If you could go back in time and change tennis history...

[vive le beau jeu !]

- edberg vs chang, RG 1989 (but i'd like to give another slam to chang)
- ivanisevic vs agassi, W 1992 (but the bad thing that we wouldn't have the amazing W 2001 story !)
- some recent RG results, but for that i'd rather send a T-1000 in the late 80's ("nadal o'connor ?")

 

[zagor]

- some recent RG results, but for that i'd rather send a T-1000 in the late 80's ("nadal o'connor ?")

LOL! You're just hilarious,keep up the good work.

 

[Dilettante]

Prevent Gunther Parche from stabbing Monica Seles and ruining her career. Who knows what she could have done if she was healthy?

The only legitimate "what if" that I'm able to think of.

 

[VikingSamurai]

They have to mow it real short, it gets beat up easily, and you have to water it. It's just not easy to keep up. It would be nice if they did but I don't see that happening.

You didn't answer my question?

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Are we arguing about grass being too hard to keep up? Clay isn't too easy either. You have to get multiple layers of stone, then get red brick, crush it, press the stuff. Put in the lines. Water the clay, and continue pressing and watering for the rest of the surface's life!

 

[Deleted member 22147]

Safin not to have got injured in 2003 which could have been a huge year, and not to have got injured in 2005.

 

[TennisLover17]

I'd let Pete get the win over Fed at Wimby

 

[dh003i]

It is fast. I guess since Nadal does well, everyone has to complain about the speed if it's not clay. Pathetic imo. I don't understand why Nadal has so many haters.

It is slower than it was, and lower bouncing. That is the problem. And it is indisputable; you can see the same players who used to come in a lot -- ahem, Federer -- now staying at the baseline much more. I think Fed came in more at the '07 AO than any Wimbledon since '03.

But if I could change something, well there's the Seles stabbing incident. Beyond that, I'd keep the grass fast and low-bouncing. And I'd have kept it to the rules where if a player can't play, he forfeits the match. And I would've had Connors and especially McEnroe penalized time and time and time again for their obnoxious behavior on the court. They have contributed to the lowering of standards, and the lowering of class, in tennis.

Basketball players get ejected and called on technicals for cursing and yelling at the officials; football players get penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Why the heck not tennis players?

 

[8PAQ]

I would have Nadal play Federer in 2004 AO instead of Hewitt. Fed would easily win because he was in great form and Nadal wasn't that great yet. Then I would change the draw in 2004 Miami so that sick Fed doesn't play Nadal and lose miserably there. Hopefully starting their rivalry with a straight set loss in a Slam for Nadal would remove the mental advantage Nadal seem to have.

 

[dh003i]

I would have Nadal play Federer in 2004 AO instead of Hewitt. Fed would easily win because he was in great form and Nadal wasn't that great yet. Then I would change the draw in 2004 Miami so that sick Fed doesn't play Nadal and lose miserably there. Hopefully starting their rivalry with a straight set loss in a Slam for Nadal would remove the mental advantage Nadal seem to have.

I'm really surprised how "outcome-oriented" most people are, and not "rule-oriented". Imo, it's really horrible. You want to change something, it should be for the better of the game, not for your favorite player winning; and no, any particular player winning or losing isn't for the better of the sport.

 

[gj011]

Two words: Monika Seles.

 

[lambielspins]

I would have Rubin make that easy volley at 30-30 in the Australian Open semis with Monica Seles. She would have won that title by crushing Huber in an easy final, and what a different career she might have had with that confidence.

 

[superman1]

I think each generation learns from the mistakes of the generations before, and it's gotten to the point where everyone does everything perfectly nowadays. That's why the game has gotten a little more boring. It's all about Slam totals now and prestige and getting your name into the history books, whereas before it was probably a little bit more about prize money, which makes for a grittier field. Back then they'd just jump over the net and shake hands after winning a Slam, now they fall down and cry and there's so much drama. Maybe blame Agassi for a little of that.