Amber Alert: The really tall and powerful players that will dominate tennis...

[soyizgood]

We've had glimpses of these creatures that were supposed to transform tennis.

For the purposes of this thread, I'll define really tall as 6'4"+ for the men, 5'11"+ for the women.

On the ATP, examples include Berdych, Del Potro, Soderling, Isner, Karlovic, Monfils, Cilic for starters. Examples for the WTA include Venus, Safina, Ivanovic, Kvitova, Sharapova among others.

On the ATP end, many of these taller players have no shortage of power off their serve and forehands. Soderling and Berdych have made slam finals while Del Potro has a slam. Handling high balls aren't a problem for such players. Yet, for whatever reasons this wave of tall players can't seem to win the big titles consistently. Maybe 6'1"/6'2" is the psychological height barrier to maximizing talent on the ATP? Or perhaps the extra height increases the chances for injuries? Iirc, prior to Del Potro winning the USO, you'd have to go back to 2005 when Safin won the AO to find the last giant to win. In fact, the 6'4" group has only won 4 majors since 2000. If I throw in 6'3" Kuerten that merely bumps the number to 6.

As for WTA, for years some commentators like Carillo have been blowing the horn about "big babe" tennis and how it will be so hard for the shorter, smaller players to be able to win on the tour. How you may need to be at least 6 feet tall to have any success. Well, in the last decade (2000-9) the 5'11"+ group only captured 12 slams. 7 of those majors took place in just two years, 2000 and 2008. This year alone we've had Clijsters (5'8"), Li (5'7"), and Stosur (5'7" though I think she's around 5'6") prevail. Between Venus' 2008 Wimbledon and Kvitova's Wimbledon the tallest slam winner was Serena (5'9") while a shorty like Schiavone (5'5") also won.

The limiting factor for the taller men has been a combination of injuries and endurance. Long rallies don't do taller players any good. For the women, it's been both physical and mechanical (*cough*serve*cough*).

Maybe 6'2" is the realistic limit for optimal performance for the men. And 5'8-9" for the women. What's your take?

 

[TopFH]

Anything between 5'9" to 6'2".

 

[nadalwon2012]

Ivanovic's height sure doesn't give her much of an edge in any department. Women's tennis, biggest quality you can have is consistency, since they all seem to lack it. Wozniacki dominates with consistency.

 

[soyizgood]

Ivanovic's height sure doesn't give her much of an edge in any department. Women's tennis, biggest quality you can have is consistency, since they all seem to lack it. Wozniacki dominates with consistency.

Ivanovic shouldn't have much trouble serving at 6'1", but for some odd reason has more yips on the ball-tossing than Dementieva had. She's not alone among girls with serve problems. Safina, Dementieva, Sharapova, and to a lesser extent Venus (her 2nd serve hovers around 78-80 MPH quite often) all have serve issues you wouldn't think would apply to the taller players. A more common issue with these taller players is their trouble with staying healthy. Sharapova, Venus, Safina, Davenport, Dementieva, Pierce all got struck by the injury bug. Is it any wonder Venus holds the most majors won by a female 6'0"+ player with just 7 and all of them on the faster surfaces where the points tend to be shorter? If I lower the bar to 5'11" then it's Seles with 9 majors, 8 of which she won before she grew those 3 extra inches.

As for the men, most of the those taller guys have to compensate for their slower footwork with higher risk play from the baseline and with huge serves. Berdych, Soderling, Del Potro, Monfils, Cilic aren't the net rushing and approaching types. So they almost have to be on their A game from the baseline or else. Just like the women, these type of players tend to get injured quite a bit. What hasn't Del Potro injured the past 3 years?

 

[bullfan]

On the men's side, yes, the serves help them, but they aren't as good at the net or with their movement. They are slower to move. There's a point of dimishing returns and it's at about 6'2". Sure DelPo has challenged that, but we'll see how much he comes back after his injury.

 

[soyizgood]

Becker was 6'3" and won 6 majors. But his game revolved around his serve and finishing things at the net. Powerful ground strokes that supplemented his agility.

