Check out these old greats on vid


Short clip of the 1943 US final between Joe Hunt and Jack Kramer, which was 80 years ago this week. This was the match where Hunt collapsed with leg cramps on match point, but Kramer (who himself was suffering from food poisoning) put his approach shot long, allowing Joe to win. Kramer then jumped over the net and sat next to Hunt to give him the famous sitting-down handshake.

The thing I picked up from this clip was that the actual handshake as shown was filmed on court, close to the players. There's no way the cameramen could have reached courtside with their 1940s equipment so quickly, so what we see is obviously staged. (I assume though that they did actually share a genuine sitting handshake at the time, and it was recreated for publicity purposes.)
 
NicoMK said:
A new final has just been uploaded on the AO channel. Top notch quality for a match of its age.

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Is my mind playing tricks on me? At 26'13", in the first point of Wilander's service game at 4-4, It looks to me like Curren hits a great backhand passing shot for a winner. But the umpire calls "15-0".
 
King_olaf_the_hairy said:

Short clip of the 1943 US final between Joe Hunt and Jack Kramer, which was 80 years ago this week. This was the match where Hunt collapsed with leg cramps on match point, but Kramer (who himself was suffering from food poisoning) put his approach shot long, allowing Joe to win. Kramer then jumped over the net and sat next to Hunt to give him the famous sitting-down handshake.

The thing I picked up from this clip was that the actual handshake as shown was filmed on court, close to the players. There's no way the cameramen could have reached courtside with their 1940s equipment so quickly, so what we see is obviously staged. (I assume though that they did actually share a genuine sitting handshake at the time, and it was recreated for publicity purposes.)
Click to expand...
It's possible that they could have had more than one cameraman working at the time.
 
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NicoMK said:
Well, well, check out those two greats on vids. Great highlights and crazy tennis, which brings me back in a period of my life which I would love to re-live.

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God BLESS THAT WAS AMAZING! My all time fave player BB . I don’t care what anyone says . The bb frame and the Wilson ps 85 are still no questions in my mind still 2 of the best frames made EVER . Currently as well too . So I say to anyone if you want to play amazing tennis you can still use frames from the 80’s or you can use sticks current. But for me the best craftsmanship came from Europe in the 80’s to mid 90’s
 
teachingprotx said:
God BLESS THAT WAS AMAZING! My all time fave player BB . I don’t care what anyone says . The bb frame and the Wilson ps 85 are still no questions in my mind still 2 of the best frames made EVER . Currently as well too . So I say to anyone if you want to play amazing tennis you can still use frames from the 80’s or you can use sticks current. But for me the best craftsmanship came from Europe in the 80’s to mid 90’s
Click to expand...
I agree.
 
Ahhhh…Sampras Becker…I’m not sure it gets much better than that. Thanks for putting this here.

Lendl with the emotional outbursts! Great player.
 
Here is that classic Wimbledon quarterfinal between Rosewall and Richey.
In the semifinal, Rosewall took his worst drubbing ever at Wimbledon at the hands of Newcombe, a worse score than in the 1974 final against Connors.

 
During a warm-up for the 2011 Australian Open, Leyton Hewitt and Ivan Lendl had a brief practice session together. Tony Roche obviously playing matchmaker here since he coached both.

This would have been the year before Ivan linked up with Murray for the first time, so not sure he had any particular reason for travelling Down Under. I suppose Melbourne in January beats Connecticut in January...?

 
Stumbled across this on Youtube today.

Brief footage from the end of a Safin vs Sampras exhibition (the "Millennium Challenge") prior to the start of the 2009 LA Open. The interesting thing is that Jack Kramer is sitting courtside, and is given a mention by the MC. The video is dated July 27, 2009, so this must have been less than two months before he passed on. Possibly the last public footage of him?

 
Almost the entirety of the classic McEnroe/Stich vs Grabb/Reneberg 1992 Wimbledon men's singles final is on YT. Unfortunately the last three points of the match are missing, apparently thanks to a copyright claim by IMG.



