Would Stosur be nearly as good without all the technology?

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Watching Stosur play, it became painfully obvious to me that her entire game is based upon taking full advantage of all the modern racquet and string technology available to her. The amount of kick and spin she gets on her serves and forehands is ridiculous. It's like watching a Babolat racquet and poly strings play tennis and not a human being play. She couldn't come anywhere close to playing like that with a wood racquet and gut strings.

If they could ban spaghetti strings back in the 70's, why can't they ban these modern racquets and strings that are distorting the sport of tennis and making natural tennis talent less important than the ability to maximize the use of all this modern equipment? So instead of determining who the best marksman is, it's like seeing who's better at using the biggest and most powerful laser-guided rifle.

As far as I'm concerned, Federer is the only top player that uses a "legitimate" racquet. His racquet is based on 30 year-old technology and is the closest in weight and size to a wood racquet. Everyone else is using modern technology to substitute or enhance their lack of natural tennis talent, and to me, that's just not fair and is like cheating. I mean, they don't let boxers use brass knuckles, do they?
 
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Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
Watching Stosur play, it became painfully obvious to me that her entire game is based upon taking full advantage of all the modern racquet and string technology available to her. The amount of kick and spin she gets on her serves and forehands is ridiculous. It's like watching a Babolat racquet and poly strings play tennis and not a human being play. She couldn't come anywhere close to playing like that with a wood racquet and gut strings.

If they could ban spaghetti strings back in the 70's, why can't they ban these modern racquets and strings that are distorting the sport of tennis and making natural tennis talent less important than the ability to maximize the use of all this modern equipment? So instead of determining who the best marksman is, it's like seeing who's better at using the biggest and most powerful rifle.

As far as I'm concerned, Federer is the only top player that uses a "legitimate" racquet. His racquet is based on 30 year-old technology and is the closest in weight and size to a wood racquet. Everyone else is using modern technology to substitute or enhance their lack of natural tennis talent, and to me, that's just not fair and is like cheating. I mean, they don't let boxers use brass knuckles, do they?

You can not be more wrong.
 

Ambivalent

Hall of Fame
Can't do it. Baseball bans aluminum bats, but its not like everyone else is forced to use wood whilst a select few get to use babolats. Anyone can use anything, and its up to them to take advantage of what's there.
 
I don't see how you can compete any better now without natural tennis talent than before... it may just be that that the exact talent set needed for tennis may be a bit different now... but I'm guessing not that much.


I do agree though, about making equipment less hitech, but that is a personal preference.
 

Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
You can not be more wrong.

Her sucess with her serve and forehand is because of the combination of good technic, physical strength and hardwork. Much less to do with modern technology.

It's the player not equipement.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Can't do it. Baseball bans aluminum bats, but its not like everyone else is forced to use wood whilst a select few get to use babolats. Anyone can use anything, and its up to them to take advantage of what's there.
That's the problem. Pro baseball forces everyone to use wood (and probably soon little league, high school, and college baseball, too), so why not tennis?

Tennis is supposed to be mano-a-mano, not equipment vs. equipment.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
You can not be more wrong.

Her sucess with her serve and forehand is because of the combination of good technic, physical strength and hardwork. Much less to do with modern technology.

It's the player not equipement.
Then why doesn't Stosur use a wood racquet and gut strings if she can do exactly the same thing regardless of her equipment? The answer is that she couldn't come anywhere close to doing what she can do with her Babolat and poly strings.
 

Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
So you've seen Stosur play with a wood racquet and gut strings? Was she able to get the same amount of spin and kick on her serves and forehands?

Even Roger Federer would need a bit of time to adjust to wood racquet. Again, its the player not equipment.

Stosur's game is quite different to Nadal (in fact her forehand has shadows of Fed's forehand) if that's what you are getting at.

Stosur beating Henin is completely different to Nadal beating Federer on clay.
 

Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
Then why doesn't Stosur use a wood racquet and gut strings if she can do exactly the same thing regardless of her equipment? The answer is that she couldn't come anywhere close to doing what she can do with her Babolat and poly strings.

why doesn't Henin use a wood racquet and gut strings if she can do exactly the same thing regardless of her equipment? The answer is that she couldn't come anywhere close to doing what she can do with her modern wilson and modern strings.
 

tuk

Rookie
LOL......are you for real????
Everyone has access to the same technology....a player with more "natural tennis talent" :) should be able to use the technology to his advantege as well...
you seem a little bitter...did some guy with less "natural tennis talent" and a fancy racket beat you and your wooden racket???
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Even Roger Federer would need a bit of time to adjust to wood racquet. Again, its the player not equipment.