 

[Cup8489]

What about that guy, Andy Murray? He's pretty good at 6'3", and what about the current number 1? I've seen him listed at two different heights, 6'2" and 6'3"...

 

[_maxi]

Djokovic is just as tall as federer.. maybe a liiitle bit taller http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJLTGk6YQ...Novak-Djokovic-Roger-Federer-Andy-Murray.jpeg

 

[adamX012]

Becker was 6'3" and won 6 majors. But his game revolved around his serve and finishing things at the net. Powerful ground strokes that supplemented his agility.

Hey OP, you think the height measure their success in tennis? I find out a lot of good players are above 6...

 

[soyizgood]

Hey OP, you think the height measure their success in tennis? I find out a lot of good players are above 6...

If you look at men's tennis, taller doesn't always mean better. I think taller has its benefits, but up to a certain point.

There have been accomplished champions as short as 5'9" (Agassi, Connors, Laver, etc.) up to 6'7" (Del Potro). But if you look at a list of all-time greats as well as the crop of current top men's players, by and large they're mostly under 6'3". It's been that way for a very long time. Federer, Lendl, Nadal, Djokovic, Sampras, Edberg, Wilander, Connors, McEnroe, Courier, Agassi, Borg, Laver were/are all 6'2" and under.

The men's tour has 6'9" players like Karlovic and Isner. There are quite a few giants on the tour, especially from Eastern and Southern Europe. But why is it that these taller players can't utilize height, power, and wingspan into winning titles? Some "experts" still believe that tennis will only be a game for the really tall players for both the men and women. But that has not been true and probably won't ever happen. Of course there may be exceptions, but based on past and current results winning the big events seems to be captured more consistently by players within a certain range of build.

 

[DarkSephiroth]

I completely agree. I think society is getting bigger and more athletic as a whole (IMO a guy like Lebron James, physically, if trained in Tennis from an extremely young age would be pretty impressive on a Tennis court..) I mean, he's 6'8 and he moves extremely well.

And... you play Starcraft AND live in Los Angeles? Who are you? XD

 

[adamX012]

If you look at men's tennis, taller doesn't always mean better. I think taller has its benefits, but up to a certain point.

There have been accomplished champions as short as 5'9" (Agassi, Connors, Laver, etc.) up to 6'7" (Del Potro). But if you look at a list of all-time greats as well as the crop of current top men's players, by and large they're mostly under 6'3". It's been that way for a very long time. Federer, Lendl, Nadal, Djokovic, Sampras, Edberg, Wilander, Connors, McEnroe, Courier, Agassi, Borg, Laver were/are all 6'2" and under.

The men's tour has 6'9" players like Karlovic and Isner. There are quite a few giants on the tour, especially from Eastern and Southern Europe. But why is it that these taller players can't utilize height, power, and wingspan into winning titles? Some "experts" still believe that tennis will only be a game for the really tall players for both the men and women. But that has not been true and probably won't ever happen. Of course there may be exceptions, but based on past and current results winning the big events seems to be captured more consistently by players within a certain range of build.

Well said, OP. I think it's more about the training. Are you a professional tennis player by any chance?

 

[soyizgood]

Well said, OP. I think it's more about the training. Are you a professional tennis player by any chance?

No. I'm 3.5-4.0. Just like to dig up stats and look for tendencies as I'm an analyst by trade.

 

[soyizgood]

I completely agree. I think society is getting bigger and more athletic as a whole (IMO a guy like Lebron James, physically, if trained in Tennis from an extremely young age would be pretty impressive on a Tennis court..) I mean, he's 6'8 and he moves extremely well.

And... you play Starcraft AND live in Los Angeles? Who are you? XD

Lebron wouldn't bulk up to 270 lbs if he played tennis. He's physical freak of nature, but I'm not sure he'd be able to fully utilize his tool playing tennis. Kobe would have a better chance of doing well in tennis, imo.

 

[pundekman]

I completely agree. I think society is getting bigger and more athletic as a whole (IMO a guy like Lebron James, physically, if trained in Tennis from an extremely young age would be pretty impressive on a Tennis court..) I mean, he's 6'8 and he moves extremely well.

