How new are you to tennis?

Roughly when did you first start watching tennis? (Unscientific poll)

  • Ashe, BJK, Evert

    Votes: 6 5.9%

  • Borg, Connors, McEnroe

    Votes: 20 19.8%

  • Becker, Edberg, Graf

    Votes: 20 19.8%

  • Andre, Sampras, Hingis

    Votes: 15 14.9%

  • Hewitt, Fed, Serena, Venus

    Votes: 22 21.8%

  • Nadal, Novak, Murray

    Votes: 13 12.9%

  • Later

    Votes: 5 5.0%
  • Total voters
    101
Speaking about BJK.
Here's some trivia that I just learned...
She got her name after marrying Larry King in 1965 (King).
She married IIlana Sheryl Kloss a former WTA pro in 2018
at the age of 75 !!!
 
I first watched the men's Wimbledon final in 1986. I then started following tennis regular during the final weekend of Roland Garros in 1987. (I hadn't followed it at all in between those two events).

What got me on to tennis was watching a news clip of the men's semi-finals in 1986.
 
I need to find the old home movies of 6 year old me running laps around my living room. And when my mom asks what I’m doing I reply: “I’m Michael Chang.”
 
More like how ‘old’ am I to tennis! Have been playing tennis and watching the sport since the mid-Seventies. I used to attend 2-3 pro tournaments in person every year for decades, but lately it’s been only IW. Still watch a lot on TV and play 12-15 hours per week.
 
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Two tennis memories from my very early days:

1. One summer day, my family went to a department store in a mall to see a celebrity. I think he was there to promote a clothing line or something. He was then famous for having just won Wimbledon. He autographed a copy of World Tennis magazine for me. "Arthur Ashe."

2. The public tennis courts in the little borough in which we resided were free before noon during the summer. After 12 o'clock, players had to have paid permits. Naturally, therefore, my brother and I always played in the morning. We walked there and back, no matter how hot it was (no driver's license yet). One morning, I overhead a guy on the adjacent court say to his partner, "Did you hear about Roscoe? He got beat today!" I understood this to be a reference to Roscoe Tanner, who had just crushed Jimmy Connors in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and seemed destined to be the next American to win the title. But Roscoe was unexpectedly straight-setted in his semifinal by Bjorn Borg. These matches weren't televised. There was no Internet to provide instant scores. You had to either watch the evening TV news and hope that the sports report covered tennis (it usually did not), or just wait to read the results in the newspaper the next morning. Or you could get lucky and get some info from a stray snatch of conversation.
 
The first match I vividly remember watching was the Berlin final between Steffi and Monika in 1990. There was a little "celebration" in our home because the kid from our country stunned a monster player, and tennis was overall very important sport for us as my dad was a club player back then.
 
Poisoned Slice said:
Becker, Edberg and Graf.
Click to expand...
Screen-Shot-2020-11-19-at-8.48.37-AM.png
 
Rosstour said:
You mean 2004?

Nadal showed up and relegated Fed to second Banana in 2005, sir
Click to expand...
Nah, he won 6 slams 2006/07. Though, I started watching more ATP in those years because of Nole. Never liked Nadal either, awful boring loopy spin style and running like a maniac. Federer annoyed me because almost every match of his was a one man show and because he always had all the crowd support. Never thought of him as elegant or unique player. He was just ruthless in my eyes.
 
Born_to_slice said:
Nah, he won 6 slams 2006/07. Though, I started watching more ATP in those years because of Nole. Never liked Nadal either, awful boring loopy spin style and running like a maniac. Federer annoyed me because almost every match of his was a one man show and because he always had all the crowd support. Never thought of him as elegant or unique player. He was just ruthless in my eyes.
Click to expand...

So if Federer isn't elegant then who is?

Djokovic?
 
Born_to_slice said:
Since the '80. At times, I followed only WTA,, like when Sampras and Federer domination bored me.
Click to expand...
How big the Zivojinovic hype really was back in the day? I was too young to remember.
He was quite successful in doubles, but I've heard the older fans who praised him even though his results don't really justify the "hype". Apart from several great performances against top players (McEnroe, Wilander, etc), of course.
 
Rosstour said:
So if Federer isn't elegant then who is?