Stosur's game is quite different to Nadal (in fact her forehand has shadows of Fed's forehand) if that's what you are getting at.

Stosur beating Henin is completely different to Nadal beating Federer on clay.
Federer would need a day to adjust to a wood racquet. It would take Stosur the rest of her career to adjust and even then she would not be nearly the same level player she is now.

What I saw was Stosur hitting huge high bouncing kick serves and topspin forehands to Henin's one-handed backhand, and Henin is only 5' 5".
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
why doesn't Henin use a wood racquet and gut strings if she can do exactly the same thing regardless of her equipment? The answer is that she couldn't come anywhere close to doing what she can do with her modern wilson and modern strings.
Henin would come closer than Stosur. And, yes, EVERYONE should switch to a wood racquet.
 
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BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
LOL......are you for real????
Everyone has access to the same technology....a player with more "natural tennis talent" :) should be able to use the technology to his advantege as well...
you seem a little bitter...did some guy with less "natural tennis talent" and a fancy racket beat you and your wooden racket???
They don't let Olympic fencers bring a rifle to a dual, do they, even though they have "access to the technology"?
 

Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
Federer would need a day to adjust to a wood racquet. It would take Stosur the rest of her career to adjust and even then she would not be nearly the same level player she is now.

What I saw was Stosur hitting huge high bouncing kick serves and topspin forehands to Henin's one-handed backhand, and Henin is only 5' 5".

No, Federer would need a bit more time than one day in order to play at the same level (if thats even possible). Stosur would certainly be able to adjust given time, just look at her.

Whatever Stosur is gaining from modern technology, it's the same for Henin. And Stosur is only 5'8.
 
D

Deleted member 22147

Guest
What are you on about? Everybody can use whatever they want, so she has no unfair advantage, no need for anybody to use a wooden racket, you're not right in the head.
 

fed_rulz

Hall of Fame
Watching Stosur play, it became painfully obvious to me that her entire game is based upon taking full advantage of all the modern racquet and string technology available to her. The amount of kick and spin she gets on her serves and forehands is ridiculous. It's like watching a Babolat racquet and poly strings play tennis and not a human being play. She couldn't come anywhere close to playing like that with a wood racquet and gut strings.

If they could ban spaghetti strings back in the 70's, why can't they ban these modern racquets and strings that are distorting the sport of tennis and making natural tennis talent less important than the ability to maximize the use of all this modern equipment? So instead of determining who the best marksman is, it's like seeing who's better at using the biggest and most powerful laser-guided rifle.

As far as I'm concerned, Federer is the only top player that uses a "legitimate" racquet. His racquet is based on 30 year-old technology and is the closest in weight and size to a wood racquet. Everyone else is using modern technology to substitute or enhance their lack of natural tennis talent, and to me, that's just not fair and is like cheating. I mean, they don't let boxers use brass knuckles, do they?

And by "natural tennis talent", do you mean moonballing? Yeah, I agree, Stosur is not built for that.

I don't get the need to constantly berate today's tennis and players, in comparison to the past. What is the need to use wood racquets?
 

jmverdugo

Hall of Fame
As far as I know she uses a graphite racquet just as everyone else, including Federer. All racquets are based on a 30 years old technology. So the answer to the question is No, but neither she nor anyone else would be playing the way thay are playing these days, so I do not think you have an argument there. And I do not see how this new technology is puting talent out of the equation, if this would be the case most of us would be pros...
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
No, Federer would need a bit more time than one day in order to play at the same level (if thats even possible). Stosur would certainly be able to adjust given time, just look at her.

Whatever Stosur is gaining from modern technology, it's the same for Henin. And Stosur is only 5'8.
Does Stosur hit a one-handed backhand? Is it easier to handle a high kicking/bouncing ball above your shoulder with a one-handed or a two-handed backhand?