Here's an older vid just covering day three (from 13–13 in the final set) which includes the MP, if you need closure. ;)



One of the most noticeable things is the difference in the crowd over the two days. The match began at about 5pm on the final Sunday, and they played for over fours hours until bad light stopped play, before resuming on the third Monday for the end of the fifth set. Obviously with no advance ticket sales the AELTC just threw open their doors. The place was packed and very noisy for the climax, much more so than for the rest of the match — something that was clearly visible in the frequent court-level camera shots.
 
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A good documentary put together by Adrian Quist of the Golden Age of Australian tennis from 1939 to the early seventies.

Adrian Quist gives his own opinions here, which are interesting and probably accurate.

 
75 years ago today, Gorgeous Gussie Moran's lace panties officially made their debut at Wimbledon.



Gussie actually wore her usual outfit (shorts) for her R1 win against Bea Walter.[Photo here] Apparently she'd worn Tinling's creation to a pre-Championships party at Hurlingham, and there was such a big hoo-ha about it that she initially chickened out. She then summoned up the courage to wear the dress/frilly knickers combo in R2 against Betty Wilford (misnamed Milford by British Pathé in the above vid), and you can see that the skirt alone isn't shockingly short compared to her opponent's.[Photo here] But disconcerted by all the attention, she went back to shorts for R3, where Gem Hoahing beat her in three sets.[Photo]

So the dress only got the one outing at SW19. In singles, at least; she and Patricia Todd reached the ladies' doubles final, and Gussie flashed the lace that day as well. Enough to cement her name in the history books, for "bringing sin and vulgarity to tennis", and for "drawing attention to the sexual area".
 
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This has probably been shared before, but I watched it only today and it really moved me. I could feel a few tears forming in the corners of my eyes. It's interesting to see how beautiful the game could be (and still is, but in a different way) and how, in the beginning, it had so much in common with other activities such as dance and gymnastics. If you look at her movement and strokes you can see a lot of modern things appearing that are still in use to this day, but also a few awkward things we no longer recognise as part of the sport, as it has changed so much since then. I find documents such as this one absolutely priceless. Thank you Suzanne Lenglen.

 
ScentOfDefeat said:
This has probably been shared before, but I watched it only today and it really moved me. I could feel a few tears forming in the corners of my eyes. It's interesting to see how beautiful the game could be (and still is, but in a different way) and how, in the beginning, it had so much in common with other activities such as dance and gymnastics. If you look at her movement and strokes you can see a lot of modern things appearing that are still in use to this day, but also a few awkward things we no longer recognise as part of the sport, as it has changed so much since then. I find documents such as this one absolutely priceless. Thank you Suzanne Lenglen.

Click to expand...
Indeed, it's beautiful to watch.
 
Found an interesting wee YT channel the other day.

First, this video was recommended to me by the algorithm. "McEnroe on Connors' beef with Agassi" Not sure exactly when it's from, if someone wants to try dating it precisely:



The last few uploads from this channel, "GD FILM PROMOTIONS", have multiple interviews with McEnroe, Wilander, and Noah, and one of Borg as well. I think there are others if you go further back in their posting history.
 
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King_olaf_the_hairy said:
Found an interesting wee YT channel the other day.

First, this video was recommended to me by the algorithm. "McEnroe on Connors' beef with Agassi" Not sure exactly when it's from, if someone wants to try dating it precisely:



The last few uploads from this channel, "GD FILM PROMOTIONS", have multiple interviews with McEnroe, Wilander, and Noah, and one of Borg as well. I think there are others if you go further back in their posting history.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
 
Posted this in a GPPD thread earlier, but for those who only browse the Former Players' section I thought I'd crosspost it here as well: the last six games of the notorious US Open match in 1976 between Nastase and Pohmann.

 
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King_olaf_the_hairy said:
Posted this in a GPPD thread earlier, but for those who only browse the Former Players' section I thought I'd crosspost it here as well: the last six games of the notorious US Open match in 1976 between Nastase and Pohmann.