And... you play Starcraft AND live in Los Angeles? Who are you? XD

Lebron would just choke on big matches and then he will quit like he always does

 

[Wilander Fan]

Lebron wouldn't bulk up to 270 lbs if he played tennis. He's physical freak of nature, but I'm not sure he'd be able to fully utilize his tool playing tennis. Kobe would have a better chance of doing well in tennis, imo.

I think basketball is a sport that doesnt translate well into other sports. Its very team orientated and one physical attribute (height) really does give a huge advantage. Also, although extreme height gives great advantage serving, its a negative on returns and on the baseline.

 

[Feña14]

I think Murray at 6'3 is the only tall player capable to dominating the game.

Any taller than that and they seem to be injured or have bad niggles that stop them, that and their overall movement.

 

[sunof tennis]

oesntI think basketball is a sport that d translate well into other sports. Its very team orientated and one physical attribute (height) really does give a huge advantage. Also, although extreme height gives great advantage serving, its a negative on returns and on the baseline.

Tell that to John Lucas and John Isner. I think the quick movements required for both sports are comparable.

 

[BeHappy]

Tall players ruled until the courts were slowed down. Slow courts mean it's harder to hit aces, which is the advantage of being tall.

I mean you had Lendl (6'2''), Edberg (6'2''), Becker (6'3''), Safin (6'6''), Philipoussis (6'5''), Krajieck (6'5''), Stich (6'4''), Ivanisevic (6'5''), Todd Martin (6'6''), Guga Keurten (6'3'') etc. The only reason they didn't completely dominate for 15 years was because of Sampras and Federer.

 

[celoft]

I think Murray at 6'3 is the only tall player capable to dominating the game.

Any taller than that and they seem to be injured or have bad niggles that stop them, that and their overall movement.

Yep. Look at Del Potro.

 

[Netzroller]

Tall players ruled until the courts were slowed down. Slow courts mean it's harder to hit aces, which is the advantage of being tall.

I mean you had Lendl (6'2''), Edberg (6'2''), Becker (6'3''), Safin (6'6''), Philipoussis (6'5''), Krajieck (6'5''), Stich (6'4''), Ivanisevic (6'5''), Todd Martin (6'6''), Guga Keurten (6'3'') etc. The only reason they didn't completely dominate for 15 years was because of Sampras and Federer.

Exactly, and how tall are Sampras & Federer? 6'1'' (185cn)
And the most succesful out of the guys you metioned are also the smaller ones (Lendl, Edberg, Becker, Kuerten).
Philippoussis and Martin have not a single GS title, Krajicek, Ivanišević and Stich each have one.
Marat Safan has two but he is actually 6'4'' and not 6'6''

So even in the 'fastest' era of tennis, it was not the tall guys who dominated. I do agree with you that slowing down the courts makes footwork more important and therefore smaller players benefit.
But I still think that under pretty much any circumstances, huge guys will not rule tennis.

 

[adamX012]

No. I'm 3.5-4.0. Just like to dig up stats and look for tendencies as I'm an analyst by trade.

Hey, you sound like a good analyst. I am not a good player either. I learn a lot from reading threads and posts. Anyway, thanks for sharing the info.

 

[Datacipher]

Tall players ruled until the courts were slowed down. Slow courts mean it's harder to hit aces, which is the advantage of being tall.

I mean you had Lendl (6'2''), Edberg (6'2''), Becker (6'3''), Safin (6'6''), Philipoussis (6'5''), Krajieck (6'5''), Stich (6'4''), Ivanisevic (6'5''), Todd Martin (6'6''), Guga Keurten (6'3'') etc. The only reason they didn't completely dominate for 15 years was because of Sampras and Federer.

Can't agree....other reasons why they didn't dominate include: Chang, Courier, Agassi, Mcenroe, Connors, Wilander, Hewitt, Muster, Rios etc.

There were also a ton of other players during that era, who weren't grand slam contenders but were solid top 40ish players.

I certainly agree that being tall has advantages, but you're giving a bit too much credit to the ace. Even in your list, Edberg, Kuerten, and Martin...even Lendl arguably were not really ace machines, and were not very reliant on them to win.



PS. Safin was only 6'4, and so was Ivanisevic.

