Vilas v Marks 1978 AO Final

Good Find....really hot and sunny day but the lack of wear at the baseline
meant wrong footed and your movement was screwed....

having said that...that's what happens with so many s@v points.

Didn't realise Vilas came to the net so much...i guess it shows coming to net
in those days of fast and slippery surfaces..was advantageous to stay back.

the other wasn't bad either...decent volleyer but groundies seemed all over
the place....

MUST HAVE HARD PLAYING TENNS WITH PEA SIZED SWEET SPOTS.
 

vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
am i the only one who notice the silly hat or its been discussed somewhere else
i was thinking the same ! ;)
first time i see a pro playing with that kind of "tourist" hat... :rolleyes:
but i still prefer lendl's legionnaire cap !

the point with the tricky net post bounce at 6:55 is really unusual too... cool point !!! :)
does anybody have more clips of such wrong-footing "net post bounces" ?...
 

David_86

Rookie
Thanks for the link. Vilas' tennis is very attractive.

One question. Were the commentators applauding some of Marks' shots? If they were, I think that's a bit unprofessional.
 

pc1

G.O.A.T.
i was thinking the same ! ;)
first time i see a pro playing with that kind of "tourist" hat... :rolleyes:
but i still prefer lendl's legionnaire cap !

the point with the tricky net post bounce at 6:55 is really unusual too... cool point !!! :)
does anybody have more clips of such wrong-footing "net post bounces" ?...

That was a nice and weird point. I know it's highlights but Vilas volleyed better than I remember.
 

gpt

Professional
Vilas served and volleyed the whole tournament. His volleys were very good and he had the best backhand over head smash in tennis at the time.
 

pc1

G.O.A.T.
Vilas served and volleyed the whole tournament. His volleys were very good and he had the best backhand over head smash in tennis at the time.

That backhand overhead was awesome. I forgot about that. Heck the backhand in general was terrific. Vilas had incredible strength.
 

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
first time i see a pro playing with that kind of "tourist" hat...

Laver wore the same hat in '69(hat technology was not as advanced back then...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHaN2h21ANs

this was the infamous match where Laver put wet cabbage under his hat to stay cool(it was over 100 degrees on court that day)

Didn't realise Vilas came to the net so much...i guess it shows coming to net
in those days of fast and slippery surfaces..was advantageous to stay back.

you should check out Lendl's matches at Wimbledon. Guy was consistently serving & volleying on both 1st & 2nd serves there, while he came in like a handful of times the rest of the year.

I'd be curious if there was any player in the 70s that stayed back a lot on grass back then, I doubt it(I have quite a few from that era on tape/dvd)
 
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vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
Laver wore the same hat in '69(hat technology was not as advanced back then...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHaN2h21ANs

this was the infamous match where Laver put wet cabbage under his hat to stay cool(it was over 100 degrees on court that day)
ah, hat technology... probably the next big debate on this forum ! ;)
(danhtuhoc will probably be happy to give his precious point of view on the question...)

so... the gran slam with such a hat... and wet cabbage ??? i'm in shock. :)
 

charaseac

Rookie
ah, hat technology... probably the next big debate on this forum ! ;)
(danhtuhoc will probably be happy to give his precious point of view on the question...)

so... the gran slam with such a hat... and wet cabbage ??? i'm in shock. :)

Ah hat Technology, the next thing you know they will make a hat with built in wet cabbage to keep you cool lol
 

galain

Hall of Fame
Thank you for posting this. Vilas was my very first tennis hero - it was great to see him playing in my home town there.
 

gpt

Professional
I am Australian yet I watched that match so wanting Ashe to win it. The only thing I knew about Marks was that he played doubles with Mark Edmondson. Ashe was well into his 30's and it would have been a great climax to his career. Yes, an Ashe v Vilas final would have been just perfect. Two of my favourite players at the time.
 

vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
I am Australian yet I watched that match so wanting Ashe to win it. The only thing I knew about Marks was that he played doubles with Mark Edmondson. Ashe was well into his 30's and it would have been a great climax to his career. Yes, an Ashe v Vilas final would have been just perfect. Two of my favourite players at the time.
just an off-topic question... what animal is it on your avatar ? :)
at the beginning i thought the yellow part was a platypus beak but i have some doubt now... (probably comes from my platypus obsession !) ;)
 

BTURNER

Legend
I have not seen enough of Vilas. Its always loosing to connors or Borg. Thee was more to him that that. Loved those lobs.
 

suwanee4712

Professional
Thats an awesome video! Marks got hot towards the end of that tournament and probably played a bit over his head. But what a great effort for him to reach the final and then make Vilas earn it.

