Decent baseline exchange vs. serve/voley - what is your prefference?

[Bubcay]

I keep hearing how the game Djokovic and to a point Nadal have is boring/grinding... etc. Having watched tennis since the early 80s and having witnessed several tennis eras, I have to say that I by far prefer a decent baseline exchange (mixed up with occasional serve/volley as both mentioned players are not just baseliners), than just a serve/volley style of play. To me, serve/volley breaks up a match too much, with more time spent by players walking back from the net to the line to serve than actually playing. After a while, this becomes quite boring, to be honest. But, that is just my preference. What is yours and why?

 

[Rosstour]

Fedr is my preference.

Serve and drop volley. Serve and swinging volley. Or blast a winner from the BL.

Bad answer I know.

 

[Bubcay]

Fedr is my preference.

Serve and drop volley. Serve and swinging volley. Or blast a winner from the BL.

Bad answer I know.

Not bad at all. He certainly has a beautiful game. A well-balanced player by all means.

 

[tex123]

Depends on the surface. On grass, it has to be serve and volley. They just ruined the surface and play when they made it super slow.
Hard surface should vary in speed across tournaments. Players can mix serve and volley with baseline exchanges.
Clay is fine as it is.

 

[Rosstour]

Contrasting styles are fun. Watching M. Zverev vs Fed was so cool.

But watching PETE vs Scud...yawn. I blame those two for the surface slowing.

 

[Kralingen]

I’d rather watch John McEnroe than Medvedev but I’d also rather watch Djokovic/Nadal than Philipoussis-Goran.

 

[Bubcay]

For me, the worst matchup is when two typically serve/volley players are pitted against each other. There is no fluidity in the match at all. I just can't watch it. On the other hand, some of Nadal and Djokovic's matches were epic. Pure gold...

 

[Bubcay]

I could re-watch this one every week. :

 

[skaj]

Mixed, people like Sampras, Federer, Henin, Rios, Schiavone...

But if I had to choose between baseline exchange and serve and volley, I would choose the latter.

 

[SamprasisGOAT]

In order I like to watch
1. All Court Tennis
Sampras (Federer 14-19)
2. Attacking Baseline Tennis
Thiem Wawrinka (Federer 03-07)(nadal since moya) Agassi
3. Serve Volley
Becker edberg mcenroe rafter
4. Defensive Baseline
Djokovic Nadal (05-15) most players now
5. Serve Bots
Ivanisevic isner opelka
6. Pushers
Murray Simon Gilbert

 

[Sudacafan]

Fedr is my preference.

Serve and drop volley. Serve and swinging volley. Or blast a winner from the BL.

Bad answer I know.

Fed is the answer. That’s never a bad answer.

 

[Sudacafan]

In order I like to watch
1. All Court Tennis
Sampras (Federer 14-19)
2. Attacking Baseline Tennis
Thiem Wawrinka (Federer 03-07)(nadal since moya) Agassi
3. Serve Volley
Becker edberg mcenroe rafter
4. Defensive Baseline
Djokovic Nadal (05-15) most players now
5. Serve Bots
Ivanisevic isner opelka
6. Pushers
Murray Simon Gilbert

OK, but make up your mind. You left no alternative out.

 

[socallefty]

I like strong baseliners who hit winners or come to net to finish points at the first opportunity they get.

 

[Bubcay]

Ideally, one would want a well balanced players, no doubt about it. I actually do not feel either Nadal or Djokovic are one dimensional players like I saw some on TTW make them out to be. Djokovic especially, with his serve, getting out to the net more often now than ever. It impress me when players keep developing their game all the time.

 

[skaj]

I could re-watch this one every week. :

In order to die of boredom?

 

[Bubcay]

In order to die of boredom?

Nope. Pure joy. 6 hours plus of atomic tennis.

 

[InsideOut900]

Aggressive, blow for blow baselining, with some net charging mixed in. More toward the baselining part though.

 

[Bubcay]

Aggressive, blow for blow baselining, with some net charging mixed in. More toward the baselining part though.

Same here.

 

[Wurm]

Contrasting styles is what makes tennis enjoyable for me to watch. To a certain extent the physiology of different players compels them to play somewhat differently to each other but that alone has limits and there is nothing I find more boring than two baseline grinders playing endless Chuckle Brothers tennis ("to me, to you, to me, to you...")... except for two s&v players incapable of playing a point longer than 5 shots.

Wimbledon got to be excrutiatingly dull as the 90s wore on. It was fine in the 80s when Boris Becker level serving was limited to pretty much him but by 1995 we had a good dozen, or more, players able to serve like that who were playing s&v and largely dominating the business end of the tournament.