 

[purge]

wow i never noticed murray was taller than fed, nadal or djoko

looking at statistics, being somwhere around, preferrably a little over 6 foot seems to be ideal. the best players of the past years have all been somewhere between 6' and 6'2'' if im not mistaken.

or maybe its just coincidence that the most talented people playing in this era are all of similar height

 

[snowpuppy]

Coincidence? I think not. I think at the height of 6'1 - 6'2 the athlete can maximize the height advantages at that point (servings, reach, stride) without being too lanky. Beyond a certain height I think the human body start losing some agility. There was an article I read about Yao Ming's constant injuries which basically state this point as can just look at really tall people and find their strides are usually more awkward than not. Of course there will be exceptions to the rule but they are more the rarity right now. But who knows, maybe modern sports training and medicine can push that envelope but it'll take some time for that evolution to come

 

[purge]

its also that theres just alot more 6'1'' people running around than 6'8''. so the chances to find one with talent for tennis in the 6'1'' bunch is alot higher statistically

 

[SirGounder]

its also that theres just alot more 6'1'' people running around than 6'8''. so the chances to find one with talent for tennis in the 6'1'' bunch is alot higher statistically

Very true. 6'1" is still a bit taller than the average male height so you would have an advantage over many people. However, it is not so much of an outlier so it is relatively common. Also keep in mind that really tall people tend to gravitate toward other sports as well such as basketball. I could imagine there being some taller players in other sports who could have played tennis had they discovered it at a young age.

 

[BeHappy]

Can't agree....other reasons why they didn't dominate include: Chang, Courier, Agassi, Mcenroe, Connors, Wilander, Hewitt, Muster, Rios etc.

There were also a ton of other players during that era, who weren't grand slam contenders but were solid top 40ish players.

I certainly agree that being tall has advantages, but you're giving a bit too much credit to the ace. Even in your list, Edberg, Kuerten, and Martin...even Lendl arguably were not really ace machines, and were not very reliant on them to win.



PS. Safin was only 6'4, and so was Ivanisevic.

Safin said in an interview he'd grown another 2 inches in his twenties and was now 6'6''. Ivanisevic was listed as 6'5''.

Now. Ivanisevic lost 3 GS Wimbledons to Agassi and Sampras. (3)

Stich lost a GS finals to Agassi (1) (and lost 1 to 6'3'' Kafelnikov)

Todd Martin lost 2 GS finals to Agassi and Sampras. (2)

So that's 6 titles that would have been won by very tall men but for Sampras or Agassi already.

Tsonga lost a GS final to Federer.

Philipoussis lost a GS final to Federer.

Berdych lost a GS final to Nadal.

Soderling lost 2 GS finals to Nadal and Federer.


Add that to 3 French Opens won by Kuerten (6'3''). 2 majors won by Kafelnikov (6'3''). 6 majors won by Becker (6'3''). 2 by Safin (6'6''). A Wimbledon won by Krajicek. Del Potro won the USO.

If it wasn't for Sampras and Agassi in the 90's, tall men would have completely dominated tennis. Likewise in the 00's with Federer and Nadal.



With the exception of Baghdatis and Gonazalez, it's tough to think of a non Nadal v Federer final that didn't have a very tall man in it. Just going back through my mind, all the finals where either Federer or Nadal were absent had a very tall player: Del Potro, Berdych, Soderling, Safin and Philippoussis.

 

[ben123]

Tsonga lost a GS final to Federer.

tsonga is 6"2 so barely taller than federer.

 

[abmk]

Safin said in an interview he'd grown another 2 inches in his twenties and was now 6'6''. Ivanisevic was listed as 6'5''.

Now. Ivanisevic lost 3 GS Wimbledons to Agassi and Sampras. (3)

Stich lost a GS finals to Agassi (1) (and lost 1 to 6'3'' Kafelnikov)

Todd Martin lost 2 GS finals to Agassi and Sampras. (2)

So that's 6 titles that would have been won by very tall men but for Sampras or Agassi already.

Tsonga lost a GS final to Federer.

Philipoussis lost a GS final to Federer.

Berdych lost a GS final to Nadal.

