Just reading this book, Tennis:Myth and Method by Ellsworth Vines, pub 1978
Great read, with chapters on strategy, technique, tactics, etc. Most of the book is devoted to players Vines considers among the "First Ten"- a term used for the best amateurs prior to the open era that were listed in the Spalding Year Book of Tennis, which apparently ensured a lot of opportunties for players that were listed in the book. He lists the best post Tilden players & provided a lot of detail on their game, how they matched up with the others, & their accomplishments(much of it their pro tour achievements, a lot of which I wasn't aware of)
1 Don Budge
2 Jack Kramer
3 Pancho Gonzales
4 Rod Laver
5 Pancho Segura(chaognosis, he also agrees with Kramer that his 2 handed forehand was the best shot in the history of the game)
6 Bobby Riggs
7 Ken Rosewall
8 Lew Hoad
9 Frank Sedgman
10 Tony Trabert
He's not a big fan of the "big game myth" as he calls it, saying that that myth has created a mentality that one should S&V always, & when it isn't working you have nothing to fall back on because you haven't perfected your groundstrokes. Apparently he thinks that many top players in the early years of the open era experienced a lot of upsets because they relied too much on the big game. Likes that Connors & Borg in the 70s are changing this myth. Think he would have loved Federer.
Great read, with chapters on strategy, technique, tactics, etc. Most of the book is devoted to players Vines considers among the "First Ten"- a term used for the best amateurs prior to the open era that were listed in the Spalding Year Book of Tennis, which apparently ensured a lot of opportunties for players that were listed in the book. He lists the best post Tilden players & provided a lot of detail on their game, how they matched up with the others, & their accomplishments(much of it their pro tour achievements, a lot of which I wasn't aware of)
1 Don Budge
2 Jack Kramer
3 Pancho Gonzales
4 Rod Laver
5 Pancho Segura(chaognosis, he also agrees with Kramer that his 2 handed forehand was the best shot in the history of the game)
6 Bobby Riggs
7 Ken Rosewall
8 Lew Hoad
9 Frank Sedgman
10 Tony Trabert
He's not a big fan of the "big game myth" as he calls it, saying that that myth has created a mentality that one should S&V always, & when it isn't working you have nothing to fall back on because you haven't perfected your groundstrokes. Apparently he thinks that many top players in the early years of the open era experienced a lot of upsets because they relied too much on the big game. Likes that Connors & Borg in the 70s are changing this myth. Think he would have loved Federer.