If tennis had a Dirk Nowitzki

ubermeyer

Hall of Fame
We've already seen what big players like Karlovic and Isner can do with their serve. (Has there ever been a player taller than 6'10'' to have any kind of ATP ranking? Karlovic's the tallest ever to be top 100, but maybe there's some journeyman that's taller?) What if tennis had an athlete who was that tall (or even taller), but very fit as well, like Nowitzki is? (I mean someone who could run on a tennis court better than they can, and with better stamina). Do you guys think the future of tennis is going to be even bigger than today (not like 7' big, but mid-6 foot big, with guys like Del Potro, Cilic, etc.)
 

aphex

Banned
We've already seen what big players like Karlovic and Isner can do with their serve. (Has there ever been a player taller than 6'10'' to have any kind of ATP ranking? Karlovic's the tallest ever to be top 100, but maybe there's some journeyman that's taller?) What if tennis had an athlete who was that tall (or even taller), but very fit as well, like Nowitzki is? (I mean someone who could run on a tennis court better than they can, and with better stamina). Do you guys think the future of tennis is going to be even bigger than today (not like 7' big, but mid-6 foot big, with guys like Del Potro, Cilic, etc.)

Nope. The taller they get the slower they're gonna make the courts/balls.

Nobody wants to watch 2 Karlovics playing against each other.
 

PSNELKE

Legend
Isner is actually taller than Karlovic.

The ATP stats are wrong.

source?? 10 chars

17look.jpg
 
I don't think so. Even right now, Isner and Karlovic aren't dominating the tour. Unless something else changes in technology, strings, or courts, the optimal height seems to be about 6'1 or 6'2. That's where Federer and Sampras are, that's where Nadal is, Murray and Djokovic are listed at 6'3 and 6'2, Agassi and Hewitt were 5'11.

Guys shorter than 5'11 end up lacking just a little bit of oomph on their shots, especially their serve, whereas guys taller than about 6'4 or so always seem to have issues with moving as well as they want to.
 

SirGounder

Hall of Fame
The thing about Nowitzki is that he has other players to make up for his deficits. Yes he moves very well for a big guy in the NBA, but he is nowhere near strong enough to guard more traditional big guys. That's why the Mavericks have Tyson Chandler.

In tennis, you only have yourself on the court, so any deficits you are painfully obvious. That's why most guys in between say 6'1" to 6'4" tend to be the top players. They have an ideal blend of attributes, tall enough to serve big and short enough to be mobile.
 

syc23

Professional
Forget about Nowitzki. Imagine Pippen, Jordan, Kobe or Lebron were tennis players instead, their court coverage and defense would scary. Not to mention how clutch MJ would be in GS.
 

joe sch

Legend
Forget about Nowitzki. Imagine Pippen, Jordan, Kobe or Lebron were tennis players instead, their court coverage and defense would scary. Not to mention how clutch MJ would be in GS.

Most All those great big athletes that have super movement and coordination skills should also be great in other athletic sports that require movement, power, and touch. Also, these guys mentioned all have the ability to raise their levels at game deciding time. I believe they could be way better than Isner and Karlovich in tennis and probable candidates for multi tennis slam championships. Yannich Noah produced Joakim who is a great NBA player and I suspect could have also been a multi slam tennis champion. Maybe Federer, Nadal, and Djokovich are very fortunate ;)
 
Last edited:

Murrayfan31

Hall of Fame
I think the hardest part for these tall players are changing directions. Way more changing directions than in Basketball. I think they could be good in tennis but not multi slam winners. Point guards have the best chance to be tennis players obviously.
 

cocolate

Banned
They wouldn't be able to change directions like Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, also low balls would give them big back problems and would probably end with an injury.
 

Talker

Hall of Fame
A guy like Michael Jordan was very quick, could stop on a dime and didn't get injured often. Not to mention a mental game as good as anyone anywhere.
He was 6'6".
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
We've already seen what big players like Karlovic and Isner can do with their serve. (Has there ever been a player taller than 6'10'' to have any kind of ATP ranking? Karlovic's the tallest ever to be top 100, but maybe there's some journeyman that's taller?) What if tennis had an athlete who was that tall (or even taller), but very fit as well, like Nowitzki is? (I mean someone who could run on a tennis court better than they can, and with better stamina). Do you guys think the future of tennis is going to be even bigger than today (not like 7' big, but mid-6 foot big, with guys like Del Potro, Cilic, etc.)

Funny you mention Nowitzki. He was actually a very good junior tennis player in Germany. He has been asked about why he didn't pursue tennis and says that his height became a factor, not so much against tennis, but in favor of basketball (obviously). I've seen him play basketball close up in person and his footwork is great. What separates him from many 7 footers is a quick first step. He still plays tennis when he can. Would love to see it.
 

Devilito

Legend
I think there is some sort of psychological condition for Americans that deify Basketball and Football athletes. Retardation?
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
I think there is some sort of psychological condition for Americans that deify Basketball and Football athletes. Retardation?

Actually, it's very normal. Those are two of the three most popular sports in the country, and it's players are glorified just like soccer players in Brazil or Europe, Gymnasts and Ping-Pong players in China, or Cricket players in India. If you can't see that, well... you used the word to describe it aptly, I think. :)
 

West Coast Ace

G.O.A.T.
Guys shorter than 5'11 end up lacking just a little bit of oomph on their shots, especially their serve, whereas guys taller than about 6'4 or so always seem to have issues with moving as well as they want to.
Very true. Although 6'4" guys today are more mobile than the Rossets of the 90's. I'd expect the 6'1" optimal height to go up slightly in 50 yrs or so.

Not to mention how clutch MJ would be in GS.
I'm glad you didn't say LJ23... :)
 

joe sch

Legend
I think the hardest part for these tall players are changing directions. Way more changing directions than in Basketball. I think they could be good in tennis but not multi slam winners. Point guards have the best chance to be tennis players obviously.

I would not agree, have you seen Kobe and Jordan change directions ? That is what makes those guys almost impossible to guard one on one. BTW, Steve Nash could have also been a multi-slam champion in tennis.
 

joe sch

Legend
I think there is some sort of psychological condition for Americans that deify Basketball and Football athletes. Retardation?

An unfriendly statement that I hope does not reflect well on you.
Football and basketball are two very different sports !
Americans love those sports, as well as baseball.
The same could be said for real football or "soccer" in the rest of the world, yes ?
 
Last edited:

timpap

New User
those NBA guys dont have the stamina to play 3 or 4 hour matches. Basketball is very different from tennis. In basketball you need explosiveness and fast twich muscle fibers whereas in tennis you need lots of stamina and slow twich muscle fibers.
 

cocolate

Banned
those guys only appear to be so fast because they play against other tall guys...i bet Nadal, Djokovic, Federer change direction faster than those guys.
 
Top