Comparison between players of past and present?

[Gundam]

Can anyone compare the great players from the past with current or recently retired players?

Of course, they used wooden racquets, played a lot different games back then. I am just curious about their attitude, strength, tactic, playing style, personality, and personal life etc. Recently I had a chance to watch an excellent video "Kings of the courts" that I borrowed from a local library. Bill Tilden, F. Perry, D. Budge, Jack Kramer, Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, E. Vines, Riggs, Gonzales and a couple more were featured. I remember someone describing Hoad as a prototype of Boris Becker, for example.

[Phillip=Tennis guy]

Bjorn is just like Federer attitude wise.

[quest01]

Lets just say most people on this forum could beat most of the top pros from the past even Bjorn Borg. You put our technology with there wooden racquets we would cream anyone from the past.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by quest01

Lets just say most people on this forum could beat most of the top pros from the past even Bjorn Borg. You put our technology with there wooden racquets we would cream anyone from the past.

no way Jose, unless most people on this forum can play like the current top 5 tennis pros

[sandiegotennisboy]

Originally Posted by quest01

Lets just say most people on this forum could beat most of the top pros from the past even Bjorn Borg. You put our technology with there wooden racquets we would cream anyone from the past.

yeah right. their strokes might look funky and they might not hit as hard but they would be the ultimate backwall.

[Mick]

Players of the past had a better net game, except for Bjorn Borg, i think. They would come to the net as soon as they could. Today's players don't do that. At this year's Wimbledon, Federer didn't come to the net very much.

[Eviscerator]

Originally Posted by quest01

Lets just say most people on this forum could beat most of the top pros from the past even Bjorn Borg. You put our technology with there wooden racquets we would cream anyone from the past.

One of the more absurd posts I've read in recent weeks (excluding the ones from known trolls)

[superman1]

Yeah, that's ridiculous. You could hit the forehand as hard as you want to, they will adapt and they will cut you off at net and demolish you. Or they will jump over the net, hit you over the head and steal your Babolat.

[helloworld]

Originally Posted by quest01

Lets just say most people on this forum could beat most of the top pros from the past even Bjorn Borg. You put our technology with there wooden racquets we would cream anyone from the past.

LOL !! you wish !!! Bjorn Borg is the GOAT !!! He played during Mcenroe and Connors time and had better result than both of them !! Bjorn Borg retired at the age of 26 and still managed to win 11 Grand Slams !!!

[urban]

To the original question about similarities of playing styles. Hoad powerful, somewhat inconsistent style was indeed compared to Becker. Both were at their best at Wimbledon and in Davis Cup, but not day in and out. Budge agressive Baseline Style is comparable to Lendl's. Laver's flashy lefthander style has found similarities in Leconte and Korda, especially on the backhand. Borg had many successors in Sweden: Wilander, Carlsson, Sundstrom, Lundgren. Federer reminds me on Rosewall: his movement, balance, anticipation, his defensive game, his safe return, to look for the openings. Fed has the better forehand, bur Muscles the better backhand. Gonzales and Sampras werecomparable: excellent fast courters with big serves, tough and competitive.

[Gundam]

Originally Posted by urban

To the original question about similarities of playing styles. Hoad powerful, somewhat inconsistent style was indeed compared to Becker. Both were at their best at Wimbledon and in Davis Cup, but not day in and out. Budge agressive Baseline Style is comparable to Lendl's. Laver's flashy lefthander style has found similarities in Leconte and Korda, especially on the backhand. Borg had many successors in Sweden: Wilander, Carlsson, Sundstrom, Lundgren. Federer reminds me on Rosewall: his movement, balance, anticipation, his defensive game, his safe return, to look for the openings. Fed has the better forehand, bur Muscles the better backhand. Gonzales and Sampras werecomparable: excellent fast courters with big serves, tough and competitive.

Thanks urban, this is what I wanted to read. It would be real nice if we can watch 1972 WCT championship between the Muscles and the Rocket! I had a chance to watch Laver playing (against Borg). He was older but had a phenomenal racquet swing speed (especially FH) and would become very aggressive from time to time.

[TennisProPaul]

wilander is the best ever

[c10]

Originally Posted by quest01

Lets just say most people on this forum could beat most of the top pros from the past even Bjorn Borg. You put our technology with there wooden racquets we would cream anyone from the past.

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa,
are u on drugs or just drunk???? Ive seen Vilas and Clerk with wooden racquets play against Gaudio and Nalbandian with their currect racquets, and I can assure that Vilas or Clerk can beat with their wooden racquets a #300 ranked guy. I dont think that anybody in this forum is even close.

[helloworld]

quest01's post is so stupid it's not even worth discussing. There's no chance in hell any of us in the forum will stand a chance against the likes of Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, etc. If you're talking about the past like 50 something years ago, then maybe we can have a talk.

[Warriorroger]

Interesting post for so many reasons. Federer is something special, like Sampras, Becker and Edberg were before him. He has more in common though with the generation before the bad boys (Connors/Mcenroe), the Lavers, Rosewalls. His play his theirs, but with the power of the Sampras generation. Players like Sampras, Becker and Edberg would do well in this era as well. Nadal is special too, he has the Thomas Muster ethics, but with this era's power and talent.

The women's game has declined. Everyone can say they hit harder and are better athletes, but they aren't better tennisplayers. They win, because they either hit harder or make less errors. Out of the top 20, only 3 of them are true tennisplayers: Mauresmo, Hingis and Henin, bit they would be eaten alive in the 90s, bye either Seles or Graf. I wish the women of today would be more like diva's from the mid 80s, 90s, more drama on the court and real mental battles: but not who chokes the first, but who is the strongest.