Did Nadal and Federer ruin tennis?

Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Everybody notice that after the Federer/Nadal matchups in 2006 onward and the long grinding rallies they had on clay and at Wimbledon, organizers across all events everywhere began slowing down their surfaces because they discovered that long grinding taxing matches was much more exciting to the live crowd and television viewers.
And now, all surfaces play the same and organizers are also slowing down what were once fast courts including the USO.:confused:
And now we have those long grinding affairs like AO 2012 with Nadal/Djokovic and Murray/Djokovic at USO which go on for hours and hours and basically the fittest player on the day wins the match.
 
Polvorin

Polvorin

Professional
Did *Nadal* ruin tennis? It depends on your point of view. Federer had nothing to do with it. He prefers to play quick strike, aggressive tennis. He only got in those long rallies because it is/was difficult to attack the Nadal moonballs and because the guy is a human backboard.
 
S

slowfox

Professional
I don't pretend to have any great insight on the matter. And while I agree that the trend towards homogenous surfaces has changed tennis, and is perhaps *bad* for the sport, I also sometimes feel it may have been necessary.

If modern racquets and strings are making it easier to hit balls that carry immense speed/spin, maybe slowing the courts down gives the players a better chance to get to the ball. Technology has changed, but human bodies are pretty much the same. (Yes, athletes do train harder and are fitter now, but biologically they are still the same i.e. humans haven't evolved to handle harsh polys yet. Look at all the wrist injuries out there. And do our eyes see any faster than 30 years ago?)

Again, I dunno. I'm no expert. But I do remember that the 88 US Open final lasted nearly 5 hours.
 
Clarky21

Clarky21

Banned
Another pointless and ridiculous thread started by Mike Shams. Fed and Nadal have helped tennis,and have certainly not ruined it. Dumb thread is D-U-M-B.
 
T

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Saying Fed/Nadal ruin tennis is like saying Chris/Martina or Borg/Mac ruin tennis.

so much nonsense flooding this forum lately.
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Or we could say that Nadal ruined tennis because he trapped everybody into long grinding rallies where his best defense was moonballing and waiting for mistakes.
 
cknobman

cknobman

Legend
Nadal eats baby puppies.

Baby%20Eating%20Puppy.JPG
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Mike Sams said:
How exactly has Nadal helped tennis?
Click to expand...

Because he fights and competes, is very exciting to watch, makes tennis look as hard as it really is yet he still excels, which makes Nadal's game easier for us mere mortals to relate to. There's virtually nobody with a neutral opinion about Nadal, he is either loved or hated.
 
P

Prisoner of Birth

Banned
Mustard said:
Because he fights and competes, is very exciting to watch, makes tennis look as hard as it really is yet he still excels, which makes Nadal's game easier for us mere mortals to relate to. There's virtually nobody with a neutral opinion about Nadal, he is either loved or hated.
Click to expand...

Not true. The majority of casual Tennis fans are neutral towards Nadal. It's only the ****s (Federer, Djokovic, Murray etc.) that hate him and his fans, ****s that love him.
 
augustobt

augustobt

Legend
The point is that Fedal's grindfests were displays of joy. Apart from that, almost all grindfests sucks. A lot.
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Mustard said:
Because he fights and competes, is very exciting to watch, makes tennis look as hard as it really is yet he still excels, which makes Nadal's game easier for us mere mortals to relate to. There's virtually nobody with a neutral opinion about Nadal, he is either loved or hated.
Click to expand...

We've had plenty of those. Ever heard of David Ferrer for example? The small guy who finishes in the top 10?
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
beast of mallorca said:
It's either you're genuinely stupid or ridiculously dumb. Pity the fool. :twisted:
Click to expand...

So how has Nadal helped tennis? Isn't he the one who wanted a 2 year ranking system, more clay court events and a raised net? :lol: All the while, wasting time between points, cheating through coaching, calling for bogus MTOs to get an advantage and bodychecking players he dislikes like Rosol. :lol:
How has Nadal helped tennis?
 
