Rosewall: "The Australian Championships was still a difficult tournament to win...."

[DMP]

DMP, Thanks. I agree to a great part. Yes, tennis has changed a lot. I still claim that most of the current very fast game is owed to modern technology.

I would say all of the modern game is due to technology

Nevertheless many people including me are trying to make all-time rankings.

I only would contradict a bit that amateur tennis in the 1960s was highly significant. I do know that the organizers of the Slam tournaments eagerly wanted to get Laver and Rosewall which means open tennis ("butter instead of margarine").

I think by the end of the 60s both sides wanted an agreement. The pro circuit wasn't in the best of health. There was little new blood because the top amateurs were getting by nicely with 'shamateur' payments. Change was in the air. In the early 60s the pro game was much healthier, especially with Laver joining them. By the end it was looking a bit tired and the excitement was transferring to the amateur game.

 

[treblings]

first of all, Ken Rosewall is amongst the best of the best in the history of our sport. saying otherwise isn´t even funny
he made a decision to turn professional because he wanted to earn an honest living playing the sport that he loved. as a consequence he, and others, missed out on many opportunities to win amateur majors.
he reached two wimbledon finals as a youngster and two more as a senior.
that is a clear indication, that he was very well suited to play on wimbledon grass. it is quite obvious, that he would have won more than once.

the ITHOF shouldn´t be about popularity but about contribution to the sport,
and about remembering the greats of our past.

the history of pro tennis before the open era is fascinating, because it isn´t as well known as it´s amateur counterpart. and therefore harder to judge

thankfully we have some posters here who know a lot about that era and are willing to share

 

[TomT]

I have to agree with those who put Rosewall among the greatest tennis players of all time. Like right up there with Laver. According to knowledgeable tennis pundits Rosewall was the best player in the world in 1961, 1962, and 1963. There were eight other years when he either shared the no. 1 status or was considered the world no. 2 player.

That, and his tournament record, and the length of his career and his status as a top 10 player for most of that career, should qualify him as at least top 10 goat.

He didn't win Wimbledon, but there are guys who won Wimbledon who were never considered the world's best tennis player. For example, Roy Emerson, who had a great amateur career, but was never, in any year, the best tennis player in the world.