Soderling lost 2 GS finals to Nadal and Federer.


Add that to 3 French Opens won by Kuerten (6'3''). 2 majors won by Kafelnikov (6'3''). 6 majors won by Becker (6'3''). 2 by Safin (6'6''). A Wimbledon won by Krajicek. Del Potro won the USO.

If it wasn't for Sampras and Agassi in the 90's, tall men would have completely dominated tennis. Likewise in the 00's with Federer and Nadal.



With the exception of Baghdatis and Gonazalez, it's tough to think of a non Nadal v Federer final that didn't have a very tall man in it. Just going back through my mind, all the finals where either Federer or Nadal were absent had a very tall player: Del Potro, Berdych, Soderling, Safin and Philippoussis.

This is such a fail post that I really am not sure where to start.

Firstly Safin is/was 6'4".

The finalists are no lock to win if the winner was not present. Ex: I would favour Courier over Todd Martin in AO 94

Djokovic/Murray are not very tall/giants

Tsonga lost a GS final ( AO 2008 ) to djoker , not federer. He isn't that tall and neither is Kafelnikov.

@ bold part: Let me help , from 2004 onwards, the non-giants ( <6'4") in slam finals apart from fed/nadal: roddick, hewitt, puerta, agassi, baghdatis,gonzalez, djoker, tsonga,murray .....

 

[jones101]

Tsonga lost a GS final to Federer.

Tsonga lost his only Slam Final to Djokovic (AO 2008)

 

[mattennis]

In the last ten years there have been many 'not very tall' players that have been GS champions or finalists:

Andre Agassi, Arnaud Clement, Alex Corretja, Lleyton Hewitt, Thomas Johansson, Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Nalbandian, Rainer Schuetler, Guillermo Coria, Gastón Gaudio, Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando Gonzalez.

Though none of them in the last four years.

 

[BeHappy]

In the last ten years there have been many 'not very tall' players that have been GS champions or finalists:

Andre Agassi, Arnaud Clement, Alex Corretja, Lleyton Hewitt, Thomas Johansson, Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Nalbandian, Rainer Schuetler, Guillermo Coria, Gastón Gaudio, Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando Gonzalez.

Though none of them in the last four years.

I was talking about the last 4 years, since Federer and Nadal have faced each each other in most grand slam finals.

This is such a fail post that I really am not sure where to start.

Firstly Safin is/was 6'4".

6'6'' he says himself. Says 6'4'' is from when he was 17.

The finalists are no lock to win if the winner was not present. Ex: I would favour Courier over Todd Martin in AO 94

You're entitled to your opinion I guess.

Djokovic/Murray are not very tall/giants

Murray is 6'3'', and Djokovic is pretty tall himself at 6'2''.

Tsonga lost a GS final ( AO 2008 ) to djoker , not federer. He isn't that tall

He's 6'2'' officially, probably grown since then though, since Djokovic is 6'2'' and Tsonga is at least an inch taller:

and neither is Kafelnikov.

He's 6'3''

@ bold part: Let me help , from 2004 onwards, the non-giants ( <6'4") in slam finals apart from fed/nadal: roddick, hewitt, puerta, agassi, baghdatis,gonzalez, djoker, tsonga,murray .....

2004? Sigh...

Nadal didn't reach his first non clay GS final till 2006.

 

[ben123]

again tsonga is 6"2 and djoker too

and no he didnt grow wtf. mens dont grow **** after the age of 22. even after 16 you will rarely see a big difference. your pic shows nothing since we dont see their feet. just look at this pic. the chinese dude to the right is 6"2

 

[BeHappy]

again tsonga is 6"2 and djoker too

and no he didnt grow wtf. mens dont grow **** after the age of 22. even after 16 you will rarely see a big difference. your pic shows nothing since we dont see their feet. just look at this pic. the chinese dude to the right is 6"2

He was probably measured when he turned pro when was 17-18, and grew since then.

That's what happened to Safin. He says he was 6'4'' at 17 and grew to 6'6'' into his early twenties. Tsonga is without a doubt taller than Djokovic, who is listed as 6'2''. No ones really sure what height Federer actually is, he was listed as 6'2'' for about a year in 2007 and I remember there being threads on it. He's back to 6'1'' on atp.com now.