N

NDFM

Rookie
you asked this question as if you had no idea if they ruined tennis but clearly you have an opinion of who has ruined tennis so putting federer into your question was kinda strange. To answer your question, I think they haven't ruined tennis their rivalry alone brought more interest into tennis.
 
winstonplum

winstonplum

Hall of Fame
TennisLovaLova said:
Lots of people came back to tennis or started watching it because of federer and nadal.
Click to expand...

Truer words never spoken. Most of my friends got back into tennis because of Federer after years of not paying attention. I, on the other hand was never moved by Federer, but got back into tennis after watching Nadal, especially the 2007 Wimby final, which I found most striking because Nadal, while clearly the inferior player on that surface on that day in regards to talent, pushed that match to five sets on pure guts and determination. I was sold from that day on.
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
winstonplum said:
Truer words never spoken. Most of my friends got back into tennis because of Federer after years of not paying attention. I, on the other hand was never moved by Federer, but got back into tennis after watching Nadal, especially the 2007 Wimby final, which I found most striking because Nadal, while clearly the inferior player on that surface on that day in regards to talent, pushed that match to five sets on pure guts and determination. I was sold from that day on.
Click to expand...

I wonder why Nadal looked so helpless when Nadal 2.0....uhm sorry...I meant Djokovic found his form and wiped Nadal out in their Wimbledon final in 2011.:neutral:
 
90's Clay

90's Clay

Banned
I would have hate to see how bad tennis would have been without them considering the talent has been some of the weakest since the early 00's present
 
Clarky21

Clarky21

Banned
Tennis_Hands said:
Ah, Mustard at it again.

Which part of "at Wimbledon" did you not understand?
Click to expand...



And you're at it again as well. I think just about every single post you make is about Nadal,a guy you loathe and would like to see disappear. Why are so obsessed with him if you don't even like him?
 
TheMusicLover

TheMusicLover

G.O.A.T.
Clarky21 said:
And you're at it again as well. I think just about every single post you make is about Nadal,a guy you loathe and would like to see disappear. Why are so obsessed with him if you don't even like him?
Click to expand...

Can't help but comment that I've seen YOU 'loathe' - or at least harshly criticize - Rafa at tons of occasions as well. ;)

As for the discussion at hand, of course, a big NO.
Fed and Raf draw in TONS of new tennis fans in the past decade. I can just hope for some, or rather the most of them, to keep on hanging in there, once they're gone - something I hope will be away for at least a couple of years from now.
 
S

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Nah, they were great for tennis.

However, the whole fedal craze is really annoying. There are people who seem to think that Federer and Nadal are the only pros on tour worthy of being watched. Some people think that Fedal matches are the benchmark for what good tennis is, when in reality, most of their matches have sucked.
 
Clarky21

Clarky21

Banned
TheMusicLover said:
Can't help but comment that I've seen YOU 'loathe' - or at least harshly criticize - Rafa at tons of occasions as well. ;)As for the discussion at hand, of course, a big NO.
Fed and Raf draw in TONS of new tennis fans in the past decade. I can just hope for some, or rather the most of them, to keep on hanging in there, once they're gone - something I hope will be away for at least a couple of years from now.
Click to expand...



Tennis Hands does nothing but jump on Nadal,and his fans on here with practically every single post he makes. It's all he ever posts about,and it's ridiculous. Especially when it seems he can't allow Nadal fans on here the right to like someone he doesn't,and someone that isn't named Roger Federer. He's obsessed,and I really wish he would find something or someone else to b*tch about.
 
TheMusicLover

TheMusicLover

G.O.A.T.
Clarky21 said:
Tennis Hands does nothing but jump on Nadal,and his fans on here with practically every single post he makes. It's all he ever posts about,and it's ridiculous. Especially when it seems he can't allow Nadal fans on here the right to like someone he doesn't,and someone that isn't named Roger Federer. He's obsessed,and I really wish he would find something or someone else to b*tch about.
Click to expand...

