He/She did it first....

[The Green Mile]

I'm talking about things like Hewitt's well known unqiue way of fist pumping and popularizing it, yet Wilander was the one who started using it first. Not too well known among tennis fans. Any other lesser known examples you can think of?

Here's another I found out today in the below quote.

I'm listening to Fred Stolle commentate in a match right now and he's saying that he first heard the quote even before the famous "Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row". According to him, Vic Seixas said it when he beat Rosewall (he says 10 times in a row, whether the number is accurate or not, I dunno). I've never heard anyone mention this before, found it pretty interesting.

1954 Davis Cup in Australia he reckons....

 

[King No1e]

Djokovic coming back from 40-15 against Fedr when it was actually Nadal who did it first in Rome 2006.

The art of 40-15. Nadal started it, Djokovic perfected it.

 

[NoleFam]

I think Borg was the 1st to popularize the two handed backhand right?

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Djokovic coming back from 40-15 against Fedr when it was actually Nadal who did it first in Rome 2006.

The art of 40-15. Nadal started it, Djokovic perfected it.

I doubt RAFA started it

 

[USO]

On the women’s tour Seles popularized hitting with huge power from both sides and taking the ball early, as well as grunting.

 

[Deleted member 777746]

Pete got to GOATdom first, then Djokodal followed after him

 

[BeatlesFan]

I think Borg was the 1st to popularize the two handed backhand right?

No! Connors before Borg and Cliffy was one of the first using it, coming up in the early 60's.

Cliffy now will be known to all:

 

[NoleFam]

No! Connors before Borg and Cliffy was one of the first. coming up in the early 60's.

Cliffy now will be known to all:

Yea I totally forgot about Connors but this was all before my time so I wouldn't have known about Cliff since I never seen him play.

 

[encylopedia]

Yea I totally forgot about Connors but this was all before my time so I wouldn't have known about Cliff since I never seen him play.

Well actually it was indeed Connors (and one could argue Evert) that popularized it for sure (Borg of course reinforced that). Cliff used one, as did countless players before. Heck Bromwich was using one back in the.....40's I believe.

 

[Azure]

Guga's clay heart

 

[daggerman]

I'm curious about who popularized traveling to tournaments with an entourage of staffers -- tennis coach, physio, strength trainer, agent, etc.

I vaguely recall reading that it was Navratilova, but I'm not certain about that.

 

[The Green Mile]

Guga's clay heart

Yeah, this is a good one. Novak doing his own when he won in 2016.

 

[socallefty]

Novak - first with the boobthrow after wins. Hopefully the last one too.

 

[Azure]

Two handed forehand : Seles? Grunting : Seles?

She was a trendsetter in more ways than one.

 

[FlamingCheeto]

This guy!
1. Rock N roll tennis
2. backhand return GOAT worthy
3.Goatworthy Forehand
4. Spandex
5.Neon
6.Denim
7.Mullet

did it all FIRST baby yeah!

 

[King No1e]

I think Borg was the 1st to popularize the two handed backhand right?

Connors had one of the GOAT 2-handers and started a little earlier than Borg, not to mention Pancho Segura who played 2-handed back in the 50's

 

[thrust]

Connors had one of the GOAT 2-handers and started a little earlier than Borg, not to mention Pancho Segura who played 2-handed back in the 50's

Segura had a two handed forehand, not backhand.

 

[NatF]

Segura had a two handed forehand, not backhand.

I would have assumed two hands on both sides?

 

[eman11]

Idk of anyone who bit trophies before the King of Clay

 

[eman11]

also, (hope this works)

Pablo Cuevas with the "fake overhead start turned to no-look front tweener".

This is definitely one that I have only seen him do.

 

[thrust]

I would have assumed two hands on both sides?

Me too, but I am pretty sure it was just the forehand that was two handed.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

I would have assumed two hands on both sides?

Me too, but I am pretty sure it was just the forehand that was two handed.

Funnily enough he had a one-handed backhand

 

[NatF]

Me too, but I am pretty sure it was just the forehand that was two handed.

Funnily enough he had a one-handed backhand

How bizarre lol.

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

Funnily enough he had a one-handed backhand

Just how does this happen.

 

[RiverRat]

Just how does this happen.

Rickets? Poverty?

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Just how does this happen.

These posts might help from this thread

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/pancho-segura-his-two-hand-forehand.469719/

Pancho Segura's two hand forehand is well-known, and Jack Kramer supposedly called it the "greatest shot in tennis." Pancho could hit it flat or with spin anywhere on the court and with great disguise. But, was it really a 2HFH? The classic definition of a 2HFH puts the dominant hand below the non-dominant hand. If you look closely at the photos of panch, when Pancho swung from the right side of his body, his dominant (right) hand was above, not below, his non-dominant (left) hand. When he swung from the left side of his body, his right hand stayed on top but he let his left hand drop off the racket as it moved forward. So what Pancho was really doing was using a left-hand 2HBH on the right side and then switching to basically a right-hand 1HBH on the left side. He could do this readily because only the thumb & first two fingers of the left hand ever gripped the racket, which meant when he went to the backhand it was easy just to let his right hand do all the work. If anyone sees this set-up differently than I do, please say so.

