GOAT Talk: Good or bad for tennis fans (Please read through)

[tacou]

Has it affected your enjoyment of WTA matches?

@Azure raised an interesting point in relation to Serena chasing her 24th.

Moratoglou's comments, Serena's own high standards, public expectation and also the limited window of time is a lot to bear even for a player renowned for coping with pressure.

It's clearly affecting her performance at the moment (hard to imagine how it wouldn't) and I think it has affected my enjoyment of quite a few recent major finals that have not been as close as they otherwise would have (not discrediting Halep, Andreescu and Co, who played brilliantly).

I'm not sure how often there has ever been this much pressure on a player who has already achieved this much. I will admit I'm guilty of it as well. I will be disappointed if Serena doesn't get it. It is probably the more sinister side of the GOAT issue with a player being weighed down by the public's fixation on numbers and superlatives.

No, because I was referring mostly to the fan wars that go on here, and how people can delude themselves into thinking one of the Big 3 is anything but an all time great player.

I know Serena is controversial in her own way on TT, but there is not even a remote threat to her legacy at this point, so it's just Serena lovers vs. Serena haters here. Her feeling historical pressure and failing to come up with her best tennis in the past few finals has been interesting to me, not a turn off.

Overall, I have enjoyed the WTA over the ATP for about 3 seasons now.

 

[Lleytonstation]

It can be fun, but many treat it way too serious. It gets out of hand and we treat each other terrible because we like another dude who swings a racket...

 

[Paul Coffey]

I'm searching for some introspection (without partisanship) here. My question: Has all the GOAT talk increased or diminished your enjoyment of tennis?

I don't have an easy answer to my own question, but will say that I have been a tennis fan for a long time, among several sports that I follow.

Clearly, as a fan of the sport, I was not drawn to it because I wanted to say that I was a fan of the "greatest". I love playing and following tennis, and have enjoyed a boatload of players over the years. For whatever reasons we become fans, I have gravitated more to some than others; whether this is based on playing style, personality or other factors, it's hard to always know why.

In this particular era, the GOAT talk is so prevalent and at times so heated, that it seems to detract from simply enjoying the actual tennis...which seems to be the whole point of being a fan. It also contributes to a weird all-or-nothing mentality, where we don't appreciate the careers of "non-GOAT" contenders or presumed ATGs.

On the plus side, GOAT talk is almost inevitable, as many of us like to make lists and compare. It can add an extra layer of drama to majors, race to #1, etc.

So without declaring your own rankings, what do you think? Has all of the GOAT talk diminished or increased your ability to simply enjoy tennis?

I’ve only been here a short while and its quite clear how this works: GOAT talk is immensely enjoyable between people that enjoy tennis. Those that enjoy a specific player aren’t talking about tennis.

I can’t see having GOAT talks with these people.

 

[zvelf]

I'm searching for some introspection (without partisanship) here. My question: Has all the GOAT talk increased or diminished your enjoyment of tennis?

Sometimes it increases my enjoyment and sometimes it diminishes it. Right now, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic all trying to out-achieve one another is exciting and increases my enjoyment. The past dozen years or so has been exciting as it became clear we were watching 3 of the greatest players of all time directly compete against one another. But too often in discussion, player bases get rude and petty in their partisanship. It’s all about tone. I love respectful deliberate reasoned debate and I hate glib, flippant baiting and trolling and handwaving away inconvenient facts.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

The worst aspect of this is when quasi tennis fans laugh at players who won "only" 3 or 4 slams. Even 7 or 8 are considered nothing by some morons out there.

The GOAT debate has brought in a bunch of people who know next to nothing about tennis yet believe their opinions about 4 or 5 slams being "nothing" somehow has weight. Knuckleheads.

 

[RaulRamirez]

Sometimes it increases my enjoyment and sometimes it diminishes it. Right now, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic all trying to out-achieve one another is exciting and increases my enjoyment. The past dozen years or so has been exciting as it became clear we were watching 3 of the greatest players of all time directly compete against one another. But too often in discussion, player bases get rude and petty in their partisanship. It’s all about tone. I love respectful deliberate reasoned debate and I hate glib, flippant baiting and trolling and handwaving away inconvenient facts.

Very well said!

 

[MichaelNadal]

I've loved it for the last couple weeks

 

[Subway Tennis]

No, because I was referring mostly to the fan wars that go on here, and how people can delude themselves into thinking one of the Big 3 is anything but an all time great player.

I know Serena is controversial in her own way on TT, but there is not even a remote threat to her legacy at this point, so it's just Serena lovers vs. Serena haters here. Her feeling historical pressure and failing to come up with her best tennis in the past few finals has been interesting to me, not a turn off.

Overall, I have enjoyed the WTA over the ATP for about 3 seasons now.

I think I share your view in regard to Serena. I will be disappointed if she doesn't get her 24th but it has no bearing on her all-time status for me.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

I think I share your view in regard to Serena. I will be disappointed if she doesn't get her 24th but it has no bearing on her all-time status for me.

Why would you be disappointed?

 

[tonylg]

The whole GOAT thing seems ridiculous to me because I believe the big 3 are dominating an era that requires fewer skills than those previous.

I enjoy watching tennis less because of how poly strings have made it so one dimensional, but I still absolutely love playing.

As for the discussions on here, the technical ones can be good but the fan base arguments I find infantile. There is almost no honest match analysis, just attempts to paint one's hero as GOAT.

 

[Zara]

You meant to say "TIGER" debate...

Ain't happening. People have decided on the goat a long time ago. Much to your dismay. We can make it the scapegoat, however.

 

[Lleytonstation]

Ain't happening. People have decided on the goat a long time ago. Much to your dismay. We can make it the scapegoat, however.

Oh it is, even if it is just me. I will never say the word.