TTW SURVEY => Since when are you following Tennis with vivid memories and a proper understanding of Tennis ?

[Sudacafan]

What if some of 'em lied

Nothing to worry about. They will have a sanction like Zverev's for the umpire aggression.

 

[crimson87]

Hearing about tennis: Sabatini announcing her retirement at the masters in 1996. I was too young to watch her play in her prime. She retired at 26...

I recall watching news of a young non phat Dave winning orange bowl in 1998.

First match I recall watching was a Davis cup one where Argentina was playing Chile and Rios was world number 1.
But I really got into tennis when Argentina got back in the Davis cup world group after beating Australia in a playoff series. Old Davis cup was the bomb.
Also the 00s being the golden age of Argentine tennis helped quite a bit. Kick-started with Zabaleta in 99 and Squilari getting in RG SF in 2000.

 

[Thriller]

Warning:
The answers to the poll and posts in this thread made by off-guard users may be used to determine their age.
Obviously, this applies for all those who have not made their age public in profiles.

You are welcome any time to join the too old to remember to care club.

 

[Sudacafan]

You are welcome any time to join the too old to remember to care club.

I show I don’t care by declaring in profile, which is a way to avoid forgetting.

 

[David Le]

Started playing tennis in 2000 but didn’t watch tennis till ‘01 when I watched live for the first time at the ‘01 USO (Hewitt, Roddick, Federer, Agassi, Sampras) post prime Agassi was my favorite growing up then came Nadal in ‘05 (saw a glimpse of him in ‘04 but liked AA a tad more then)

 

[stringertom]

I tuned in to see my favorite Saturday morning cartoons when they were preempted by a tennis tournament. Out of curiosity, I stuck with the coverage although I could've changed the channel to watch other cartoons. The first match featured Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris Evert Lloyd, which turned out to be a dud to my untrained eye. (Evert Lloyd made a match of it, taking it to a tiebreak in the second set.) The second match featured Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. It was an overcast July day in 1980, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. After 3 hours and 53 minutes, I became a lifelong tennis fan.

Are you on West Coast? The reason I’m asking is that here on East Coast there was no taped replay of the women’s final played the day before the second ever Breakfast at Wimbledon. The two finals were played on Friday, 4 July and Saturday, 5 July. Taped replay of Evert Lloyd/Cawley was aired after Borg/McEnroe IIRC but I didn’t watch it, having been transfixed and therefore spent by the men’s final. That match finished early afternoon so I was off to the local courts for a hit soon after.

 

[The Green Mile]

Gary Duane, understandably......... and Spencer Gore lol, wonder if anyone still believes he followed tennis back then lol

 

[stringertom]

Gary Duane, understandably......... and Spencer Gore lol, wonder if anyone still believes he followed tennis back then lol

I could have joined them because I did see bits of Laver’s second CYGS matches in 1969. However, I voted myself in the 1970s group because I studied in London from June 1972 to December only six or so underground stops away from Wimbledon. I didn’t watch live but BBC had daily coverage and the very British manager of our hotel turned dormitory always liked company as he watched the matches. IIRC the first time I crossed the lobby near his perch by the telly there was this long haired Romanian entertainer making even the usually sedate Dan Maskell chuckle underneath his breath a time or two. There was a Monday final that year due to rain on Saturday and the still very blue English tradition of no play on Sunday. I watched the entire final of Nastase choking to Stan Smith right next to Mr. Michael Garrard.

That 1972 experience was before I played but it propelled me towards the game a few years later when discretionary income was available. I had moved to the NYC metro area and bought my first racquet and sneakers (started with wood, soon on to Head Ashe and Vilas sticks; Adidas Nastase kicks). I also lived close enough to Forest Hills to make an easy drive for evening sessions. I did that in 1976 and 1977 before becoming a regular attendee when USO moved to Flushing.

Favorite players of the era were Nastase then Ashe, Borg and Vilas. My court rat friends labeled me a traitor for not preferring Connors and then JMac. Sorry, their personalities weren’t my cup of tea. Even Nastase wore on me after he started emulating Connors, moving from happy clown to mean jerk.

 

[intrepidish]

I could have joined them because I did see bits of Laver’s second CYGS matches in 1969. However, I voted myself in the 1970s group because I studied in London from June 1972 to December only six or so underground stops away from Wimbledon. I didn’t watch live but BBC had daily coverage and the very British manager of our hotel turned dormitory always liked company as he watched the matches. IIRC the first time I crossed the lobby near his perch by the telly there was this long haired Romanian entertainer making even the usually sedate Dan Maskell chuckle underneath his breath a time or two. There was a Monday final that year due to rain on Saturday and the still very blue English tradition of no play on Sunday. I watched the entire final of Nastase choking to Stan Smith right next to Mr. Michael Garrard.

That 1972 experience was before I played but it propelled me towards the game a few years later when discretionary income was available. I had moved to the NYC metro area and bought my first racquet and sneakers (started with wood, soon on to Head Ashe and Vilas sticks; Adidas Nastase kicks). I also lived close enough to Forest Hills to make an easy drive for evening sessions. I did that in 1976 and 1977 before becoming a regular attendee when USO moved to Flushing.

Favorite players of the era were Nastase then Ashe, Borg and Vilas. My court rat friends labeled me a traitor for not preferring Connors and then JMac. Sorry, their personalities weren’t my cup of tea. Even Nastase wore on me after he started emulating Connors, moving from happy clown to mean jerk.

