Why don't pro players post here?

[Phil]

Why would someone who spends his/her life practicing and playing tennis want to spend their free time TALKING about tennis with a bunch of tennis geeks? I wouldn't, if I were a pro. Geez, get some perspective, OP...think about it.

[Joeyg]

Phil has hit it on the head. Most of the Tour players that I have spoken with have very little interest in what the geeks on the boards seem to discuss and debate endlessly! Do you think a pro welder goes home and goes to the welding site and discusses the best type of welding rod to use? Give me a break! Pro tennis players have a VERY narrow focus, and if they didn't they wouldn't be where they are.

[max]

Ah, that's a good point! I think that may very well explain it.

[max]

. . . or it may not. For most players, it likely does: they're tired of tennis and want to do something else. But some pros may very well want to get involved on a discussion board, to learn new things, etc.

I'm kind of struck by the hostility of Phil here to the OP. I'm genuine in this inquiry, and it deserves the kind of respect you'd give anyone asking a sincere question.

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by max

I guess that's my question. I would think that after playing, I'd relax in a hotel room with a cool drink and either the TV or the internet hookup.

A blonde tall cool drink of sunshine sounds more relaxing, or a jet-ski, eh?

[JRstriker12]

Originally Posted by max

. . . or it may not. For most players, it likely does: they're tired of tennis and want to do something else. But some pros may very well want to get involved on a discussion board, to learn new things, etc.

I'm kind of struck by the hostility of Phil here to the OP. I'm genuine in this inquiry, and it deserves the kind of respect you'd give anyone asking a sincere question.

What could a pro learn here on the message boards that they couldn't learn by talking to other pros, coaches, fitness trainiers, dieticians, and the professional stringers/racket techs, etc on the tour?

Those guys are surounded by tennis so they don't need to go online. We come here because we see other people who share our same hobby and the guy in the cube next to you is more likely to prefer football or NASCAR.

Putting aside forums like this one, why would players have official forums if they don't see what their own fans write from time to time? Forums like Henman's, Federer's and Mauresmo's have question and answer sessions from registered members. I'm registered to Mauresmo's site and have sent questions.

Much lower ranked players may have some sort of outlet. 1984 Wimbledon finalist Chris Lewis contributed to a forum recently in response to something he had read. That was well documented.

Originally Posted by max

. . . or it may not. For most players, it likely does: they're tired of tennis and want to do something else. But some pros may very well want to get involved on a discussion board, to learn new things, etc.

I'm kind of struck by the hostility of Phil here to the OP. I'm genuine in this inquiry, and it deserves the kind of respect you'd give anyone asking a sincere question.

You're struck by PHIL'S hostility huh? And you've been a TW member since 2004?

[Fee]

Based on what I've seen and the people I've spoken to about this... it is entirely possible that more than one active pro player has perused this board, but I sincerely doubt that any have registered or posted here. Some reportedly read MTF, but none have posted there either.

I know that Jan-Mike has looked at this forum exactly once because I gave him the link to the thread that asked about his academy in Hawaii. He looked at his old messageboard no more than three times, mainly because he didn't really care what was said there, he knew I would tell him if there was anything important, and he didn't want anyone to feel self conscious about speaking freely to other fans. He posted there once to thank his fans for a Christmas gift.

The players that I know or have seen that carry laptops with them (most of them) can usually be found playing online poker, tracking their fantasy football teams, checking their facebook/myspace pages, playing video games (more than a few WoW nerds), making travel arrangements on every travel site known to man, reading the news 'back home' if they are not from the US, or keeping up on music and music videos. I've seen some that use MSN/Yahoo/AIM more than any of my friends and I do. Yes, they do have a lot of down time, but as someone said earlier, they play tennis all day long and talking about it all night is just about the last thing they want to do.

You make some very good observations Fee.

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by JRstriker12

10 Reasons Why Pros Don't Post Here:

1. I don't know, maybe they are practicing and training?

2. Living like a tennis star can be tiring - you know all the women, cars, clothes, clubbing. Probably rather sleep to save energy for when the next supermodel calls than talk to a bunch of 3.5 hacks.

3. Can't always get a internet connection while spending most of thier hours traveling from tournament to tournament in planes, cars, trains, etc.

4. If Roger Federer or any other pro posted here, who would actually believe that Roger Federer was posting on TT?

Federer1- It's really me guys. Since you guys want to know what I am playing with, I wanted to tell you that I am really using the K-Factor now. No paint job.

Deskjocky32- No way. Get the **** out of here. I don't have time for sockpuppets like you. Now 10isLover456, what racket do you think Federer is REALLY using? Any picts?

5. TT is connected to a online tennis store. If I was a pro, I'd want $$$ to make an appearance on that store's chat boards.

6. Since they aren't chained to a desk 8 hours a day and hopefully love what they do, they don't need to go online to talk to people. They can actually get up and go somewhere and sit around the pool with a beer and hang with thier peeps.

7. One poster who shall not be named and his mystical customization tips for creating a racket that can make you as good as any pro.

8. Too busy playing virtua tennis on this 100" HDTV

9. They don't post, but lurk in the Tennis Tips/ Instruction Section.

10. I am a pro and a post here all the time!!!!

hahahah loved the list.

[Joeyg]

Just wanted to reiterate that no one on these boards can post anything about tennis that a current ATP pro would deem useful. I find it laughable that some posters with an NTRP level of whatever would think they are capable of giving out sound advice to a professional. Although, I know some of the peanut gallery out there suspect that they are indeed ready to coach on the ATP tour. I think these are the same 4.0 guys who think if they play well, that they can take games from a pro.

[Ace]

What do you mean?
Roger Federer posts here regularly under the user name "Bottle", and he has been trying to tell us how to replicate his forehand for months.

[oscar_2424]

Originally Posted by max

I guess that's my question. I would think that after playing, I'd relax in a hotel room with a cool drink and either the TV or the internet hookup.

Because they have a life and we dont

[PurePrestige]

Pro's get plenty of online time I feel like. If you read Tursunov's blog he was saying that Safina had the time to download nearly every song on the web, and that Safin downloaded his own blockbuster worth of movies. Not only that, but Monfils was constantly playing music and messaging on MSN.

It sounds like they have just as much time for the net as we do, but I mean. What do they have to interest them on these boards...Fed's specs...nice.

[theace21]

Phil said it the best - go re-read post 21!

[Zets147]

Originally Posted by PurePrestige

9. They don't post, but lurk in the Tennis Tips/ Instruction Section.


It sounds like they have just as much time for the net as we do, but I mean. What do they have to interest them on these boards...Fed's specs...nice.

HAHAHAHAHAHA Awesome.

[krprunitennis2]

Originally Posted by Condoleezza

You are joking, no?
The tennis knowledge here is abysmal ...

Condi

=D Still it's great comedy. Anyways, they can even give out some pointers.


But then...if they join...:

1. No one would probably believe them.

2. If they say something bad,...media.

[SB]

Martina Navratilova, Conchita Martinez, and Steffi Graf's mother used to post occasionally on the AOL tennis board about 10 years ago (in the case of Heidi Graf, even more recently, maybe 8 years ago). And yes, their identities were confirmed.

It was fairly interesting, actually. Then someone hacked the email of either Conchita or Martina, maybe both, and they quit. I think Graf quit because certain posters thought it was a good idea to harass her. MN1956 was Navratilova's name, and I can't remember Martinez's. It might have had to do with a dog or pet of some sort. And Graf's was her grandson's name.

[tennis_nerd22]

what do you mean pro's dont post here... IM HERE

LOL just kidding... but ill bet some of them do, but they dont say it.