In the case of Isner and Opelka, I definitely agree, although Isner never got to the very top (other than his height) and we'll see about Opelka.
I have seen him live 2 years ago. Im 6'4.5 and i edged him by 1" im sure.
I am starting to think maybe Nadal was right and that we will need some kind of a rule change to stop this development. But I don't think raising net height or whatever he was thinking years and years ago would work. The tour has been slowing down the surfaces for a couple of decades in pursuit of longer rallies and this has not had an effect on this average height increase development either. A higher net would possibly hurt the short guys more, if anything. The biggest thing seems to be simply that power is just easier to generate for the tall players (on all shots) and nowadays they move well enough that it's harder to negate that advantage in other areas.
It reminds me of conversations years ago about raising the height of the basket (hoops) from 10 feet to ____(whatever). My immediate thought was that this would only help the taller players. The dynamics are different in tennis, though raising the net would probably just benefit the taller guys.
They have to reduce the power and spin the racquets can generate. Limit the head size (and thus the sweet spot) and ban poly. Bring back tennis as a game for all.
He looks like a scary lumberjack
this reminds me of the final scene of "Dexter"
He’s returning in a few months!
The way even declined big 3 can still dominate this tall generation of players while being under 6'3 indicates the height is not necessarily the issue. It probably has more to do with the way young players are being trained and taught.
I said last year that Thiem (at 6’0” flat) will likely be the shortest Slam winner for a long time.
had heard that might be possible, is this definite??
Yes, it returns on Showtime on 7 November
Casper Ruud is listed at 6’0” even.