Segura hit his forehand with 2 hands but hit a regular one handed backhand--he didn't hit with 2 hands on both sides. Gene Mayer & Jan Michael Gambill also hit their 2 handed forehands with their right hands above their left like Segura. Mayer, however, hit with 2 hands on both sides after turning pro (he had a 1 handed backhand in the jrs and college) and hit his backhand with his hands in the same position (therefore crossed) so he did the reverse of what Santoro did. Gambill hit his 2 handed backhand with a standard grip with the left above the right.

You can see how he changes his grip and imagine him hitting a regular OHBH after if it were to happen

 

[beard]

Federer, introduced crying at slam final ceremony and ruining opponent celebration...

 

[Nuclear Warhead Sinner]

Yeah, this is a good one. Novak doing his own when he won in 2016.

Me during Djokovic's celebrations.

Spoiler

 

[Ronaldo]

I think Borg was the 1st to popularize the two handed backhand right?

Your BH will be assimilated, resistance is futile

 

[Ronaldo]

Idk of anyone who bit trophies before the King of Clay

 

[Poisoned Slice]

First ever funeral theft

 

[BeatlesFan]

This man was the first to prioritize both fitness and healthy eating. He was the first to schedule lengthy training blocks with young juniors (like Sampras) and stress cardio, revolutionizing a tennis player's approach to fitness:

 

[Ronaldo]

Lookatthisskinnyguy!

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Federer, introduced crying at slam final ceremony and ruining opponent celebration...

Nope, not even close. Novotna? I'm sure you'll jump on the 'ruining opponent celebration' part though with your usual visceral objectivity, just to shift the goalposts away from any kind of pro-Fed shot.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Nope, not even close. Novotna? I'm sure you'll jump on the 'ruining opponent celebration' part though with your usual visceral objectivity, just to shift the goalposts away from any kind of pro-Fed shot.

Borg and Mac stormed off from slam finals after losing, same thing really

 

[Ronaldo]

Nope, not even close. Novotna? I'm sure you'll jump on the 'ruining opponent celebration' part though with your usual visceral objectivity, just to shift the goalposts away from any kind of pro-Fed shot.

Thanks,

 

[Ronaldo]

Borg and Mac stormed off from slam finals after losing, same thing really

Connors after the 1977 US Open defeat?

 

[Deleted member 744633]

1. Pete Sampras- jumping smash

2. Sunny Deol- punching with a 6 pound arm

 

[beard]

Nope, not even close. Novotna? I'm sure you'll jump on the 'ruining opponent celebration' part though with your usual visceral objectivity, just to shift the goalposts away from any kind of pro-Fed shot.

I am talking about atp, obviously... Don't put Fed in the same basket with women...

 

[BeatlesFan]

Connors after the 1977 US Open defeat?

No, 1981 USO where Borg shafted Bud Collins and walked to the parking lot w/o a presser.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

I am talking about atp, obviously... Don't put Fed in the same basket with women...

Of course you were.

 

[eman11]

Do you know what year she did this?

 

[Ronaldo]

Do you know what year she did this?

2012, https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-sharapova-to-win-gold-medal-in-womens-tennis

 

[eman11]

she may/ may not have been the first WOMAN to bite into an olympic gold medal... that is a tradition that spans centuries by olympians. BUT Rafa is definitely, according to my knowledge, the first tennis player to bite into trophies.

 

[Ronaldo]

she may/ may not have been the first WOMAN to bite into an olympic gold medal... that is a tradition that spans centuries by olympians. BUT Rafa is definitely, according to my knowledge, the first tennis player to bite into trophies.

And easily the most famous

 

[The Green Mile]

she may/ may not have been the first WOMAN to bite into an olympic gold medal... that is a tradition that spans centuries by olympians. BUT Rafa is definitely, according to my knowledge, the first tennis player to bite into trophies.

"The truth is that it all started as a joke. But from then on there were always photographers who were asking me to do it. I kept doing it and now I have no option but to go on doing so because I can assure you that they don’t taste good,” Nadal said in a press meeting during the 2018 Davis Cup."

 

[Deleted member 777746]

.

 

[eman11]

"The truth is that it all started as a joke. But from then on there were always photographers who were asking me to do it. I kept doing it and now I have no option but to go on doing so because I can assure you that they don’t taste good,” Nadal said in a press meeting during the 2018 Davis Cup."

Yea I've read that too. Funny how it started as a joke, as Rafa says, but now is something that we kind of think of being one in the same, that is the trophy biting and Rafa.