Djokovic?
Click to expand...
Federer definitely is but I think it was ridiculously overstated and overrated. Novak's tennis has a lot of beauty to it imo, like his bh dtl and the way he slides and still hits incredible delicate shots.
But when I think of elegant it's Petr Korda, Edberg
Or unique: Stepanek, Florian Mayer
Martin J said:
How big the Zivojinovic hype really was back in the day? I was too young to remember.
He was quite successful in doubles, but I've heard the older fans who praised him even though his results don't really justify the "hype". Apart from several great performances against top players (McEnroe, Wilander, etc), of course.
Click to expand...
He was a big star in Jugoslavija (also because he married a mega popular folk star) but no one really believed he could win a slam. People were proud of him though. I remember him playing McEnroe and leisurely eating a sandwich in the stands with his feet up while Mac was arguing with the ref.
 
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Born_to_slice said:
Federer definitely is but I think it was ridiculously overstated and overrated. Novak's tennis has a lot of beauty to it imo, like his bh dtl and the way he slides and still hits incredible delicate shots.
But when I think of elegant it's Petr Korda, Edberg
Or unique: Stepanek, Florian Mayer

He was a big star in Jugoslavija (also because he married a mega popular folk star) but no one really believed he could win a slam. People were proud of him though. I remember him playing McEnroe and leisurely eating a sandwich in the stands with his feet up while Mac was arguing with the ref.
Click to expand...
The sandwich incident was very famous one. And yeah that wedding with Brena was broadcasted nation-wide if I recall, Tiriac was a guest too, lol.

There was a story about someone asking Becker "who was your idol among tennis players" and he stated "Boba, because when I go to train, he goes to kafana", haha...
 
At the risk of broadcasting my age, I just turned (I can't believe it) 65, and while I became an incurable sports fan at about age 7, tennis joined that list when I was about 10 or so, but I really started watching and playing regularly -' along with other sports - since about age 13. If inclined, you can do the math.
 
In 2000, I remember reading in newspaper about Sampras crossing record of a guy name Emerson, saw US open final in 2000 on Star Sports. Saw Federer for the first time in the highlights of hopmans cup teaming up with Hingis. Before 2000 in the 1990s I had heard the names of a few tennis players like Becker, HIngis, Sampras, Navratilova as tennis trivia but I don't rem watching any tennis back then.
 
The first Grand Slam final I ever saw was Ferrero-Verkerk RG 2003 final.

Soon I lost interest in tennis and I didn't catch up real interest in the sport till the AO 2017.
 
Watched Mac, Conners, Borg, etc a bit before I started playing. Got into playing tennis mid 80's and have been hooked ever since. Favorites over the years were Edberg, Rafter, Agassi, Fed and now Carlos. Becker was cool when he came out of nowhere at 17.

Saw Venus' pro debut in Oakland, saw Navritalova/Seles final also in Oakland way back when. Seen almost all the top guys from the 2000's at IW (except Sinner/Carlos).
 
First matches I watched were Becker v edberg and Graf vs Navratilova at Wimbledon. I liked what I saw.
the match that made me love tennis was Graf Seles RG 92.
 
Some time in the late 90s, on/off for a few years until about 2003 because my parents didn't always have pay TV in those years that showed the tennis here
 
Vilas surge in the 70's was the reason for lots of Argies like me taking over the sport in those times.
He led a big transformation of the sport from niche to popular in Argentina. Obviously, still not as popular as football.
 
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Around 2017ish, still a young lad haha - live in Melbourne so I've been attending the AO regularly for a couple of years now though.
 
Sudacafan said:
Vilas surge in the 70's was the reason for lots of Argies like me taking over the sport in those times.
He lead a big transformation of the sport from niche to popular in Argentina. Obviously, still not as popular as football.
Click to expand...

The OG Bull. The “Bull of the Pampas.” I’m guessing Bud Collins coined the nickname.
 
Young tennis casual years
1998-2006 just watched the slams when I caught them

Mid teenage years
2007-2010 I watched all the slams in full and most masters events

Hardcore tennis watching years
2011-2020 didn’t miss much from ATP 500 upwards. Stayed up late many times watching slams in Australia and the US and went to work half dead the next day. Great memories though. I’ve watched tennis on my iPad in airports, Africa, Asia, all over Europe.

Family years
2021-2024 have a growing family now and the worlds a changed place so I don’t watch as much now
 
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