Unreal speed by Sampras!

[Sid_Vicious]

Is it just me, or does Sampras exhibit some ridiculous foot-speed to chase down Agassi's swinging volley?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...zR8BYaHc#t=40s



Some extra fun info about the vid:

-Go to 2:10 to see Sampras's feet completely miss the ground.
-Returning Clinic by Sampras.

[Can't think of a name]

sure he's fast..but to be honest the video looks like its been speed up a little. I know Agassi's duck walk is fast..but not that fast

[Sid_Vicious]

Originally Posted by Can't think of a name

sure he's fast..but to be honest the video looks like its been speed up a little. I know Agassi's duck walk is fast..but not that fast

You are right about that. Never mind, I found a better example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...6KUv_EM#t=417s

This tops the other one by a mile.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by Can't think of a name

sure he's fast..but to be honest the video looks like its been speed up a little. I know Agassi's duck walk is fast..but not that fast

This is the stock response from teenagers who can't believe the game was just as good in the 90's as it is now. If the video was sped up, why isn't the commentator's voice sped up as well?

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

You are right about that. Never mind, I found a better example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...6KUv_EM#t=417s

This tops the other one by a mile.

Great get by Pete. That vid was previously posted about a year ago. Someone in that thread said that Pete trained with an NFL cornerback trainer and that Pete was clocked at 4.3 in the 40. If true, that's Deion Sanders speed.

[Agassi-Fan]

Pete was def fast in his prime.

That video made Pete look like he had a great back hand, when in actuality that was his weakest shot.

[RoddickAce]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

You are right about that. Never mind, I found a better example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...6KUv_EM#t=417s

This tops the other one by a mile.

Ah yes, the famous full lap by Sampras, I thought you put that in the OP when I saw the thread title.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by Agassi-Fan

Pete was def fast in his prime.

That video made Pete look like he had a great back hand, when in actuality that was his weakest shot.

The vidio made Sampras' backhand look exactly the way it was. It was his weakest shot, and it was still an excellent backhand!

[TennisMD]

Originally Posted by Limpinhitter

Great get by Pete. That vid was previously posted about a year ago. Someone in that thread said that Pete trained with an NFL cornerback trainer and that Pete was clocked at 4.3 in the 40. If true, that's Deion Sanders speed.

Also heard Brad Gilbert say Nadal had 4.2 speed, was this Gilbert hyperbole or fact? Lets say both very fast. Also court coverage entails anticipation not just raw speed.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by TennisMD

Also heard Brad Gilbert say Nadal had 4.2 speed, was this Gilbert hyperbole or fact? Lets say both very fast. Also court coverage entails anticipation not just raw speed.

4.3 for Sampras is pushing credibility to its limit. 4.2 is probably an unofficial World record and is beyound credulity. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

[Devilito]

Petros was insanely fast, strong and athletic. He just moderated it well with his personality. He was calm and collected between points and would only go full out when he felt it was worth the expenditure. After he was up a break or two in a set he’d even tank some games so he could wrap it up quicker on his serve. That made him look lethargic but when he went full out he was a beast.

[TennisMD]

Originally Posted by Limpinhitter

4.3 for Sampras is pushing credibility to its limit. 4.2 is probably an unofficial World record and is beyound credulity. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Again not disputing that Gilbert often exaggerates, but a few NFL/College players have been timed at the 4.2ish 40 yd time. Rocket Ishmail ( Notre Dame) had such speed. Leshawn Jackson( Eagles) also in this range.

[Sid_Vicious]

Originally Posted by Agassi-Fan

Pete was def fast in his prime.

That video made Pete look like he had a great back hand, when in actuality that was his weakest shot.

Even if it was Pete's weakest shot, the video shows that Pete could hit nasty shots with it. Federer is in the same boat. His backhand is his weaker shot, but he can come up with sick winners.


Check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...MOvgOWw#t=184s

[Jack Romeo]

as said before, sampras was definitely a great athlete. in fact, i think if he had been a track and field olympian, he would be a hurdler. he jumped quite well aside from running pretty fast.

as athletic as federer, nadal and djokovic are, i still think sampras is a slightly better pure athlete. i think nadal is stronger and has great footwork technique for slow courts, so he can get to lots of shots and bat them back with pace. djokovic is more flexible so he can run down lots of balls and use his smooth stroking technique from the waist up to send back quality shots, even if his lower body seems all over the place. federer might be a more instinctive mover on the court, with slightly better anticipation and coordination. but i think that in a pure sprint, sampras still edges all of them slightly. sampras doesn't need to rely too much on pure physical strength or flexibility to get to lots of balls.

[TennisNiche]

Couldn't have said it better myself Jack Romeo.

He doesn't have the flexibility of Djokovic, the footwork of Federer or the willingness to throw his body all over the court like Nadal, but I believe he is the most 'explosive' athlete among these four players, especially in terms of vertical leap and raw acceleration. Of course none of us have definitive proof in front of us (tennis isn't athletics!) but this is my inclination.

Funnily enough, I was watching this exact video with a friend on Friday night while having a smoke The point at 3:20 is mind-boggling, watching Sampras accelerate to hit the backhand is like a blur... had to be replayed several times over I recall..

Imagine Nadal in the same position - we have seen him sprint the full width of the court and curl a forehand down the line many a time, but it is usually made on the run, skidding into the shot, with his arm doing most of the work. What gets me about the Sampras clip is that he seems to get there in enough time to actually stop himself and plant both of his feet before hitting the backhand.

[robow7]

The guys that you fear of their court coverage are those that don't look like they're moving fast at all but seem to casually get to everything in plenty of time to set up and hit rather than having to hit out on the full run. I saw Sampras play live several times at court level and he definitely fell in this category. Borg was maybe the finest or fastest that I've personally seen and of course Hewett and Nadal were/are no slouch.

[eric draven]

Originally Posted by TennisNiche

Couldn't have said it better myself Jack Romeo.

He doesn't have the flexibility of Djokovic, the footwork of Federer or the willingness to throw his body all over the court like Nadal, but I believe he is the most 'explosive' athlete among these four players, especially in terms of vertical leap and raw acceleration. Of course none of us have definitive proof in front of us (tennis isn't athletics!) but this is my inclination.

Funnily enough, I was watching this exact video with a friend on Friday night while having a smoke The point at 3:20 is mind-boggling, watching Sampras accelerate to hit the backhand is like a blur... had to be replayed several times over I recall..

Imagine Nadal in the same position - we have seen him sprint the full width of the court and curl a forehand down the line many a time, but it is usually made on the run, skidding into the shot, with his arm doing most of the work. What gets me about the Sampras clip is that he seems to get there in enough time to actually stop himself and plant both of his feet before hitting the backhand.

Good observation. For anyone who doubts Sampras' athleticism watch the video again and only watch his feet. Not only is it impeccable footwork but his first three steps to the ball is pure explosion. He seemed to accelerate faster and more smoothly than anyone on a hard-court at that time.

[sportsfan1]

Agassi himself said that Sampras was a great athlete.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by robow7

The guys that you fear of their court coverage are those that don't look like they're moving fast at all but seem to casually get to everything in plenty of time to set up and hit rather than having to hit out on the full run. I saw Sampras play live several times at court level and he definitely fell in this category. Borg was maybe the finest or fastest that I've personally seen and of course Hewett and Nadal were/are no slouch.

Nastase, Edberg, Sampras, Federer were all like that.

[hawk eye]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

You are right about that. Never mind, I found a better example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...6KUv_EM#t=417s

This tops the other one by a mile.

That 's just incredible, that looked like Virtua Tennis or something!