Am I joking? Why is football America's favorite sport? Fiercness, intensity, toughness. That's why tennis is like the lowest watched professional sport ahead of televised fencing. I don't know any kids at all who want to watch Federer. Many people on these boards will agree because they are old tennis fans.
There is something about toughness that the general public likes, and that's why the general public doesn't like tennis.
Sadly, you're pretty on the money - at least in reference to the American general public. The "agree because they're old tennis fans" part, not so much. I'd attribute it more to a wider perspective than age, per say.
But I love watching Fed. Watching the Fed/Roddick match, Roddick looked like a hyper little kid and Fed like a graceful master. Roddick takes all of these short choppy steps to get to the ball and Fed takes fewer, longer, gliding strides. So much more fun to watch Fed do his thing with unbelievable dominance, genius, and grace than to watch Roddick follow a great forehand winner with a blown chippie volley or two to get himself down double break point.
All of the talk Mary Carillo was unleashing about Fed forcing other players to both raise their games and return to an all-court style ... as tiring as it got hearing her say it (but what else could they talk about during such a blowout?), I hope it comes true.
Watching serve and volley is fun. Watching Fed and Gonzo, and even Murray's gameplan v. Nadal (though he ultimately lost) is fun. Watching serve, stand on the baseline, and bound the ball gets old after a few games.
Hopefully the Gonzo/Fed final will be fun to watch. Hopefully Gonzo will keep up his amazing play. And hopefully Fed will dominate him anyway. I'm all for Fed dominating his way through all four slams this year - would like nothing better from pro tennis than to see that kind of history being made.
