tom-selleck
Professional
hi, haven't posted here for a long time.
was talking to someone today who's child is really interested in tennis and a very good player....... 12 years old.
anyway, mentioned nick bollettieri and his legacy... and the father had never heard of him. he was from eastern european country so i wouldn't have expected him to have heard of Nick.
i described Nick as having trained many top players, that he had his academy before there were many competing programs around the world and i think before the worldwide explosion in tennis (ironically, the worldwide explosion corresponded with massive relative decline in USA/UK/Australia tennis success)..... Nick covered many years so someone could certainly describe that differently. and neither or us would be wrong.
i have a few questions,
1) i said NB stressed "big serve and hit big forehand as first next shot" and he is associated with it. i called it "first strike" tennis............ isn't that strategy sort of obvious? and only applicable if you can actually do it. i associate NB with Agassi, Courier, Sharapova, Roddick. am i forgetting other big names?.... of those 4, Roddick was definitely "first strike" tennis. and MS did it in the women's game (far less "big serve"-oriented)... i will note that game has changed where the points are much longer, esp. mens side.
2) i actually mentioned it in question #1 but what players beyond those 4 was NB associated with?
3) do people agree that JC and AA didn't really play "first strike" tennis?
4) is it merited that NB is associated with the strategy of "first strike" tennis?
thanks in advance.......... any other reflections on NB would be greatly appreciated.. i get the sense as time went on and there was much more competition that NB Academy focussed more on getting players college scholarships, which was fantastic.
was talking to someone today who's child is really interested in tennis and a very good player....... 12 years old.
anyway, mentioned nick bollettieri and his legacy... and the father had never heard of him. he was from eastern european country so i wouldn't have expected him to have heard of Nick.
i described Nick as having trained many top players, that he had his academy before there were many competing programs around the world and i think before the worldwide explosion in tennis (ironically, the worldwide explosion corresponded with massive relative decline in USA/UK/Australia tennis success)..... Nick covered many years so someone could certainly describe that differently. and neither or us would be wrong.
i have a few questions,
1) i said NB stressed "big serve and hit big forehand as first next shot" and he is associated with it. i called it "first strike" tennis............ isn't that strategy sort of obvious? and only applicable if you can actually do it. i associate NB with Agassi, Courier, Sharapova, Roddick. am i forgetting other big names?.... of those 4, Roddick was definitely "first strike" tennis. and MS did it in the women's game (far less "big serve"-oriented)... i will note that game has changed where the points are much longer, esp. mens side.
2) i actually mentioned it in question #1 but what players beyond those 4 was NB associated with?
3) do people agree that JC and AA didn't really play "first strike" tennis?
4) is it merited that NB is associated with the strategy of "first strike" tennis?
thanks in advance.......... any other reflections on NB would be greatly appreciated.. i get the sense as time went on and there was much more competition that NB Academy focussed more on getting players college scholarships, which was fantastic.