Now, there must've been plenty of really good matches at Wimbledon in the 90s but my memory is they were few and far between, though I'll admit I watched relatively little tennis back then. Agassi vs Becker in the semi-final in 1995 was the real standout that I had fond memories of and that was because of the contrast of styles and then Becker starting to mix up his strategy.

 

[RaulRamirez]

Over the (many) years, I've gravitated toward a variety of styles and various personalities, so I don't think I have a "type", if you will.
I like variety, and while not a boxing fan, there is something to the old boxing adage, "Styles make fights". A contrast of styles is usually the best for me.

I probably identify a little more with the aggressive baseliner. And it helps, if he/she also has all the shots available to them: Rafa, Novak, and of course, Fed (if considered that) who can do it all. Stylistically, Rafa's game probably fits my eye the most, but who else can play like that?

But it's really hard for me to generalize.
For example, I rooted for Agassi over Sampras, but Rafter may have been my favorite of that general era.
Edberg seems to be revered here, and what's not to like...yet, I never gravitated toward him as a player (though one heckuva nice guy and great, smooth player) but did like Becker.

 

[Slicehand]

Since you gave the option to choose " balanced" it was gonna be the most popular one, why have only one thing or the other when you can have both, right?

 

[HuusHould]

I think it's often the combination of styles that makes a good match up, I used to find Hewitt pretty boring, but used to enjoy watching him play Nalbandian, because they both had good court craft, Nalbandian was a bit more all court and slightly more aggressive from the baseline (would hit dtl more) and Hewitt had good passing shots, that forced Nalbandian to come up with some really good volleys and half volleys. Both utilised angles well on their drive bh, and both sliced very well.

 

[Third Serve]

Aggressive, blow for blow baselining, with some net charging mixed in. More toward the baselining part though.

came here to post this

 

[skaj]

Nope. Pure joy. 6 hours plus of atomic tennis.

Whatever rocks your boat. Personally, I find tennis based on endurance and pace to be extremely tedious. I need to see variety, finesse, brains, elegance.

 

[Antónis]

I like two guys with different styles and personalities. Sampras vs. Agassi; Becker (or JMac, or Edberg) vs. Lendl, JMac Vs. Connors or Borg, etc
Watching baseline batching tend to bore me .

A few years ago I had a live prove of that, Davydenko vs. JC Ferrero, their style was too similar, watched first 3 games and left the stands, completely bored .
I had the same feeling with Nole vs Murray when Murray was a top 3 player. Fed vs. Nadal was more interesting because they have more different styles and personalities.

Two guys playing s & v could be boring or interesting, depending on who they are, and how fast the court is, meaning if their service is returnable. On fast grass could be a bit boring if they are serve bots, and can't do much more with the ball.

But s & v with guys with nice baseline games (I could name a few) tends to be very entertaining, at least for me, I watch a lot of old matches from the 90's on youtube seeking for different styles.

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

Constant serve and volley is up there with American handegg as one of the biggest sporting yawnfests. And to think that tonylsd and his ilk have repeatedly claimed that THAT brand of tennis requires superior talent and VARIETY... Cringe.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Nope. Pure joy. 6 hours plus of atomic tennis.

Actually 84 minutes of actual tennis and 4 hours of ball bouncing and toweling off (and that is no exaggeration).

 

[cha cha]

I remember watching that final live. Probably the most tiring thing I have ever sat through.

 

[socallefty]

For all those who post that they like watching serve and volley tennis better, do they then prefer watching pro doubles over singles? If not, why not?

 

[cha cha]

Doubles are an absolutely fantastic sport. I would prefer them if only they had some love from the crowd and atmosphere.

 

[Spin Diesel]

I keep hearing how the game Djokovic and to a point Nadal have is boring/grinding... etc. Having watched tennis since the early 80s and having witnessed several tennis eras, I have to say that I by far prefer a decent baseline exchange (mixed up with occasional serve/volley as both mentioned players are not just baseliners), than just a serve/volley style of play. To me, serve/volley breaks up a match too much, with more time spent by players walking back from the net to the line to serve than actually playing. After a while, this becomes quite boring, to be honest. But, that is just my preference. What is yours and why?

I completely agree! I often was bored already by watching highlight videos of matches, with true serve and volley players. What I really enjoy is when people have a good feel for coming to the net while rallying, which is quite rare, unfortunately.
The most narcotic thing still is watching big servers though.

