Martina Navratilova: Shut Up

[Bryguy011]

First of all, the premise is wrong. It is not a universal truth that the younger player always loses at the beginning of a match-up. It is true nowadays, because the new generations are simply incapable of overtaking the older champions. But what in fact was often the case in tennis history is that younger players who would become champions would start beating the older players sooner rather than later. Look at how Connors, Becker, Sampras or even Federer came along - immediately beating champions from the past generation. Second of all, the Graf-Seles rivalry until 1993 goes Graf-Graf-Graf-Seles-Seles-Graf-Graf-Seles-Graf-Seles. This suggests an ongoing rivalry with ups and downs, not the "older player beating up the younger player" and the "Seles-becoming-utterly-dominant" scenarios you're describing.

Sorry we disagree Seles had won 8 of the last 11 slams she played ..in the last three years she was dominating the sport and had the edge that's why she was number one in fact I really believe she had a shot at winning Wimbledon in 92 if not for the grunt BS.respectively I hear this argument all the time from Graf fans ( btw maybe you are not a fan don't know) but I agree it was a true rivalry and I am sure grAf would have beat Seles but Seles was the better player numbers don't lie ....my point on the head to head was Monica was 15 when they played three times in 89 when she was barely 100 pounds had no serve and was playing part time so of course Graf was better she was the number one and dominating the sport ...it takes time to develop a game ( even back then) so the wins would come later on against the top players if you are good enough...

 

[Bryguy011]

btw, who was it who led that anti Seles grunting campaign at 1992 Wimbledon? Nearly everybody was in on it of course, people like the Maleevas, Novotna, etc who had all taken some huge beatings from Monica. Not Graf though. I recall she stayed out of it though the reporters kept trying to bait her in interviews. The biggest anti Seles squawker in those days when Seles looked unbeatable at the height of her power after 1992 French happened to be Martina. Seems it wasn't Parche who was the first to stab Monica in the back.

Good point on the 92 Wimbledon and Martina stupid antics ..Graf though did threatened to complain in the final in her post semi conference so she is not exactly blameless

 

[pat200]

i dont blame either, i would do the same if i had someone scream-grunting the other side of the net. seles ushered a new generation of screechers in the game making many wta matches unwatchable (and yes there are many atp matches too but we are talking about wta here)

 

[roger presley]

i dont blame either, i would do the same if i had someone scream-grunting the other side of the net. seles ushered a new generation of screechers in the game making many wta matches unwatchable (and yes there are many atp matches too but we are talking about wta here)

Agree.

 

[the green god]

Hello Bryguy011/julesb.

 

[70後]

Good point on the 92 Wimbledon and Martina stupid antics ..Graf though did threatened to complain in the final in her post semi conference so she is not exactly blameless

You are right. I had forgotten this.

 

[mattosgrant]

The only way Monica was ever winning the 92 Wimbledon final was to pull a Tonya Harding on Graf. That is Monica's only time past the quarters of Wimbledon and in 3 matches combined vs Graf (including 1 exhibition) she managed a total 7 games in 6 sets.

 

[pat200]

which exhibition match are you talking about? it would be interesting to have a thread that lists all the available/known exhibitions that the greats have played against each other and the results of those.

 

[markwillplay]

I guess I am in the minority. I remember watching monica and stephie play and monica had her number. Plain and simple. I could not stand her screeching and hated it when she would beat stephie, but beat her she did. I agree with Martina. No way stephie would have gotten the better of monica in the slams...no way.