MacBorg Wimby at Star Sports
- Thread starter cucio
- Start date
Deuce
Banned
Next time, just cut to the chase and write...
"I know virtually nothing about tennis or its history. I know so little that I've no respect for any of the lame tennis that was played pre-1990.
I'm still quite young and have so very much to learn.
Please, Board posters, help to educate me about this wonderful game so that I may learn to truly respect it and to learn the many things it can teach me that I do not yet know, and to then pass this learning on to my friends.
Thank you."
"I know virtually nothing about tennis or its history. I know so little that I've no respect for any of the lame tennis that was played pre-1990.
I'm still quite young and have so very much to learn.
Please, Board posters, help to educate me about this wonderful game so that I may learn to truly respect it and to learn the many things it can teach me that I do not yet know, and to then pass this learning on to my friends.
Thank you."
Jonnyf
Hall of Fame
What year.? If it's the 1980 Wimbledon final there is no way you can say it's lame.I'm 15 and was brought up with the power game and even I think it's awesome
T
TennisandMusic
Guest
I have to say I think today's tennis looks lame compared to the skill and touch game of the entire history of the sport pre-21st century.
VikingSamurai
Banned
Amen..
The true game died when Rafter retired.. He was truelly the last old school player to run around with the big boys..
CyBorg
Legend
It's interesting how opinions on stuff like this vary so much. Some people are wowed by the power of the modern game with the juiced rackets. Others find wood much more inviting and the variety of the serve and volley refreshing.
I definitely miss the old grass game. The artistry today is almost gone there. We're seeing ugly, ugly tennis powered by big serves and guys like Andy Roddick. Conversely, the clay tennis today seems so much more fun to behold.
tenniko
Semi-Pro
people tend to look at the past with today's perspective.
it's like saying the 54.4 modems (mid 90s) were so slow. of course it is, if you had it today. but back in the days, that and Pentium II were top-of-the-line technology.
i guess it's hard to understand for someone who hasn't experienced it. (back then, lendl's forehand was untouchable.)
it's like saying the 54.4 modems (mid 90s) were so slow. of course it is, if you had it today. but back in the days, that and Pentium II were top-of-the-line technology.
i guess it's hard to understand for someone who hasn't experienced it. (back then, lendl's forehand was untouchable.)
cucio
Legend
I meant no disrespect at all, I know that today's speed comes from evolved technology and physical conditioning. Note I said "in terms of power," not skill or anything else. I was strictly speaking of it as a visual show. Nowadays big servers look scary in comparison, but I am not saying Mac and Borg wouldn't have looked scary too had they been born 20 years later.
Another thing I noticed is that the servicing technique seems to have changed a lot, too. Mac and Borg bent a lot their backs while tossing the ball but nowadays players seem to bend more the legs than the back. Present technique seems visually more fluent but, not being a competitive player myself, wouldn't know if it is more effective or not.
Another thing I noticed is that the servicing technique seems to have changed a lot, too. Mac and Borg bent a lot their backs while tossing the ball but nowadays players seem to bend more the legs than the back. Present technique seems visually more fluent but, not being a competitive player myself, wouldn't know if it is more effective or not.
Sean Dugan
Rookie
The athleticism was there......the technology was lacking. I am, of course, referring to those super tight short shorts that Mac and Borg were forced by cruel fate to wear in those days. ;o)
Modern racquets are night and day compared to the Donnay Allwoods and Kramer Pro Staffs those boys played. The wood racquets were limiting much in the same way hickory shafts limited Bobby Jones or earlier race cars limited AJ Foyt or Roger Maris was limited without steroids. If Borg and Mac grew up playing with modern racquets, their games would have more pop. The average player on the pro tour now is just better than they were years ago. . Better conditioned, stronger, a bit faster perhaps and they hit the ball a lot harder because today's racquets allow for that... and the game has accordingly evolved to a higher level.
It is amazing when you watch matches from even 20 years ago or earlier. The contrast is even more stark the farther back you go ( i.e. Tilden's era). I saw part of the Lendl v Wilander RG 1985 Final recently and it seemed slow and almost casual by today's standards. Almost like an extremely well played club match. The Borg Mac matchup looks that way too but one has to take into consideration the racquets and how limiting a factor that was. And that their strokes, grips and games were all built on a foundation of wood. The game has simply evolved to a much higher level; the huge serves, huge forehands and all. And the modern racquets allow players to hit passing shots and service returns that would have been impossible in the grass court/wood racquet era. The ground stroke and service techniques have evolved as well to take advantage of today's equipment. Now the norm, Borg's two handed backhand was something of an oddity in his heyday and today 120 mph + servers are commonplace.
It would be great if the ATP held an event where the players had to use wood racquets with 80 inch heads. The Hall of Fame event seems like a good choice for that.....but it will never happen. Would be interesting to see how the players adjusted.
Modern racquets are night and day compared to the Donnay Allwoods and Kramer Pro Staffs those boys played. The wood racquets were limiting much in the same way hickory shafts limited Bobby Jones or earlier race cars limited AJ Foyt or Roger Maris was limited without steroids. If Borg and Mac grew up playing with modern racquets, their games would have more pop. The average player on the pro tour now is just better than they were years ago. . Better conditioned, stronger, a bit faster perhaps and they hit the ball a lot harder because today's racquets allow for that... and the game has accordingly evolved to a higher level.
It is amazing when you watch matches from even 20 years ago or earlier. The contrast is even more stark the farther back you go ( i.e. Tilden's era). I saw part of the Lendl v Wilander RG 1985 Final recently and it seemed slow and almost casual by today's standards. Almost like an extremely well played club match. The Borg Mac matchup looks that way too but one has to take into consideration the racquets and how limiting a factor that was. And that their strokes, grips and games were all built on a foundation of wood. The game has simply evolved to a much higher level; the huge serves, huge forehands and all. And the modern racquets allow players to hit passing shots and service returns that would have been impossible in the grass court/wood racquet era. The ground stroke and service techniques have evolved as well to take advantage of today's equipment. Now the norm, Borg's two handed backhand was something of an oddity in his heyday and today 120 mph + servers are commonplace.
It would be great if the ATP held an event where the players had to use wood racquets with 80 inch heads. The Hall of Fame event seems like a good choice for that.....but it will never happen. Would be interesting to see how the players adjusted.
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alwaysatnet
Semi-Pro
The ATP should establish certain racquet technology parameters so that power doesn't completely ruin the game(as golf has). You can't do anything about the increasing size and strength of the competitors, or the way they are taught to approach the game these days. But there is no reason not to take the equipment equation out of the picture.
It's not a new notion, I know, but I still think there is much merit there.
It's not a new notion, I know, but I still think there is much merit there.
Deuce
Banned
I disagree.
I don't think that today's players are better, or that the game is better today.
The players are different, and the game is different, that's all.
There is more power today - no-one can question that. There is more spin today. Both these elements are due to the larger, stiffer raquets. But does this mean that it's better? I think not.
20 and 30 years ago, there was less power and less spin. But there was more thinking. There were more volleys. More drop shots. More angles. More strategy. More working the point. More dimensions to the game than there are today.
So how can today be considered better?
Is a faster car always better than a slower car? An open wheeled dragster is very fast. But only for a short distance. And it can't turn.
So, for a trip to the store, or for taking the family on vacation, a much slower car that can travel longer distances than a dragster, and can turn left and right, is much better.
It all depends on one's personal preference.