Click to expand...
WTF did I just watch!
I won't give a spoiler re the result.
But . . OMG!

Thanks for posting.
PS why was it only best of 3?
 
King_olaf_the_hairy said:
Found an interesting wee YT channel the other day.

First, this video was recommended to me by the algorithm. "McEnroe on Connors' beef with Agassi" Not sure exactly when it's from, if someone wants to try dating it precisely:



The last few uploads from this channel, "GD FILM PROMOTIONS", have multiple interviews with McEnroe, Wilander, and Noah, and one of Borg as well. I think there are others if you go further back in their posting history.
Click to expand...
It's from a senior event in London in '99. Mac was asked about these comments by Connors - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/connors-rips-into-agassi/
 
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I saw that Nastase match was up. And after all these years.I am really baboozled now. That match was played on a Friday, September 3. No way CBS showed that live. It's too long for the nightly highlight show and even if it wasn't that is not how the show was done. It wasn't done like the matches were live like this match is. Maybe Summerall and Trabert did it live, but it wasn't on CBS live.

This channel also has the Borg Fillol match where Borg was own 5-2 in the 3rd. That was on a Saturday, but was only a 2nd round match. I looked it up and see the tournament only opened on Wednesday, something I had totally forgotten. So, Borg played 6 of the last 9 days. I wonder if the late start influenced the decision to play best of 3 in the early rounds.

Not too many times you see an umpire refuse a player's extended hand. When even Trabert says the guy should be disqualified you know thw behavior is pretty bad.
 
King_olaf_the_hairy said:
Posted this in a GPPD thread earlier, but for those who only browse the Former Players' section I thought I'd crosspost it here as well: the last six games of the notorious US Open match in 1976 between Nastase and Pohmann.

Click to expand...
interesting letter to the editor(it it worth remembering how vague and unclear injury timeout rules were - Waspting has even expressed confusion at they way injury timeouts were implemented in some 80s matches he watched.


MELVIN ROSENBERG Roslyn, L.I.

Pohmann, Not Nastase, Is Viewed as the Villain

To the Sports Editor:

As an avid tennis (and Ilie Nastase) fan, I was appalled, as were so many others, at the goings‐on at Forest Hills. However, I am more appalled at the complete lack of mention, let alone understanding and sensitivity, of the not‐so‐subtle, ugly and seemingly calculated manner in which Hans‐Jurgen Pohmann manipulated the already basically anti‐Nastase crowd, using them to beat Nastase when he knew that he alone could not. He almost succeeded.

The constant preening, once Pohmann knew that he'd won the crowd, degenerating into clenched‐fist exchanges with them on every point won, arms raised in victory over points won as early as the second set, and the final series of martyr‐like, heroic returns to the battlefield after the questionable “agony” of his leg injuries, combined to produce one of the ugliest displays of mob sentiment I have ever seen. Pohmann knew what he was doing, too.

Nastase usually begins a match with two strikes against him—his temper and personality, and an audience with built‐in hostility towards him. Consequently, in light of all of Pohmann's antics and those of the spectators, who, pray tell, is naive enough to expect Nastase to behave with Anglo‐Saxon sportsmanship?

www.nytimes.com

Who Was the Villain at Forest Hills? (Published 1976)

www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
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WCT said:
I saw that Nastase match was up. And after all these years.I am really baboozled now. That match was played on a Friday, September 3. No way CBS showed that live. It's too long for the nightly highlight show and even if it wasn't that is not how the show was done. It wasn't done like the matches were live like this match is. Maybe Summerall and Trabert did it live, but it wasn't on CBS live.

This channel also has the Borg Fillol match where Borg was own 5-2 in the 3rd. That was on a Saturday, but was only a 2nd round match. I looked it up and see the tournament only opened on Wednesday, something I had totally forgotten. So, Borg played 6 of the last 9 days. I wonder if the late start influenced the decision to play best of 3 in the early rounds.