 

[Bubcay]

Whatever rocks your boat. Personally, I find tennis based on endurance and pace extremely tedious. I need to see variety, finesse, brains, elegance.

I find that there is a bit of everything in that match. I really enjoyed it. I think my statement about being able to watch it weekly is a bit of an exaggeration though

 

[Bubcay]

Actually 84 minutes of actual tennis and 4 hours of ball bouncing and toweling off (and that is no exaggeration).

. Fair point. Made me laugh. The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same things. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Bubcay]

I remember watching that final live. Probably the most tiring thing I have ever sat through.

I got tired for them just watching it. How on earth did they survived that it is beyond me?

 

[Federerthegreatest]

A serve volleyer vs a baseliner are the most enjoyable matches to watch. Particularly when the net rusher is not too dominant on serve (think Edberg or Rafter vs Agassi).

Baseliner vs baseliner can be fun, but mostly on clay. A OHBH vs a two hander is generally most enjoyable for the variety of strokes.

 

[King No1e]

Aggressive baseliners are my favorite. Djokovic, Agassi, Safin. Those types.

 

[GameSetR]

For all those who post that they like watching serve and volley tennis better, do they then prefer watching pro doubles over singles? If not, why not?

I can't get into doubles.

It's the one v one aspect of singles that's the most appealing.

As for the question at hand: The answer is a well-balanced player with variety, like a Fed or Sampras.

Both extremes, exclusively baseline or exclusively S&V, are boring. A player who incorporates a healthy diet of both has me as a fan.

 

[Karma Tennis]

The greatest Set of tennis I ever witnessed was ......

4th Set of the 1980 Wimbledon Men's Singles Final

The 4th Set Tiebreaker reached a peak that has never been surpassed in terms of S&V and Baseline. For me the most exciting and entertaining matches are ones where you have two high quality players where one is predominantly using S&V and the other using Baseline games but both are well versed in each style.

 

[Bubcay]

The greatest Set of tennis I ever witnessed was ......

4th Set of the 1980 Wimbledon Men's Singles Final

The 4th Set Tiebreaker reached a peak that has never been surpassed in terms of S&V and Baseline. For me the most exciting and entertaining matches are ones where you have two high quality players where one is predominantly using S&V and the other using Baseline games but both are well versed in each style.

I wish I was there. Borg vs McEnroe

 

[Raul_SJ]

I keep hearing how the game Djokovic and to a point Nadal have is boring/grinding... etc.

Serve and Volley is mostly boring. Although a few players like Sampras and Rafter can make it exciting.

Look how Fed comes in and then just sits like a Wounded Duck. Can't get more dull than this:

 

[SinneGOAT]

Damnit, I didn’t know you couldn’t change votes! I pressed the first one while I was scrolling.

 

[Bubcay]

Damnit, I didn’t know you couldn’t change votes! I pressed the first one while I was scrolling.

Sorry...

 

[NedStark]

Serve and Volley is mostly boring. Although a few players like Sampras and Rafter can make it exciting.

Look how Fed comes in and then just sits like a Wounded Duck. Can't get more dull than this:

Old Fed and modern era players made the mistake of slowing down serve speed when attempting S&V, but without Rafter/Edberg huge kick. To be fair, Fed serrve declined a lot compared to even 2019.

Sampras/Becker... and 2003 Fed hit fast/big serves to S&V.

 

[yossarian]

Serve and Volley is mostly boring. Although a few players like Sampras and Rafter can make it exciting.

Look how Fed comes in and then just sits like a Wounded Duck. Can't get more dull than this:

 

[skaj]

Aggressive baseliners are my favorite. Djokovic, Agassi, Safin. Those types.

Safin was an all-court player. Unlike the other two he was good at the net and he used that ability.

 

[Bubcay]

Safin was an all-court player. Unlike the other two he was good at the net and he used that ability.

Djokovic is pretty decent at the net in the last couple of years. That is what I like about him. He continues his growth even this late in his career.

 

[ChrisG]

Serve bots almost killed the sport. Baseline bots are now in the way to ruin it.
I believe we should reverse to a more contrasted speed difference between clay, grass, indoor, etc…

 

[skaj]

Djokovic is pretty decent at the net in the last couple of years. That is what I like about him. He continues his growth even this late in his career.

Not really. He tries to get up there more, which is a logical tactic but he is still clumsy at the net.

 

[Larry Duff]

Needs a Don't know option

 

[Bubcay]

Needs a Don't know option

Or don't care? Just give me some tennis. I can't wait for IW to start...