Kudos to Vilas for his Australian titles. I know the fields weren't the best. But this wasn't his best surface and there was little reason for him to trouble himself to go down there other than to win a prestigious title. So good for him on not skipping the event.

I love the end too when the umpire thanks the ball kids and linesmen. I think that was a tradition they maintained until around 1982 or so. It's very Aussie, which is a great thing.
 

jean pierre

Professional
It's incredible to see Vilas serving and volleying like that. He worked very hard before the Australian Open to learn grass tennis.
 

Rabbit

G.O.A.T.
am i the only one who notice the silly hat or its been discussed somewhere else

The hat is called an Australian Bucket Hat. It was standard equipment through the 60s. Somewhere along the line, the baseball cap replaced it. However, when you don't have the hair you used to and you want to keep you ears and neck from getting sunburned, it's still my headwear of choice. I recently bought a few more, in one of two models, one all terry cloth and on regular cloth. Again, they are great for preventing too much sun on the neck and ears.

Laver wore them all the time.

Vilas won against Connors and Borg many times.

Well I don't know about many, Vilas was 5 - 17 against Borg and 4 - 5 against Connors. Borg was the PF Flyer version of Vilas, i.e. he could run faster, jump higher, hit harder and last longer than Vilas ;)


It's incredible to see Vilas serving and volleying like that. He worked very hard before the Australian Open to learn grass tennis.

The difference then was you played different games by surface. There was more strategy and variety. Vilas was never considered even a good volleyer when compared to the other players of his day. But, when viewing this video, he seems to be a great volleyer. That is the difference between then and now. Vilas was a complete player from a court perspective especially when compared against today's players who play every surface the same, bashing from the baseline. Most folks see highlights of Vilas on clay. And, on clay, he stayed back and kept the ball deep to the corners. Borg didn't invoke all his power on clay preferring to win through attrition. But, both guys could whale on the ball when the surface speed would reward them.

Note in the clips, the wide volley that Marks hit and Vilas running to the next court to retrieve and hit a clean winner down the line. Vilas and his mates were every bit as competitive and capable as today. Vilas also demonstrated unbelievable speed around the court and sliding ability.

I have a DVD of Vilas playing Nastase from the 75 Masters I believe. In the first set, there are no less than a dozen topspin lobs hit by both players. In one point, Vilas retrieves a topspin lob hit by Nastase with a 'tweener. Yes, the trick shot most folks think was invented by Noah and perfected by the current crop. Vilas did it in '75. This particular attempt hit the top of the net, but it was clear this wasn't Vilas' first time to to this. The big difference was that in '75, Vilas was doing it with a Jack Kramer Autograph. I can also remember John McEnroe hitting swinging volleys with wood racquets and Cliff Drysdale calling it a "bolo" volley.
 

Vegito

Hall of Fame
Look at the incident with the John Marks hat at 40:40:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkjihHyky48

vilas_ao78.jpg
 
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kiki

Banned
Those crappy aussies, no matter their name, they knew how to play in grass.Dent,Crealy,Case,Marks,Masters,Warwick,Edmondson,Frawley,Dibley...
 

BobbyOne

G.O.A.T.
Those crappy aussies, no matter their name, they knew how to play in grass.Dent,Crealy,Case,Marks,Masters,Warwick,Edmondson,Frawley,Dibley...

Yes, and a certain Ken Rosewall who reached SFs and QFs in the 1977 AOs and third round at the end of 1978 at 44 (alas, losing to an Austrian...).
 

kiki

Banned
Yes, and a certain Ken Rosewall who reached SFs and QFs in the 1977 AOs and third round at the end of 1978 at 44 (alas, losing to an Austrian...).

¡¡Peter Feigl¡¡¡ I saw him in a DC match rubber against Higueras ( whom he beat) and Orantes ( whom he lost to in 5 sets).Big serve, strong game for indoors.