Hey Clarky, I admire you as someone who's at least being able to be critical to certain things Rafa does (poker??? wtf :shock:) and that's a good thing imho.
The only thing I vehemently disagree on with you, is your insinuations you often make about Rafa's private life, but that's just me. :)
 
N

NadalAgassi

Guest
Mike Sams said:
Everybody notice that after the Federer/Nadal matchups in 2006 onward and the long grinding rallies they had on clay and at Wimbledon, organizers across all events everywhere began slowing down their surfaces because they discovered that long grinding taxing matches was much more exciting to the live crowd and television viewers.
And now, all surfaces play the same and organizers are also slowing down what were once fast courts including the USO.:confused:
And now we have those long grinding affairs like AO 2012 with Nadal/Djokovic and Murray/Djokovic at USO which go on for hours and hours and basically the fittest player on the day wins the match.
Click to expand...

Federer is a much more attacking style player than your boy Djokovic, and more than Nadal as well of course, so if your complaint is with grinding tennis your blaming Federer as having a part in ruining tennis in that regard is laugahble.
 
J

jukka1970

Professional
Mike Sams said:
Everybody notice that after the Federer/Nadal matchups in 2006 onward and the long grinding rallies they had on clay and at Wimbledon, organizers across all events everywhere began slowing down their surfaces because they discovered that long grinding taxing matches was much more exciting to the live crowd and television viewers.
And now, all surfaces play the same and organizers are also slowing down what were once fast courts including the USO.:confused:
And now we have those long grinding affairs like AO 2012 with Nadal/Djokovic and Murray/Djokovic at USO which go on for hours and hours and basically the fittest player on the day wins the match.
Click to expand...

I personally think they saved Men's tennis. Sorry but I was getting sick of seeing matches go, Ace, Ace, Ace, Return/Return Winner. It was boring. And I hated watching Sampras. Federer caused everyone to go to a higher level. And Nadal brought a whole new way of playing especially to clay courts.
 
ruerooo

ruerooo

Legend
NDFM said:
To answer your question, I think they haven't ruined tennis their rivalry alone brought more interest into tennis.
Click to expand...

Well-spoken.

I still miss Marat too. And was sad when Feña and Juanquí retired, for that matter.

Why are people whining?
 
TheFifthSet

TheFifthSet

Legend
Mike Sams said:
So how has Nadal helped tennis? Isn't he the one who wanted a 2 year ranking system, more clay court events and a raised net? :lol: All the while, wasting time between points, cheating through coaching, calling for bogus MTOs to get an advantage and bodychecking players he dislikes like Rosol. :lol:
How has Nadal helped tennis?
Click to expand...

Never heard that one before, source?
 
N

NadalAgassi

Guest
if it werent for Federer and Nadal nobody would watch tennis today (except for when Serena plays). Even Djokovic isnt a big drawing card, my casual tennis fan friends in Canada dont give a twat about him, and TV ratings in matches or events he is in without atleast 1 of Fedal are way down there. The biggest drawing cards outside Fedal are Murray and Roddick (before his recent retirement) and that is almost 100% related to nationality.
 
M

Metalica

New User
Nadal helped tennis by bringing more popularity to the sport. Federer was about as good an ambassador for the sport as can be but he needed a rival. There's no excitement if the same person win every slam. Nadal actually provided a challenge for Federer and their rivalry attracted many fans for the sport.
 
V

VPhuc tennis fan

Professional
Metalica said:
Nadal helped tennis by bringing more popularity to the sport. Federer was about as good an ambassador for the sport as can be but he needed a rival. There's no excitement if the same person win every slam. Nadal actually provided a challenge for Federer and their rivalry attracted many fans for the sport.
Click to expand...
Good point. Quality can only be shown through competition. Although it hurts me to see Fed lose anytime, it's still good for the big picture of tennis as a sport. Besides, it gives Fed or Rafa some incentive to play better when facing the other guy.
 
tacou

tacou

G.O.A.T.
They ruined in that it will be a long, long time--if ever--before we are blessed with a rivalry of such a historic scale
 
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