Stosur would have to change her game completely because she couldn't generate the same amount of kick/spin with a wood racquet and gut strings no matter how long and hard she tried.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
What are you on about? Everybody can use whatever they want, so she has no unfair advantage, no need for anybody to use a wooden racket, you're not right in the head.
Therein lies the problem. Most sports have strict rules on equipment. not so with tennis.

Swimming just banned those high-tech full body swimsuits and rightly so. Tennis needs to do the same thing as it's getting pretty ridiculous.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
And by "natural tennis talent", do you mean moonballing? Yeah, I agree, Stosur is not built for that.

I don't get the need to constantly berate today's tennis and players, in comparison to the past. What is the need to use wood racquets?
For the same reason they still use wood bats in pro baseball. We shouldn't allow the equipment to supercede the people in sports.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
They don't let Olympic fencers bring a rifle to a dual, do they, even though they have "access to the technology"?

If the OP's underlying point is that tennis may be more entertaining to watch if we never left the wooden racket era then I'd say the point is at least debatable. If he/she is really serious in suggesting that Stosur benefits inordinately from modern technology then I couldn't disagree more. Everyone has access to the same technology. This is not the case of one Olympic fencer having a rapier and the other having a rifle.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
If the OP's underlying point is that tennis may be more entertaining to watch if we never left the wooden racket era then I'd say the point is at least debatable. If he/she is really serious in suggesting that Stosur benefits inordinately from modern technology then I couldn't disagree more. Everyone has access to the same technology. This is not the case of one Olympic fencer having a rapier and the other having a rifle.
So what if both fencers brought rifles since they both have access to the technology? Would it still be fencing? That's the point. There shouldn't be access to the technology because it makes it a different sport.
 

tuk

Rookie
They don't let Olympic fencers bring a rifle to a dual, do they, even though they have "access to the technology"?
:neutral:.....hmmm......what a heck are you talking about?????. Olympic what??? weren't you talking about tennis??:neutral: Are you implying that this player you were talking about is using some sort of racket or strings that no one else is allowed to bring into the court??? :confused:
 

cucio

Legend
Everyone should play with wooden racquets, a one handed backhand and not hit to the opponent's backhand side more than 25% of the shots. Then we would see the real talented players collect their rightful share of slams.
 

Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
Does Stosur hit a one-handed backhand? Is it easier to handle a high kicking/bouncing ball above your shoulder with a one-handed or a two-handed backhand?

Stosur would have to change her game completely because she couldn't generate the same amount of kick/spin with a wood racquet and gut strings no matter how long and hard she tried.

I really don't see the point of this thread. Bashing Stosur or modern technology?

It seems you are just mad that Stosur beat Henin. Why don't you make a thread evertime she lost to a double hander, Cljisters, Serena...?
 

fed_rulz

Hall of Fame
For the same reason they still use wood bats in pro baseball. We shouldn't allow the equipment to supercede the people in sports.

and what makes them right and the tennis folks wrong? tennis is much more of an international sport than Baseball; perhaps it's the baseball folks that should take a leaf out of the tennis book?
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
and what makes them right and the tennis folks wrong? tennis is much more of an international sport than Baseball; perhaps it's the baseball folks that should take a leaf out of the tennis book?
Because baseball is smart enough to not allow technology to determine how far and hard a player is able to hit a baseball. Sadly, tennis doesn't have that restraint so now it's becoming more about the technology than the player's natural ability to hit a tennis ball.
 

himynameisNIKE

Professional
Because baseball is smart enough to not allow technology to determine how far and hard a player is able to hit a baseball. Sadly, tennis doesn't have that restraint so now it's becoming more about the technology than the player's natural ability to hit a tennis ball.

your making yourself look like an idiot. just stop now. :)
 

himynameisNIKE

Professional
Technology allows Stosur to produce an unnatural amount of kick and spin on her serves and forehands. It takes a lot of technology to do that. It's not natural.

right. its not her technique. AT ALL. it has 100% nothing to do with her large amount of racquet head speed.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
right. its not her technique. AT ALL. it has 100% nothing to do with her large amount of racquet head speed.
That's the point. She couldn't generate that kind of racquet head speed with a heavy 14 oz. wood racquet, nor would the 18x20 string pattern in a tiny 65 sq. in. head allow her to brush up on the ball enough to get anywhere near that amount of spin. And that's not even mentioning the poly strings which add even more spin.
 

