Players you loved to watch.

Paul Murphy · 07-27-2012, 02:17 AM

I posted a similar thread elsewhere about current players.
Now let's look at past players only.

1) Lendl: I loved the power he brought to the game, his forehand and his domination on US hardcourts and the aura he brought to the game.
I thought his running line backhand was a thing of beauty.
Loved his rivalry with McEnroe.
Made tennis in the 1980s the most exciting era for me.
Also admired the way he came back from a succession of defeats in majors to win eight of them and "own" most of the 1980s through his weeks at No.1.

2) McEnroe: The master of touch, the lefty serve was a delight.
His behaviour was appalling at times but he brought undeniable excitement to the game.
I loved the S/V versus baseliner confrontation with Lendl and Connors - the contrast in styles is what I miss so much about tennis now.

3) Couldn't stand the guy but loved his return game. It was fascinating watching him pick apart big servers.
Overdid the theatrics and aggression but played a major part in making tennis what it was the 1980s.

Basically any major which featured those three in the semis was always going to be worth watching.

Opinions?

McLovin · 07-27-2012, 03:28 AM

Edberg - Best serve & volley game in the Open era IMO. You knew he was coming. 1st serve, 2nd serve, return, clay, hard, break point up, match point down.
Rafter - After Edberg retired, his was the most exciting serve & volley to watch, especially vs. a returner like Agassi.
Fernando Gonzalez - No one, and I mean no one, could hit a winner like this guy. Sure, I had to endure a butt-load of unforced errors, but man, when he hit the ball, he hit the ball!

suwanee4712 · 07-27-2012, 04:03 AM

First and foremost I loved the players that made the game look easy knowing full well that it wasn't. These would include:

McEnroe
Krishnan
Mandlikova
Neiland
Bunge
McNeil
Leconte
Zvereva
Goolagong
Santoro
Novotna
Mecir
Nastase
And then there are others that I liked either because of their personalities or some part of their game:

Jaeger
Arias
Ruzici
Lindqvist
Edberg
Shriver
Sukova
Wade
L. Gildemeister

pc1 · 07-27-2012, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Murphy

I posted a similar thread elsewhere about current players.
Now let's look at past players only.

1) Lendl: I loved the power he brought to the game, his forehand and his domination on US hardcourts and the aura he brought to the game.
I thought his running line backhand was a thing of beauty.
Loved his rivalry with McEnroe.
Made tennis in the 1980s the most exciting era for me.
Also admired the way he came back from a succession of defeats in majors to win eight of them and "own" most of the 1980s through his weeks at No.1.

2) McEnroe: The master of touch, the lefty serve was a delight.
His behaviour was appalling at times but he brought undeniable excitement to the game.
I loved the S/V versus baseliner confrontation with Lendl and Connors - the contrast in styles is what I miss so much about tennis now.

3) Couldn't stand the guy but loved his return game. It was fascinating watching him pick apart big servers.
Overdid the theatrics and aggression but played a major part in making tennis what it was the 1980s.

Basically any major which featured those three in the semis was always going to be worth watching.

Opinions?

I assume number three is Andre Agassi?

Paul Murphy · 07-27-2012, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pc1

I assume number three is Andre Agassi?

No. But interesting that you'd think that - the first line does describe him perfectly.
Sorry.
It's Connors.

Paul Murphy · 07-27-2012, 05:16 AM

All except for the "couldn't stand the guy" bit.
I liked Agassi - certainly the more mature version we saw from the late 1990s anyway.

treblings · 07-27-2012, 05:28 AM

suwanee, i like your reasoning.
players that made it look easy.
and the ones you mention somewhat date you in the same age group as myself

provided you mean ramesh and not ramanathan krishnan

pc1 · 07-27-2012, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Murphy

No. But interesting that you'd think that - the first line does describe him perfectly.
Sorry.
It's Connors.

Connors was one of my favorites to watch.

Here's a list in no order-Leconte, Noah, Laver, Borg, Rosewall, Mecir, Orantes, Nastase, Connors, Lendl, Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Vilas, Agassi, Edberg, Becker, Sampras, Newcombe, Roche, Ashe, Kuerten, McEnroe Vijay Amritraj.