I mentioned second rate players.There are more; Chris Kachel who beat Ashe at Wimbledon, Brad Drewett, a surfer who made the AO QF in 1979, Paul Kronk who defeated Clerc at 81 Wimbledon and so more.One great on cc was Barry Philips Moore...of course, also John Fitzegerald, who had a great doubs record, like Paul Mc Namee...their grass court density was unbelievable.
 
¡¡Peter Feigl¡¡¡ I saw him in a DC match rubber against Higueras ( whom he beat) and Orantes ( whom he lost to in 5 sets).Big serve, strong game for indoors.

I mentioned second rate players.There are more; Chris Kachel who beat Ashe at Wimbledon, Brad Drewett, a surfer who made the AO QF in 1979, Paul Kronk who defeated Clerc at 81 Wimbledon and so more.One great on cc was Barry Philips Moore...of course, also John Fitzegerald, who had a great doubs record, like Paul Mc Namee...their grass court density was unbelievable.

I hardly think they were "Second rate players".
 

kiki

Banned
I hardly think they were "Second rate players".

Not big stars, but excelelent players nonetheless.

US had also a great cast of non star players like Gullikson,Wilkison,Sadri,Scanlon,Vic Amaya,Teacher,Pfister,Martin,Davis,Mayotte,Buehning,Pate,Anaconne,Sandy Mayer,Dupre and Purcell among others who were really the guys that made the Golden Era of American tennis.Not the Connors or Mc Enroe, those two were the top of the iceberg.
 
Not big stars, but excelelent players nonetheless.

US had also a great cast of non star players like Gullikson,Wilkison,Sadri,Scanlon,Vic Amaya,Teacher,Pfister,Martin,Davis,Mayotte,Buehning,Pate,Anaconne,Sandy Mayer,Dupre and Purcell among others who were really the guys that made the Golden Era of American tennis.Not the Connors or Mc Enroe, those two were the top of the iceberg.

Some very underated players there, Fritz could have been anything !
 

BobbyOne

G.O.A.T.
¡¡Peter Feigl¡¡¡ I saw him in a DC match rubber against Higueras ( whom he beat) and Orantes ( whom he lost to in 5 sets).Big serve, strong game for indoors.

I mentioned second rate players.There are more; Chris Kachel who beat Ashe at Wimbledon, Brad Drewett, a surfer who made the AO QF in 1979, Paul Kronk who defeated Clerc at 81 Wimbledon and so more.One great on cc was Barry Philips Moore...of course, also John Fitzegerald, who had a great doubs record, like Paul Mc Namee...their grass court density was unbelievable.

kiki, Yes those many Australian grass courters...

By his five set win over Rosewall (Muscles won the first two sets by 6-2,6-2) Feigl climbed up to No.35 in ATP computer thus being on a much higher place than Hans Kary had reached who only made it to No.70 if I recall rightly... Those were the two Austrian stars prior to Muster. By the way, Kary once (in 1970) beat Ilie Nastase on clay!
 

kiki

Banned
Kary was a solid cc but had no big weapons.Like czech Frantisek Pala, a guy you had to beat because he wouldn´t beat himself.

I think Feigl´s best season was 79, he won the indoor GP title at Lagos, which was part of the Gran Prix.

I also liked Rolf Ghering (Germany).Beat BB in two sets at the Brussels Indoor in 1981...
 

Vegito

Hall of Fame
Watching the match in YouTube. It´s very interesting and entertaining. You can see Vilas didn´t make a great celebration when he won, it´s because he had promised to God that if he win he was not going to celebrate. He told he consider the celebration an important thing(and he was desiring so much to win) and that not celebrate could detract him fans.
 
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jean pierre

Professional
Watching the match in YouTube. It´s very interesting and entertaining. You can see Vilas didn´t make a great celebration when he won, it´s because he had promised to God that if he win he was not going to celebrate. He told he consider the celebration an important thing(and he was desiring so much to win) and that not celebrate could detract him fans.

I didn't know that. I was surprised to see that he didn't make a great celebration. When he won in 1979, he did it.
 

kiki

Banned
Vilas never played better than in Australia
And never played better there than the 74 Masters
That is the very real peak Vilas
 
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