What is with the nostalgia over Serve and volley?

[steenkash]

Whenever I talk to the older generation tennis fans, they always like to talk about the 'good old days' of tennis, where the points were quick and the courts were much faster. In all honestly rather than seeing a couple of players with repetitive tactics, I much prefer the variation of the modern game. Thank god for players like Ivan Lendl for starting this new phase of baseline players, because I want to see my money's worth and see a long game of tennis with variation, rather than a quick exchange and goodbye (how it is with all my girlfriends).

[Anaconda]

Originally Posted by steenkash

Whenever I talk to the older generation tennis fans, they always like to talk about the 'good old days' of tennis, where the points were quick and the courts were much faster. In all honestly rather than seeing a couple of players with repetitive tactics, I much prefer the variation of the modern game. Thank god for players like Ivan Lendl for starting this new phase of baseline players, because I want to see my money's worth and see a long game of tennis with variation, rather than a quick exchange and goodbye (how it is with all my girlfriends).

There is no variation nowadays.


/thread.

[librarysteg]

Edberg was my first favorite player so I have a big soft spot for serve and volley. I don't prefer it over other styles of play, though. Now that serve and volley seems so rare, I do enjoy catching matches with a lot of serve and volley because it feels like a novelty. I wish so many players didn't seem downright afraid to come to the net once in a while. It's a good trick to have in their bag even if they don't use it regularly.

[steenkash]

Originally Posted by librarysteg

Edberg was my first favorite player so I have a big soft spot for serve and volley. I don't prefer it over other styles of play, though. Now that serve and volley seems so rare, I do enjoy catching matches with a lot of serve and volley because it feels like a novelty. I wish so many players didn't seem downright afraid to come to the net once in a while. It's a good trick to have in their bag even if they don't use it regularly.

I think players like Tsonga and Djocovic do go for the old 'chip and charge' and 'serve and volley' at times. Its much more interesting when they mix it up.

[sureshs]

It is just more thrilling to see serve and volley

[Tammo]

Of there was a tourney of 90% s and v everyone would get tired of it and complain. That's just the way TTW is

[Steve0904]

Originally Posted by steenkash

I think players like Tsonga and Djocovic do go for the old 'chip and charge' and 'serve and volley' at times. Its much more interesting when they mix it up.

What are we calling "at times?" Like once every 1000 points (or more?)

As for the nostalgia, it's exactly that. Nostalgia. It's hard to combat against with logical reasoning because people are often in denial. See 90's clay for a good example of this.

Nostalgia often causes people to overrate things simply because they liked said things when they were children, and didn't know any better.

[Feather]

In my opinion, this is the most beautiful form of Tennis, S & V

Also Stefan Edberg used to be my childhood fave

[librarysteg]

Originally Posted by Feather

In my opinion, this is the most beautiful form of Tennis, S & V

Also Stefan Edberg used to be my childhood fave

My childhood favorite too...we must be around the same age. I posted this point of Edberg's in a thread yesterday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raZ-ltWuS9I. It shows that you still get some amazing baseline rallies/long points when watching a serve and volleyer.

[steenkash]

Originally Posted by Steve0904

What are we calling "at times?" Like once every 1000 points (or more?)

As for the nostalgia, it's exactly that. Nostalgia. It's hard to combat against with logical reasoning because people are often in denial. See 90's clay for a good example of this.

Nostalgia often causes people to overrate things simply because they liked said things when they were children, and didn't know any better.

Your argument seems balanced, may I take it you don't favor just one style of play?

[steenkash]

Originally Posted by librarysteg

My childhood favorite too...we must be around the same age. I posted this point of Edberg's in a thread yesterday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raZ-ltWuS9I. It shows that you still get some amazing baseline rallies/long points when watching a serve and volleyer.

My dad used to show me videos of Edberg, I have to say he is one Serve and volley players I would watch. It was clinical and intelligent tennis.

[estigma2001]

Edgerg almost won RG with his style, Rafter was amazing i remember tryin to emulate his playing! and the last one that i like was Dent!

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Originally Posted by steenkash

Whenever I talk to the older generation tennis fans, they always like to talk about the 'good old days' of tennis, where the points were quick and the courts were much faster. In all honestly rather than seeing a couple of players with repetitive tactics, I much prefer the variation of the modern game. Thank god for players like Ivan Lendl for starting this new phase of baseline players, because I want to see my money's worth and see a long game of tennis with variation, rather than a quick exchange and goodbye (how it is with all my girlfriends).

It's called efficiency kid.

[mattennis]

Because when I watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9Mx1YEuUk I come....

In former eras you could see all kind of styles, points, surfaces....there was a huge variation of techniques, strategies...

Now you basically see only one thing, again and again and again and again and again....everywhere, in every tournament.

[librarysteg]

Originally Posted by mattennis

Because when I watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u9Mx1YEuUk I come....

In former eras you could see all kind of styles, points, surfaces....there was a huge variation of techniques, strategies...

Now you basically see only one thing, again and again and again and again and again....everywhere, in every tournament.

Great stuff. It's always fun when a S&V is returning serve from a baseliner...that's sort of the best of both worlds right there. You get a few good baseline rallies and then the S&V finds their opening to come into the net and end the point. There's nothing boring about that to me.

[mattennis]

With players like Stich, Becker, Sampras, Philippoussis,....you could see all kind of points, because they used to serve-and-volley on first serves but they stayed back on second serve and played baseline rallies.

Pioline, Ferreira, Washington...were other all-court players (more or less baseliners, but they could serve-and-volley properly when needed and they used to mix it up depending on surface and rival).

For example, here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED6zx87SeoU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyxqCNPBDdg only about 25% of points are serve-and-volley (the points where Sampras was serving and it was a first serve), the other 75% of points were baseline rallies that could end with one of the players at the net after some shots, or mainly it could end with a baseline winner shot.

Today, when you watch Djokovic-Murray, Murray-Nadal or Djokovic-Nadal you watch the same point again and again and again and again....two players ripping powerful top-spin shots from the baseline until one of them fails.

[estigma2001]

this was an epic s&v battle!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-8WThj5pw

[xan]

Originally Posted by Steve0904

What are we calling "at times?" Like once every 1000 points (or more?)

well djokovic does it when he feels he needs to change something in his game. when he is down 3 break points or something like that. sadly its not a part of his usual game and uses it more of as a surprise tactic.

[Vrad]

As others have pointed out, it's not really nostalgia for S&V as such, but nostalgia for an era when there was far more variety than in today's game.

[vive le beau jeu !]

Originally Posted by steenkash

Whenever I talk to the older generation tennis fans, they always like to talk about the 'good old days' of tennis, where the points were quick and the courts were much faster. In all honestly rather than seeing a couple of players with repetitive tactics, I much prefer the variation of the modern game. Thank god for players like Ivan Lendl for starting this new phase of baseline players, because I want to see my money's worth and see a long game of tennis with variation, rather than a quick exchange and goodbye (how it is with all my girlfriends).