Favorite rivalries-Borg-Connors, Connors-McEnroe, Laver-Rosewall, Federer-Nadal, Nadal-Djokovic.

Women-Evert, Navratilova, Goolagong, King, Graf, Seles, Serena, Venus, Henin, Clijsters, Mandlikova, Court, Sharapova (too much noise and just one style of play but I enjoy how she competes), Capriati, Hingis.

Favorite rivalries-Evert-Goolagong (my favorite among the women), Evert-Navratilova, Graf-Seles, Clijsters-Serena, King-Goolagong, Henin-Capriati.

Wife's personal favorite-Henri Leconte-Brilliant shotmaker but wild.

Limpinhitter · 07-27-2012, 05:33 AM

The Rocket - Unmatched intensity. Never seen anything like him before or since.

Federer - The most graceful, efficient, at ease, game I've ever seen.

Agassi - The way he punished balls from on top of, or inside, the baseline was unprecedented.

Rosewall - An aesthetically beautiful and deceptive game. Probably the most consistent execution ever, other than Borg.

Borg - The speed, athleticism, power and consistency were superhuman.

Connors - The ultimate tennis warrior. Amazing depth, power and consistency from the ground.

McEnroe - At his peak, it seemed like he could beat anyone with his left hand while eating a ham sandwitch with his right hand.

jrepac · 07-27-2012, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Limpinhitter

The Rocket - Unmatched intensity. Never seen anything like him before or since.

Federer - The most graceful, efficient, at ease, game I've ever seen.

Agassi - The way he punished balls from on top of, or inside, the baseline was unprecedented.

Rosewall - An aesthetically beautiful and deceptive game. Probably the most consistent execution ever, other than Borg.

Borg - The speed, athleticism, power and consistency were superhuman.

Connors - The ultimate tennis warrior. Amazing depth, power and consistency from the ground.

McEnroe - At his peak, it seemed like he could beat anyone with his left hand while eating a ham sandwitch with his right hand.

great list; love the McEnroe quote....he was simply amazing and he made it look oh so easy....

Devilito · 07-27-2012, 07:04 AM

Agassi
Courier
Korda
Pioline
Lendl
Becker

pc1 · 07-27-2012, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Limpinhitter

The Rocket - Unmatched intensity. Never seen anything like him before or since.

Federer - The most graceful, efficient, at ease, game I've ever seen.

Agassi - The way he punished balls from on top of, or inside, the baseline was unprecedented.

Rosewall - An aesthetically beautiful and deceptive game. Probably the most consistent execution ever, other than Borg.

Borg - The speed, athleticism, power and consistency were superhuman.

Connors - The ultimate tennis warrior. Amazing depth, power and consistency from the ground.

McEnroe - At his peak, it seemed like he could beat anyone with his left hand while eating a ham sandwitch with his right hand.

The bolded part is a great line.

How true.

BTURNER · 07-27-2012, 04:17 PM

The artists: McEnroe, Leconte, Goolagong, Santoro, Federer,Mecir
The clinicians: Evert, Connors, Lendl, Wilander, Hingis
The athletes: Navatilova, Graf, Becker, Serena, sampras, edberg.

jaggy · 07-27-2012, 05:30 PM

Leconte, Santoro, Gene Mayer, Krishnan

BrooklynNY · 07-27-2012, 05:40 PM

Sampras, Federer, Korda, Corretja

AlfaAce · 07-27-2012, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Murphy

I loved the S/V versus baseliner confrontation with Lendl and Connors - the contrast in styles is what I miss so much about tennis now.

I agree. What has happened to today's tennis... especially the S/V player?!?!