Not too many times you see an umpire refuse a player's extended hand. When even Trabert says the guy should be disqualified you know thw behavior is pretty bad.
Click to expand...
based on all the letters to the editor the Times received, I have trouble believing it wasn't televised live.

www.nytimes.com

Who Was the Villain at Forest Hills? (Published 1976)

www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
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WCT said:
I saw that Nastase match was up. And after all these years.I am really baboozled now. That match was played on a Friday, September 3. No way CBS showed that live. It's too long for the nightly highlight show and even if it wasn't that is not how the show was done. It wasn't done like the matches were live like this match is. Maybe Summerall and Trabert did it live, but it wasn't on CBS live.

This channel also has the Borg Fillol match where Borg was own 5-2 in the 3rd. That was on a Saturday, but was only a 2nd round match. I looked it up and see the tournament only opened on Wednesday, something I had totally forgotten. So, Borg played 6 of the last 9 days. I wonder if the late start influenced the decision to play best of 3 in the early rounds.

Not too many times you see an umpire refuse a player's extended hand. When even Trabert says the guy should be disqualified you know thw behavior is pretty bad.
Click to expand...
Found an article that says CBS' coverage began Friday, September 3

Once again, the dominant, almost monopolizing, motif Saturday is sports. CBS Sports appears to be especially energetic. The network's coverage of the United States Open Championships at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, which begins Friday at 12:30, will continue on Saturday at 1.

www.nytimes.com

TV WEEKEND (Published 1976)

J J O'Connor lists some notable TV programs that will be presented during Labor Day weekend; illus (M)
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
Thanks for that info, Moose.I don't have a newspaper archive account or I would have looked up tv listings for that day. Amazing that they started on the first Friday. Zero recollection of it,but it is 48 years ago. I wonder if I was in school. I don't think we started up that early, though.

Again, amazing in a year where the total hours covered was much less than later on.
IIRC, the second Saturday thst year they came on at 3. It was the start of the 3rd set of Nastase Borg.I know that because I have it, just not short of the time. Evert won the woman's final so easily that they showed a set of the Connors Vilas match and some earlier footage from the Borg match. In 75 all they showed of the men's semis was maybe half of the 3rd set of Connors Borg.

Can't defend how he went about it, but I can see Nastate's point. How many injury timeouts does a player get in that short a periof of games?
 
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PDJ said:
WTF did I just watch!
Click to expand...
Nastase is crazy. Pohmann should have confronted him directly, like Tanner did in their 1974 US Open third round match.

PDJ said:
I won't give a spoiler re the result.
But . . OMG!
Click to expand...
For anyone wondering when it was, it was at the 1976 US Open, in the second round.

PDJ said:
Thanks for posting.
PS why was it only best of 3?
Click to expand...
1. The men's singles at the US Opens of 1975, 1976 and 1978 were best of 3 sets in the first 3 rounds, and then best of 5 sets from the fourth round onwards
2. The men's singles at the 1977 US Open was best of 3 sets in the first 4 rounds, and then best of 5 sets from the quarter finals onwards
3. In 1979, the men's singles at the US Open went back to best of 5 sets in every round, as it was in 1974 and in the years prior to 1974.

In addition, three more things:
1. Tiebreaks at the US Opens of 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974 were first to 5 points, and if it was 4-4 then both players would have a set point. Only in 1975 did US Open tiebreaks become first to 7 points with at least 2 points clear
2. The men's singles at the French Opens of 1973, 1974 and 1975 were best of 3 sets in the first 2 rounds, and then best of 5 sets from the third round onwards
3. Tiebreaks in the first 4 sets of the Wimbledon men's singles, and first 2 sets of Wimbledon women's singles, were at 8-8 in the set from 1971-1978 rather than 6-6. Tiebreaks weren't at 6-6 in the first 4 sets (first 2 sets for women) at Wimbledon until 1979
 
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