2012 Miami Open…ATP 1000…Miami, Florida

[klacr]

Based on the match that I saw there was a definite lack of fireworks. It was a complete dud.

https://youtu.be/yJxCdh1Ps48

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Real Tennis...

Guess I'm going to see some real tennis this week.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

https://youtu.be/yJxCdh1Ps48

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Bjorn Borg vs. Vijay Armitraj

Look at Armitraj's badminton racquet. It's a Slazenger steel I believe…Borg also playing with a classic Slazenger wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDFd4q3CycU

[don_budge]

Roger Federer vesus Anybody...

With regard to the quality of tennis being played at the top echelons of the game today…Roger Federer versus Anybody is the only tennis worth watching from the start of a match to the end of a match. I may be alone in feeling this way…which is ok by me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ala6gAUK3fc

Only Roger can do justice to even the great Novak Djokovic. Novak's greatness cannot be fully appreciated unless he is playing the all court tactics of Roger…preferably on a quick surface that forces Novak's hand as well.

To a lesser extent a match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic used to able to provoke entertainment value. But now that Nadal is noticeable free fall mode that much is lost.

Sure there are moments of tennis to be appreciated in the modern game. But the professional game is in free fall without Roger Federer. The all backcourt…all of the time is not enough for a true tennis aficionado. The lack of style and in variety of individual games does not bode well for the future.

I laugh at the "Next Generation Stars"…each one is just a copy of the other. There was a meeting in London last year among the top equipment manufacturers and one of the topics was where is the next star or stars coming from. From what I understand…the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

[tennis_chiro]

Bjorn Borg vs. Vijay Armitraj

Look at Armitraj's badminton racquet. It's a Slazenger steel I believe…Borg also playing with a classic Slazenger wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDFd4q3CycU

Vijay's game is so beautiful. It almost makes me want to cry ... for the elements of the game that have been lost to the insatiable thirst for power and ball speed.

don

PS I forgot that Vijay has Stotty's service motion...and mine too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmoqsgiag3g

[stotty]

Incredible clip....Vijay was amazing.

Bjorn Borg vs. Vijay Armitraj

Look at Armitraj's badminton racquet. It's a Slazenger steel I believe…Borg also playing with a classic Slazenger wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDFd4q3CycU

Vijay's game is so beautiful. It almost makes me want to cry ... for the elements of the game that have been lost to the insatiable thirst for power and ball speed.

don

PS I forgot that Vijay has Stotty's service motion...and mine too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmoqsgiag3g

What a video...what a find.

The elegance Vijay has is amazing...a beautiful player, stunning to watch him play. He's as elegant as any player who ever lived. His service motion is effortless and his placement on many of those serves is extremely accurate.

I saw him play on the outside courts at Wimbledon toward the end of his career. I saw him hit four return of serves for outright winners. I have never seen anyone else do that since.

I don't think my serve is in the same class as tennis_chiro's or Vijay's but I'll take the compliment anyways...thank you.

[don_budge]

Thank you…Sirs!

Vijay's game is so beautiful. It almost makes me want to cry ... for the elements of the game that have been lost to the insatiable thirst for power and ball speed.

don

PS I forgot that Vijay has Stotty's service motion...and mine too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmoqsgiag3g

Yes…for those reasons.

What a video...what a find.

The elegance Vijay has is amazing...a beautiful player, stunning to watch him play. He's as elegant as any player who ever lived. His service motion is effortless and his placement on many of those serves is extremely accurate.

I saw him play on the outside courts at Wimbledon toward the end of his career. I saw him hit four return of serves for outright winners. I have never seen anyone else do that since.

I don't think my serve is in the same class as tennis_chiro's or Vijay's but I'll take the compliment anyways...thank you.

Elegant is the word. The motions are effortless. He is silky smooth. Elegant…regal.

Vijay Armitraj was more or less a bit players in the 70s and 80s. He reached a high in world rankings at #16. He had wins over many of the top players and 16 ATP tournament wins to boot.

But don't look past the young Bjorn Borg. In 1974 he was all of 18 years old. His game is blossoming. He gets behind two sets to an awesome Vijay Armitraj but he claws his way back into the match with an incredible display of all court tennis on the slick grass at Forest Hills.

With the reputation of a two-fisted backcourt player Borg dispels this myth with an incredible display of touch and power. Volley, half-volleys and drop shots. Big time serving and returning. It's all in the game…or rather it all used to be in the game.

There were hundreds and thousands of tennis players playing this sort of tennis throughout the world. This sport has been dumbed down and reinvented. Unfortunately…not for the better. In the end the engineering that began with the racquets has backfired. It has robbed the game of its artistry…not to mention its integrity. You can no longer objectively compare the great players of the past with the players of today. They are playing completely different games.

Compare this isolated match in the 1974 U. S. Open early rounds to the play in the final of the 2016 Miami Open. I rest my case…not.

Thank you for your revealing and poignant comments…tennis_chiro and Stotty.