 

[ben123]

He was probably measured when he turned pro when was 17-18, and grew since then.

That's what happened to Safin. He says he was 6'4'' at 17 and grew to 6'6'' into his early twenties. Tsonga is without a doubt taller than Djokovic, who is listed as 6'2''. No ones really sure what height Federer actually is, he was listed as 6'2'' for about a year in 2007 and I remember there being threads on it. He's back to 6'1'' on atp.com now.

wow seriously shut the **** up if you just claim random stupid things where you have zero idea of. maybe he got even measured with shoes so hes actually 6"0 what now???? :roll:

look at the pic above it cleary shows hes not bigger than the chinese guy whos also 6"2

btw i heard ferrer got measured at 10 hes now actually 6"8

 

[abmk]

I was talking about the last 4 years, since Federer and Nadal have faced each each other in most grand slam finals.

2004? Sigh...

Nadal didn't reach his first non clay GS final till 2006.

right , is that why you mentioned safin and phillippoussis , Sherlock ?

With the exception of Baghdatis and Gonazalez, it's tough to think of a non Nadal v Federer final that didn't have a very tall man in it. Just going back through my mind, all the finals where either Federer or Nadal were absent had a very tall player: Del Potro, Berdych, Soderling, Safin and Philippoussis.

6'6'' he says himself. Says 6'4'' is from when he was 17.

right !

You're entitled to your opinion I guess.

yes, that Courier would be favoured over Martin is my opinion. But that - the finalist is not a lock in case you remove the winner and allow someone else from that half into the finals - is a fact !

Murray is 6'3'', and Djokovic is pretty tall himself at 6'2''.

He's 6'2'' officially, probably grown since then though, since Djokovic is 6'2'' and Tsonga is at least an inch taller:

6'2 or 6'3 is a inch or two over the three of the 4 most successful champs in the past 2 decades - fed,sampras, nadal ... Not too much of a difference.

 

[BeHappy]

wow seriously shut the **** up if you just claim random stupid things where you have zero idea of. maybe he got even measured with shoes so hes actually 6"0 what now???? :roll:

look at the pic above it cleary shows hes not bigger than the chinese guy whos also 6"2

What random thing am I 'just claiming'? Tsonga IS taller than Djokovic.

A lot of pro's DO turn pro very young and grow after they are measured. Safin DID say that he grew after he was measured.

Federer WAS listed as being 6'2'' for a year or two and there WERE threads on this forum about it, see:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=104485&highlight=federer+height

I just used the search function.

 

[BeHappy]

right , is that why you mentioned safin and phillippoussis , Sherlock ?

Philippoussis I shouldn't have mentioned sure, but whenever Sampras got to a final, even past his best, he either beat Agassi or some tall guy, that was my point.

yes, that Courier would be favoured over Martin is my opinion. But that - the finalist is not a lock in case you remove the winner and allow someone else from that half into the finals - is a fact !

Pretty strong trend of tall finalists in the 90's though, isn't there?

6'2 or 6'3 is a inch or two over the three of the 4 most successful champs in the past 2 decades - fed,sampras, nadal ... Not too much of a difference.

Huge difference.

 

[ben123]

What random thing am I 'just claiming'? Tsonga IS taller than Djokovic.

A lot of pro's DO turn pro very young and grow after they are measured. Safin DID say that he grew after he was measured.

Federer WAS listed as being 6'2'' for a year or two and there WERE threads on this forum about it, see:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=104485&highlight=federer+height

I just used the search function.

could you please read and quote my whole posts next time?
i said this pictures are useless since we dont see their feet. are you to dumb to understand this? my pic with the chinese guy is valid.

 

[BeHappy]

could you please read and quote my whole posts next time?
i said this pictures are useless since we dont see their feet. are you to dumb to understand this? my pic with the chinese guy is valid.

If you actually watched tennis you'd know those pictures are always taken at either side of the net.

