Players' Height

[zorg]

I asked this before on a different part of the forum, but I think I will ask this here and see what you guys think.

Almost all of the pro players are tall (I consider tall 6 feet + since the average height is 5'10", and that means a 6 foot person is taler than about 83% of the population). But, why are the tall? Is it a Darwinian survival of the fittest thing, in that you have to be tall to be one of the best in the world, so only the tall people make it? Or, is it that growing up playing tennis for 5 hours or so a day actually helps your body grow 2-3 inches more or so.

It can't all be genetics. That doesn't make sense since most pros are over 6 feet. Federer, for example, is about 7 inches taller than his father...

 

[Legend of Borg]

Only tall players make it? What about the Rochus brothers? Davydenko? Dabul? And by bringing the Darwinian theory into this, are you suggesting that the only people in this world who succeed are tall? If I were considered short in today's society, I would be pretty offended by your thread. Sorry to sound so condescending.

 

[ChopShot]

I asked this before on a different part of the forum, but I think I will ask this here and see what you guys think.

Almost all of the pro players are tall (I consider tall 6 feet + since the average height is 5'10", and that means a 6 foot person is taler than about 83% of the population). But, why are the tall? Is it a Darwinian survival of the fittest thing, in that you have to be tall to be one of the best in the world, so only the tall people make it? Or, is it that growing up playing tennis for 5 hours or so a day actually helps your body grow 2-3 inches more or so.

It can't all be genetics. That doesn't make sense since most pros are over 6 feet. Federer, for example, is about 7 inches taller than his father...

Well, the whole average height thing isn't a global uniform. The average height in Denmark, for example, where I live, is at least 6'1 for Fed's generation, and more like 6'2-3 for my generation (early 1990's). I'm guessing the average height in America, for example, is somewhat lower than in Europe.
I also think around 6'1 is where you find the best balance between footwork and serve angles. If you look at a player like Del Po, his greatest strength besides his forehand is his footwork despite his height.

 

[zorg]

Only tall players make it? What about the Rochus brothers? Davydenko? Dabul? And by bringing the Darwinian theory into this, are you suggesting that the only people in this world who succeed are tall? If I were considered short in today's society, I would be pretty offended by your thread. Sorry to sound so condescending.

Yes we can of course name exceptions. I can give you a couple basketball players that were 5'6" too, but that doesn't mean anything. They are just exceptions. And, I don't think I said anything at all about succeeding in the world, just in professional tennis...

 

[Legend of Borg]

Yes we can of course name exceptions. I can give you a couple basketball players that were 5'6" too, but that doesn't mean anything. They are just exceptions. And, I don't think I said anything at all about succeeding in the world, just in professional tennis...

A couple of days ago, a Bulgarian commentator made an interesting analysis. He claimed that players under 6 foot 1 could achieve no lasting success in tennis because of their lack of power. I do agree that height gives a player more power which is advantageous in tennis, but we can always name exception like you just mentioned.

 

[Winky]

Almost all of the pro players are tall (I consider tall 6 feet + since the average height is 5'10", and that means a 6 foot person is taler than about 83% of the population). But, why are the tall? I

Modern sports demand power and leverage, and taller people have the advantage there. There have been lots of posts on this topic, and some people refuse to believe that tall people have an advantage, but in reality they do. If you took the average height of the top 100 pros, I'll bet $1000 that it would be greater than the average male height the world over, and not just a tiny bit greater, but significantly.

Every modern major sport I can think of demands power and leverage and that's generated by height (assuming all other things like muscle mass and flexibility being equal.) The only one where height works to your DISadvantage is horse-racing. You're not going to see a lot of 6' jockeys out there. In fact, you won't see one.

 

[Legend of Borg]

Now I do believe that the intense exercise and strict nutrition habits of the pros play a bigger impact on their height than people suspect. Most (not all) young people from 14 up to their early twenties don't have many habits which would encourage height growth. Habits such as partying late, smoking, and bad nutrition all play their role in stunting growth and preventing the maximum height potential from being achieved. This is my partial explanation of the pros' height.

 

[ledwix]

Physically, it makes perfect sense that a player at or above 6'1 has a better chance of high performance in tennis than a player below 6'1. I'm not sure where the cut-off is, but somewhere around 6'1 or 6'2 is when your serve speed becomes virtually unlimited because you have the ability to hit down on the ball. So really, you want to be as tall as possible without losing the ability to get low on volleys or switch directions well. I think it is mostly a natural selective thing, and I am not offended or afraid to admit it as a below average height person.