DolgoSantoro · 07-27-2012, 06:37 PM

Agassi
Santoro
Edberg
Borg
Dolgopolov
Federer
McEnroe

Mustard · 07-27-2012, 07:01 PM

Players I love to watch:

Thomas Muster
Rafael Nadal
Goran Ivanisevic
Pancho Gonzales
Rod Laver
Jimmy Connors
Guillermo Vilas
Bjorn Borg
Roscoe Tanner
Vitas Gerulaitis
Tim Mayotte
Mats Wilander
Aaron Krickstein
Miloslav Mecir
Henri Leconte
Boris Becker
Jim Courier
Monica Seles
Jennifer Capriati
Aranxta Sanchez Vicario
Mary Pierce
Fabrice Santoro
Alberto Berasategui
Sergi Bruguera
Andrei Medvedev
Albert Costa
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Petr Korda
Marcelo Rios
Gustavo Kuerten
Magnus Norman
Lleyton Hewitt
Marat Safin
Alexander Popp
Juan Carlos Ferrero
David Nalbandian
Guillermo Coria
Kim Clijsters
Gilles Muller

heftylefty · 07-27-2012, 07:08 PM

Former players I loved to watch

Wilander
Edberg
Rafter

tenniscasey · 07-27-2012, 08:03 PM

Rather than repeat what others have said, I'll throw out Hingis-Kournikova doubles. Uniquely entertaining as partners, and they won a couple Slams together.

07-27-2012, 02:17 AM	#1
Paul Murphy Professional Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,369	Players you loved to watch. I posted a similar thread elsewhere about current players. Now let's look at past players only. 1) Lendl: I loved the power he brought to the game, his forehand and his domination on US hardcourts and the aura he brought to the game. I thought his running line backhand was a thing of beauty. Loved his rivalry with McEnroe. Made tennis in the 1980s the most exciting era for me. Also admired the way he came back from a succession of defeats in majors to win eight of them and "own" most of the 1980s through his weeks at No.1. 2) McEnroe: The master of touch, the lefty serve was a delight. His behaviour was appalling at times but he brought undeniable excitement to the game. I loved the S/V versus baseliner confrontation with Lendl and Connors - the contrast in styles is what I miss so much about tennis now. 3) Couldn't stand the guy but loved his return game. It was fascinating watching him pick apart big servers. Overdid the theatrics and aggression but played a major part in making tennis what it was the 1980s. Basically any major which featured those three in the semis was always going to be worth watching. Opinions?

07-27-2012, 03:28 AM	#2
McLovin Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,607	Edberg - Best serve & volley game in the Open era IMO. You knew he was coming. 1st serve, 2nd serve, return, clay, hard, break point up, match point down. Rafter - After Edberg retired, his was the most exciting serve & volley to watch, especially vs. a returner like Agassi. Fernando Gonzalez - No one, and I mean no one, could hit a winner like this guy. Sure, I had to endure a butt-load of unforced errors, but man, when he hit the ball, he hit the ball! __________________ "Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row" -- Vitas Gerulaitis, after beating Jimmy Connors on his 17th try.

07-27-2012, 04:03 AM	#3
suwanee4712 Semi-Pro Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 630	First and foremost I loved the players that made the game look easy knowing full well that it wasn't. These would include: McEnroe Krishnan Mandlikova Neiland Bunge McNeil Leconte Zvereva Goolagong Santoro Novotna Mecir Nastase And then there are others that I liked either because of their personalities or some part of their game: Jaeger Arias Ruzici Lindqvist Edberg Shriver Sukova Wade L. Gildemeister Last edited by suwanee4712 : 07-29-2012 at 08:58 AM.

07-27-2012, 05:28 AM	#7
treblings Hall Of Fame Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,891	suwanee, i like your reasoning. players that made it look easy. and the ones you mention somewhat date you in the same age group as myself provided you mean ramesh and not ramanathan krishnan __________________ Head Prestige Pro (2nd gen)

07-27-2012, 05:33 AM	#9
Limpinhitter Legend Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 9,289	The Rocket - Unmatched intensity. Never seen anything like him before or since. Federer - The most graceful, efficient, at ease, game I've ever seen. Agassi - The way he punished balls from on top of, or inside, the baseline was unprecedented. Rosewall - An aesthetically beautiful and deceptive game. Probably the most consistent execution ever, other than Borg. Borg - The speed, athleticism, power and consistency were superhuman. Connors - The ultimate tennis warrior. Amazing depth, power and consistency from the ground. McEnroe - At his peak, it seemed like he could beat anyone with his left hand while eating a ham sandwitch with his right hand. Last edited by Limpinhitter : 07-27-2012 at 05:43 AM.