What Is Old School Tennis

5

55 Feelin' Alive

New User
During last night's Federer-Meltzer match, Meltzer began to employ (winning) strokes against Fed, such as a forehand slice, and an exaggerated BH tomahawk chop underspin dropper (it's like a cue ball)....and commentators McEnroe both agreed that these strokes/shots were "old school."

I know wkend warrior players in their 50s who play at high intermediate/advanced competitive levels and use the forehand slice to great advantage, and also that exaggereated tomahawk style BH drop underspin shot....these guys are all-court players who play in the inter-club county leagues here in suburban NYC.

So, since I don't have the ear of Johnny or Patrick Mac, please tell what exactly is "old school" about these shots...Meltzer certainly needed to try some different strokes vs. Federer, and "old school" looked like "smart school" for him....is it just that junior tennis players aren't taught forehand slice?

59 Feelin' Fine
Sunny & Warm in Suburban NYC (a great day to be at the Open)
 
55 Feelin' Alive said:
During last night's Federer-Meltzer match, Meltzer began to employ (winning) strokes against Fed, such as a forehand slice, and an exaggerated BH tomahawk chop underspin dropper (it's like a cue ball)....and commentators McEnroe both agreed that these strokes/shots were "old school."

I know wkend warrior players in their 50s who play at high intermediate/advanced competitive levels and use the forehand slice to great advantage, and also that exaggereated tomahawk style BH drop underspin shot....these guys are all-court players who play in the inter-club county leagues here in suburban NYC.

So, since I don't have the ear of Johnny or Patrick Mac, please tell what exactly is "old school" about these shots...Meltzer certainly needed to try some different strokes vs. Federer, and "old school" looked like "smart school" for him....is it just that junior tennis players aren't taught forehand slice?

59 Feelin' Fine
Sunny & Warm in Suburban NYC (a great day to be at the Open)
Click to expand...


I heard the commentary from the Macs as well. What I thought they were refering to was his grip and swing style, not necessarily his shot selection. But I am not intimately familiar with Melzer's grip choice, so I could be wrong.
 
The most extreme versions?

Old school:

Continental grips and all the shots facilitated by that grip (flat and slice), closed stances, serve and volley, chip and charge, etc.

New school: western grip, open stances, baseline bashing with little interest in moving past the service line.
 
I found the comments by both McEnroes pretty confusing and hard to take seriously. Just call them: a quick comment to make on TV without a lot of elaboration or nuance.

1) I wouldn't call Melzer's 2HBH drop shot "old school" at all. Even the 1HBH slice that Fed uses (a fairly exaggerated high to low motion) is not really an old school BH slice. To swing that much from high to low takes incredible ability to time the ball to the contact point, but it make sense since the modern game uses so much topspin.

An old school slice like Rosewall will hit through the ball more and count on the continental grip opening the racquet face enough to impart underspin.

2) A lot of pros use FH slice as a defensive shot to stay in the point. To me, a squash shot is one outgrowth of the modern game, because people's groundies can stretch you out that far.

Using a FH slice as an approach shot is fairly old school. You'll see Federer and Melzer both use it.

In my view both Federer and Melzer use elements of new school tennis and old school tennis. No need to choose between those two approaches.
 
Basically anything that isn't baseline smashing with extreme topspin is "old school."
 
Old school tennis and anything that wasn't taught by an MTM certified pro or God....errr I mean Oscar Wegner himself.


/sarcasm
 
"Old school" is whatever works well for most pros when they, and their opponents, are using traditional-sized, wooden rackets.
 
Using small wooden rackets with natty gut using S&V and chip&charge. Than complaining about kids with their dern Babolats poly string and boring basline bashings. ;)
 
True old school is when a 65-year-old guy who used to play with a wooden racquet now schools you with a 122 sq in Wilson K One (and no, I deny that this ever happened to me).
 
If I can recollect correctly, Billie Jean King was saying how Roger combines old school tennis with modern power .. how he builds the points, etc... so my guess is old school style would mean just that.. to build a point and win it by working the court (not with sheer power)
 
the extremist, fundamentalist version of Old School tennis,

Equipment: Wood racquet, natural gut and a white ball.
Venue: Grasscourt
Attire: very short pants for man and long dress for woman
Grip: Continental on everything
Spin: What spin???
stroke: chip and charge, slice, volley

and Finally, Charge the freaking net ASAP !!!!
 
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the contemporary version of Old School tennis,

Just employ some slice or volley or charge the net or hit flat or a combination of them, then you'll win respect in TT by being old school.
 
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