to Lindsay Davenport, and twice to Jennifer Capriati.

Hingis also won the US Open in 1997 defeating Venus Williams, but lost the 1998 final to Lindsay Davenport and the 1999 final to Serena Williams. She also won Miami in 1997 and 2000 plus the Canadian Open in 1999 and 2000.

Martina was also an excellent doubles player who won 9 Grand Slam doubles titles, and won at all of the major tournaments.

Hingis’ greatest strengths were her wit and court craft. She always seemed to know what shot to hit and when to bamboozle her opponents and had great hands at net. Those qualities would be successful on any surface although Hingis never managed to win the French Open, playing two finals in 1997 and 1999 losing to Iva Majoli and Steffi Graf.

Hingis was able to dominate many bigger and stronger players ranging from Mary Pierce to Monica Seles. Hingis’ main weakness was her serve and ultimate lack of power as womens Tennis transferred to the power game in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The media constantly predicted that Hingis would struggle once Venus and Serena Williams, and Liindsay Davenport matured into champions. That proved to be the case. Jennifer Capriati also proved to be quite a rival for Hingis at the Australian open.

It was the 2nd serve that really proved to be Hingis’ downfall as it was near impossible to win a high percentage against the top players as they were sitting on any weak deliveries, waiting to punish them.

Hingis was also not blessed with speed and athleticism and, retired in 2002 with chronic heel trouble. Martina did however, make a comeback in 2006 but after initial good showings including an Italian open victory in 2006, the game had passed Hingis by and she wasn’t the same force she had been in the late 1990s.

That shouldn’t detract from the fact Hingis was one of the very best women players in the Open era.[/B]

 

[Towser83]

If Nadal isn't on the best hardcourters list then obviously Djokovic isn't either. Djokovic hasn't even won the US Open.

Sorry but Novak is a better hardcourt player.

2 majors and 2 finals vs 2 majors and no other finals
6 masters titles vs 5 masters titles
1 year end masters vs 0
17 HC titles vs 11
9-5 H2H (used in all arguments to "prove" Nadal is better than Federer)

Plus he's a year younger and been on tour 2 years less. Nadal won the US Open at 24, which Novak has a shot to match now. Novak reached the US Final before Nadal, won the Aussie Open before Nadal - despite being younger. Age adjusted (also used in the Fed vs Nadal debate) he's better at the US Open too (for the moment).

Having said that, way too early to put him up with the all time greats in terms of achievement. However,since 2007 he's been the 2nd best HC player behind Federer and this year he's taken to spot (last year didn't have a clearcut number 1)

 

[BeHappy]

Jimmy Connors

Connors' style of play was interesting because he had no big weapons, his serve was adequate, and his forehand was considered a weakness because he used a continental grip. What was in Connors’ favour was the fact that he was left-handed, so that always has an advantage on the ad court (the decision court).

His backhand wasn't a weapon? His forehand wasn't a weapon when he wasn't returning a slice on 1970's grass? He had probably the most powerful aggressive slice approaches of all time on both sides. You don't know what you're talking about.

 

[BeHappy]

Steffi Graf


Hingis was also not blessed with speed and athleticism and, retired in 2002 with chronic heel trouble. Martina did however, make a comeback in 2006 but after initial good showings including an Italian open victory in 2006, the game had passed Hingis by and she wasn’t the same force she had been in the late 1990s.

That shouldn’t detract from the fact Hingis was one of the very best women players in the Open era.[/B]

Martina Hingis is one of the fastest female players ever. Perhaps even more so than Graf.

 

[Towser83]

One thing I would say is, If players like

Davenport 2 HC majors
Venus Williams 2 HC majors
Clijsters 3 HC majors
Henin 3 HC majors

are considered along with -

Graf - 9 HC majors
Serena Williams - 8 HC majors
Seles - 6 HC majors
Evert - 6 HC majors

then why isn't Djokovic in the men's list?

 

[Laurie]

Martina Hingis is one of the fastest female players ever. Perhaps even more so than Graf.

Erm..........

 

[Laurie]

One thing I would say is, If players like

Davenport 2 HC majors
Venus Williams 2 HC majors
Clijsters 3 HC majors
Henin 3 HC majors

are considered along with -

Graf - 9 HC majors
Serena Williams - 8 HC majors
Seles - 6 HC majors
Evert - 6 HC majors

then why isn't Djokovic in the men's list?

Don't worry, I'm sure he will be in future. But point taken. In the last 10 years, the titles have been really shared among the women, whereas in previous decades, two players usually dominated.

 

[BeHappy]

Erm..........

Yeah I'd be embarrassed if I were you as well.

 

[Laurie]

Yeah I'd be embarrassed if I were you as well.

No actually I'm amazed you would write something like that in print.

But then again, you seem to like to be a bit left field

 

[BeHappy]

No actually I'm amazed you would write something like that in print.

But then again, you seem to like to be a bit left field

You said Jimmy Connors had no weapons? You really believe that?