I caught some of the matches on ESPN Classic the last couple of weeks. I had a few thoughts and wondered if anyone else noticed:
McEnroe vs Borg in 1981
These were our tennis "Studs" in 1981. Anyone else notice how small they look in comparison to today's players? Almost in comparison to themselves competing 15 years later in the 35s or even Johnny Mac today? They hadn't spent the time in the gym todays players have and it shows. It's not just the shorts.
Winners: There are lots of groundstroke winners ... when someone is at the net, but almost none when both players are on the baseline. NONE! They weren't that fast, so you have to believe they really were not hitting the ball anywhere near as big.
Serves: Trabert and co. getting excited about Borgs "Cannonball 112 mph 1st serve!" Enuf said
In an earlier match shown between Connors and Mac, how much did they go to the net? We forget how much the game has changed.
Great watching these old matches and seeing the strategies, but the weapons are entirely different. Today it was Chang/Edberg. No one moves to the net like Edberg anymore. Agassi/Sampras showed how well Sampras served and volleyed, but he didn't volley anywhere near as well as Edberg. Of course, he didn't have to behind that serve.
Anyone else notice these things?
don
McEnroe vs Borg in 1981
These were our tennis "Studs" in 1981. Anyone else notice how small they look in comparison to today's players? Almost in comparison to themselves competing 15 years later in the 35s or even Johnny Mac today? They hadn't spent the time in the gym todays players have and it shows. It's not just the shorts.
Winners: There are lots of groundstroke winners ... when someone is at the net, but almost none when both players are on the baseline. NONE! They weren't that fast, so you have to believe they really were not hitting the ball anywhere near as big.
Serves: Trabert and co. getting excited about Borgs "Cannonball 112 mph 1st serve!" Enuf said
In an earlier match shown between Connors and Mac, how much did they go to the net? We forget how much the game has changed.
Great watching these old matches and seeing the strategies, but the weapons are entirely different. Today it was Chang/Edberg. No one moves to the net like Edberg anymore. Agassi/Sampras showed how well Sampras served and volleyed, but he didn't volley anywhere near as well as Edberg. Of course, he didn't have to behind that serve.
Anyone else notice these things?
don
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