 

[abmk]

Philippoussis I shouldn't have mentioned sure, but whenever Sampras got to a final, even past his best, he either beat Agassi or some tall guy, that was my point.

you were talking about the 2000s there, stop deviating

Pretty strong trend of tall finalists in the 90's though, isn't there?

no there isn't:

courier, chang, bruguera, muster, berastugui, edberg, lendl , rios, korda, moya etc apart from sampras & agassi were all 6'2" or below ......

Huge difference.

umm, no ....

 

[BeHappy]

you were talking about the 2000s there, stop deviating

Changed my point mid post, which explains the discrepancy.

no there isn't:

courier, chang, bruguera, muster, berastugui, edberg, lendl , rios, korda, moya etc apart from sampras & agassi were all 6'2" or below ......

All but Lendl, Courier and Edberg were only finalists at the slow slams The AO and the FO. . Furthermore, they were the tallest in that list and they were the only ones with success at Wimbledon and the USO from that group, which proves my point and discredits yours. Tall players would have dominated Wimbledon and the USO in the 90's if not for Sampras and Agassi.

My first post in this thread said the reason we weren't seeing these guys dominate at Wimledon and the USO anymore was because they were slowed down.

umm, no ....

6'0 = normal, 6'1'' = a little tall, 6'2'' = quite tall, 6'3''= tall.

 

[ben123]

If you actually watched tennis you'd know those pictures are always taken at either side of the net.

so what?

in your picture we dont know if djokovic was staying straight up or if tsonga was on his toes etc. my pic was valid and is a fact. stop arguing with your nonsense

 

[BeHappy]

so what?

in your picture we dont know if djokovic was staying straight up or if tsonga was on his toes etc. my pic was valid and is a fact. stop arguing with your nonsense

I posted another picture on the last page...

Unless Tsonga stands on his toes whenever he sees someone with a camera, it's pretty safe to say that he is now taller than Djokovic.

 

[abmk]

Changed my point mid post, which explains the discrepancy.

Your post is still as it is. Admit it, you messed up, as usual ......

All but Lendl, Courier and Edberg were only finalists at the slow slams The AO and the FO. . Furthermore, they were the tallest in that list and they were the only ones with success at Wimbledon and the USO from that group, which proves my point and discredits yours. Tall players would have dominated Wimbledon and the USO in the 90's if not for Sampras and Agassi.

My first post in this thread said the reason we weren't seeing these guys dominate at Wimledon and the USO anymore was because they were slowed down.

umm, chang ??? I didn't mention pioline , rafter either . They weren't giants. Do I need to spell out where they won/made the finals too ? :roll:

Your points are totally off and calling them points in itself is being kind !

6'0 = normal, 6'1'' = a little tall, 6'2'' = quite tall, 6'3''= tall.

LOL, really ?

 

[ben123]

I posted another picture on the last page...

Unless Tsonga stands on his toes whenever he sees someone with a camera, it's pretty safe to say that he is now taller than Djokovic.

how do you explain my picture then?

 

[BeHappy]

Your post is still as it is. Admit it, you messed up, as usual ......

umm, chang ??? I didn't mention pioline , rafter either . They weren't giants. Do I need to spell out where they won/made the finals too ? :roll:

There were very tall men in most wimbledon finals in the 90's. Ivanisevic 3 times, Krajicek won it, Boris Becker in 1990 and 1991 and 1995.

I don't think Rafter made a Wimbledon final in the 90's? I think you're wrong there. You've made another mistake. He did win the USO twice in the 90's, but not a single Wimbledon final.

Chang and Pioline made what? 3 (USO/W) finals between them? Pretty threadbare compared to the record of the tall men I just listed.

Your points are totally off and calling them points in itself is being kind !

Why don't you just admit you're wrong? No one's judging you here.

LOL, really ?

Yeah. 6'3'' is tall. That's why Becker was always described as tall. Because he's tall.

 

[BeHappy]

how do you explain my picture then?

Tsonga's leaning to one side? That plus Federer being maybe only 1 inch shorter than him is what created that optical illusion.

 

[ben123]

Tsonga's leaning to one side? That plus Federer being maybe only 1 inch shorter than him is what created that optical illusion.

and whats with the pic of the chinese dude?
btw djoko was leaning to one side in your pic