Fedace

Banned
Watching Stosur play, it became painfully obvious to me that her entire game is based upon taking full advantage of all the modern racquet and string technology available to her. The amount of kick and spin she gets on her serves and forehands is ridiculous. It's like watching a Babolat racquet and poly strings play tennis and not a human being play. She couldn't come anywhere close to playing like that with a wood racquet and gut strings.

If they could ban spaghetti strings back in the 70's, why can't they ban these modern racquets and strings that are distorting the sport of tennis and making natural tennis talent less important than the ability to maximize the use of all this modern equipment? So instead of determining who the best marksman is, it's like seeing who's better at using the biggest and most powerful laser-guided rifle.

As far as I'm concerned, Federer is the only top player that uses a "legitimate" racquet. His racquet is based on 30 year-old technology and is the closest in weight and size to a wood racquet. Everyone else is using modern technology to substitute or enhance their lack of natural tennis talent, and to me, that's just not fair and is like cheating. I mean, they don't let boxers use brass knuckles, do they?

NO way. Sampras and Federer rackets are still pretty powerful. Lower powered compared to Pure drive roddick but still pretty powerful. I can get real nice Zip on my serve with sampras racket. i couldn't do that with Wood rackets.
 

fed_rulz

Hall of Fame
Because baseball is smart enough to not allow technology to determine how far and hard a player is able to hit a baseball. Sadly, tennis doesn't have that restraint so now it's becoming more about the technology than the player's natural ability to hit a tennis ball.

that's where you're wrong. In baseball, if newer technology was introduced, then the stadiums need to be made bigger to compensate for the increased ability to hit "far and hard", which is not feasible.

Tennis has retained the same court dimensions; so effectively, players not only hit hard, but also keep the ball in play. Ergo, to use newer technology, you need to have more control over the ball than that existed in the past.
Also, athletes need to be fitter and stronger than in the past to withstand the power due to modern technology.
 

himynameisNIKE

Professional
That's the point. She couldn't generate that kind of racquet head speed with a heavy 14 oz. wood racquet, nor would the 18x20 string pattern in a tiny 65 sq. in. head allow her to brush up on the ball enough to get anywhere near that amount of spin. And that's not even mentioning the poly strings which add even more spin.

what the hell hahahaha nobody on tour has used a wood racket in like 30 years. why are you even making this argument
 

Fedace

Banned
that's where you're wrong. In baseball, if newer technology was introduced, then the stadiums need to be made bigger to compensate for the increased ability to hit "far and hard", which is not feasible.

Tennis has retained the same court dimensions; so effectively, players not only hit hard, but also keep the ball in play. Ergo, to use newer technology, you need to have more control over the ball than that existed in the past.
Also, athletes need to be fitter and stronger than in the past to withstand the power due to modern technology.

Right if Baseball used Metal bats, Players would get Killed and you could see Skull broken in half and Brains spilling out into the field. You don't want to see that, right...?
 

Maestro Nalbandian

Professional
Technology allows Stosur to produce an unnatural amount of kick and spin on her serves and forehands. It takes a lot of technology to do that. It's not natural.

so do you think Technology also allows Henin to produce an unnatural amount of kick and spin on her serves and forehands, or is it just Stosur?

Stosur has some secret technology that Henin does not have access to?

or does Henin lack the talent to take advantage of the technology?

2hbh players should not use modern technology?

especially not against Henin?
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
that's where you're wrong. In baseball, if newer technology was introduced, then the stadiums need to be made bigger to compensate for the increased ability to hit "far and hard", which is not feasible.

Tennis has retained the same court dimensions; so effectively, players not only hit hard, but also keep the ball in play. Ergo, to use newer technology, you need to have more control over the ball than that existed in the past.
Also, athletes need to be fitter and stronger than in the past to withstand the power due to modern technology.
Exactly! Baseball wanted to keep the same size stadium so they stayed with wood racquets. If tennis wants to keep the court size the same, they should also stay with wood racquets. But since they are allowing all this modern technology, they should change the size of the court.

BTW, it's the modern technology that allows players to generate the huge amounts of spin to keep the ball in the same size court even when hitting hard.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
I'll try once more. Even if I were to agree with your point that Stosur benefits more from modern technology than other female pros (which I don't), it's irrelevant because EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO THE SAME TECHNOLOGY!
 
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