I started watching in the 70s (a bit later than you) but my memory isn't perfect and there's very little information online. Do you recall what was actually televised from the tennis season in the 70s i.e. which tournaments and which rounds etc.?

Same question for anyone else who was watching back then too, in whichever country.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

Gary Duane, understandably......... and Spencer Gore lol, wonder if anyone still believes he followed tennis back then lol

... or even nowadays

 

[stringertom]

I started watching in the 70s (a bit later than you) but my memory isn't perfect and there's very little information online. Do you recall what was actually televised from the tennis season in the 70s i.e. which tournaments and which rounds etc.?

Same question for anyone else who was watching back then too, in whichever country.

NBC always had both RG and Wimbledon in the 70s but everything was taped due to the time zone differences. Weekends only.

CBS carried USO from even before I started watching. Again? Weekends only but live here on the East Coast.

Strangely enough, I spent more hours watching the made-for-TV exhibition matches that Bill Riordan arranged for his client Connors during the winters in the mid-70s. Almost always from Las Vegas.

I don’t remember who had WCT big matches like their finals in Dallas. Likewise, I’m not sure who televised the MSG based Nabisco Finals.

 

[stringertom]

... or even nowadays

He does this now only to make us feel superior in some way.

 

[intrepidish]

NBC always had both RG and Wimbledon in the 70s but everything was taped due to the time zone differences. Weekends only.

CBS carried USO from even before I started watching. Again? Weekends only but live here on the East Coast.

Strangely enough, I spent more hours watching the made-for-TV exhibition matches that Bill Riordan arranged for his client Connors during the winters in the mid-70s. Almost always from Las Vegas.

I don’t remember who had WCT big matches like their finals in Dallas. Likewise, I’m not sure who televised the MSG based Nabisco Finals.

I recall those exhibition matches vaguely as well. There certainly wasn't much done to convey the sense of an actual tour to the public in those days such that it was very distinguishable from whichever random exhibition popped up and sometimes got on the air.

It's incredible how different coverage is today. I don't think it's possible to convey what it was like to occasionally see tennis scores reported in a major daily newspaper if one saw anything at all...

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Started watching in the late 80's, understood the game much more though in the early 90's when I started playing. Loved it even more in the late 90's when there were Aussies like Rafter, Philippousis and later Hewitt doing well.

 

[stringertom]

I recall those exhibition matches vaguely as well. There certainly wasn't much done to convey the sense of an actual tour to the public in those days such that it was very distinguishable from whichever random exhibition popped up and sometimes got on the air.

It's incredible how different coverage is today. I don't think it's possible to convey what it was like to occasionally see tennis scores reported in a major daily newspaper if one saw anything at all...

Yeah, I think I actually attended more WCT matches than I saw on TV. I played hooky from work a few times and drove down to Philly from NYC for the WCT US Pro Indoor tournament. There was also a stop on their tour at a private club about 5 miles away from my parents’ house in Orlando. On vacation one year I haunted that tournament, even managed to convince my non-athletic mom to come and watch one day. Good field too: ancient Rocket beat baby Gerulaitis in the final.

 

[intrepidish]

Yeah, I think I actually attended more WCT matches than I saw on TV. I played hooky from work a few times and drove down to Philly from NYC for the WCT US Pro Indoor tournament. There was also a stop on their tour at a private club about 5 miles away from my parents’ house in Orlando. On vacation one year I haunted that tournament, even managed to convince my non-athletic mom to come and watch one day. Good field too: ancient Rocket beat baby Gerulaitis in the final.

Great stories! There was something magical about those days. I remember not really having much of an overview of what was happening, just catching a match here and there and occasionally seeing something at the Garden.

 

[stringertom]

Great stories! There was something magical about those days. I remember not really having much of an overview of what was happening, just catching a match here and there and occasionally seeing something at the Garden.

A bit later I began sharing an apartment on Long Island with a guy who tinkered in teaching tennis and went all in when his pro moved to FL, leaving the indoor court building on the Phipps estate empty. He was nominated by his pro to take it over. One of his first tasks was to buy and install the rubberized carpet used at MSG for the Nabisco Championship. Very soft on the feet, very quick and a low bounce when installed over the wood plank flooring. It only took a few matches to find all the dead spots from a softer board that needed replacement, always put off until the summer when our play moved outdoors.

 

[ultimathule]

Are you on West Coast? The reason I’m asking is that here on East Coast there was no taped replay of the women’s final played the day before the second ever Breakfast at Wimbledon. The two finals were played on Friday, 4 July and Saturday, 5 July. Taped replay of Evert Lloyd/Cawley was aired after Borg/McEnroe IIRC but I didn’t watch it, having been transfixed and therefore spent by the men’s final. That match finished early afternoon so I was off to the local courts for a hit soon after.

East. I guess I watched the taped ladies' final after the gentlemen's final. I just don't remember. I do remember watching them on the same day, however.

 

[stringertom]

East. I guess I watched the taped ladies' final after the gentlemen's final. I just don't remember. I do remember watching them on the same day, however.

Must be. The women’s final only moved to Saturday when the blue law vs Sunday play was dropped in 1982 and the men switched to the Lord’s Day. That allowed NBC to have back-to-back Breakfast at Wimbledon broadcasts over the weekend.

 

[The Big Foe fan]

Seeing Kramer straight-set Brown in the Wimbledon 1947 final made me a tennis fan.

Bruh

 

[skaj]

Half of the posters here still don't have a proper understanding of tennis.

 

[adil1972]

1988 to be exact