Likeability

[maxply]

That's the British talk show. Claire Balding. Nice find budgie!

[stotty]

Stotty,

Well said. Like a conductor's baton, Ilie waved that Maxply, and the ball just listened. He volleyed with touch, but could thump it, too, like Tony Roche.

What got me was his speed around the court. Not a small guy, but man could he move. Then at the end of an impossible sprint, he could spin a forehand in the alley around a great volleyer...then make the ball land an inch or two inside the singles sideline.

He must smile when players gush about:
The banana pass;
The topspin lob winner;
The one handed backhand swing volley;
The tweener, or the (Bucharest) backfire lob retrieval;
or a sick little drop volley after a heavy serve.

Like Hoad, Laver and Santana, this guy invented most of the coolest shots.



Thenks for that. Yes! Tignor describes it so well. And to hear an aging Nastase tell the tale on a British talk show is just hilarious.

And who could forget the early days of the American Express card? When Nastase's card was stolen, Ilie joked that he delayed reporting it because the thief was spending quite a bit less than his wife.

Likeable.

The banana pass was a good one. He could do it off his backhand side too. Dan Maskell said he had never seen any other player do that. I haven't seen any other player do it either, before or since.

His topspin lobs were terrific. The best I have seen. Amazing when you consider he used a continental grip.

[maxply]

Rod Laver
Ken Rosewall
Lew Hoad
Guillermo Vilas
Manolo Santana
Manuel Orantes
Vitas Gerulaitis
Arthur Ashe
Henri Leconte
Chris Lewis
Adriano Panatta
Claudio Panatta
Jose Luis Clerc
Johnny Mac
Wojtek Fibak
Mikael Pernfors
Yannick Noah
Boris Becker pre-2001
Magnus Larsson
Emilio Sanchez
Michael Stich
MaliVai Washington
Magnus Norman
Hicham Arazi
Karim Alami
Sergi Bruguera
Younes Al Aynaoui
Richard Krajicek
Todd Martin
Peter Korda
Alex Corretja
Andrei Chesnokov
Alberto Costa
Rod Frawley
Scott Draper
Martin Verkerk
JC Ferrero
Marcos Baghdatis
Marat Safin
Tim Mayotte
Gustavo Kuerten
Patrick Rafter
Goran Ivanisevic

All easy to like.

[johnyandell]

I never liked Henri Leconte...

[maxply]

Leconte

Haha, too much of a flake for you? Too flashy? Or is it the slappy strokes? The kooky shot selection?

As I remember, at his best, he played with joy and creativity. The thwack of his ground strokes was inspiring. I took French in middle school in the early 80s, and was happy to see some his matches live. Friendly, happy, and Nice enough to hit with a few of us ball boys. Signed one of my Head Edgewoods. But my opinion of him leveled off:
when he showed his pissy, ineffective side in the 1987 RG final against Mats;
when he overachieved against Sampras in Davis cup, 1991.

But I guess Davis Cup will play tricks on you. I remember wondering who the hell is this Gustavo kid, trouncing our DC dubs team? Was there a Dislike button back in 1997?
Then the whole tennis world fell in love with him months later when he won his first RG. Kuerten could write a book on likability. And his game just got better and better. He even held The number one spot briefly. Even as a non-playing ambassador, he is endearing, and will be remembered well.

[markconway]

One more for your list -

Dustin Brown, anyone?

[johnyandell]

I can't say why and there is no good reason...just didn't like watching him play...

But who could hate the red heart in the clay?

[markconway]

I thought that match vs. Nadal last summer at Wimbledon was the most entertaining thing I've seen on a court in a long, long time.

John, I'm looking forward to meeting you at the Tennis Congress this Fall.
You're going to be there as faculty again this year, right?

You might be interested in what we're doing in terms of video analysis of tennis. I won't go into specifics here but if you're curious, shoot me a direct email.

[stotty]

Brainless...

I can't say why and there is no good reason...just didn't like watching him play...

I never liked watching Laconte play either, basically because he had nothing between his ears. He slapped the ball around and played on his own terms. I never saw him once adjust his game when things weren't going his way.

[maxply]

I never liked watching Laconte play either, basically because he had nothing between his ears. He slapped the ball around and played on his own terms. I never saw him once adjust his game when things weren't going his way.

Haha, yes, he makes a slapper like james Blake seem as smart and cagey as wilander.

[johnyandell]

Mark,

Great. Why don't you email me at videotennis@metricmail.com

[maxply]

Dustin Brown, anyone?

Likeable....Fun, attacking, stylish game. Strange to see that he uses two hands on the backhand.
His pre-point rituals are so peaceful, but also very deliberate looking. Complex game. Easy to root for.

Met him at a challenger through two friends, and I was impressed at what thoughtful guy he is.

[gzhpcu]

Dustin Brown, anyone?

Yes, love watching his imaginative play! And he is a real cool journeyman too!

[maxply]

Dominic Thiem has an enjoyable game. He seems like a nice, hardworking kid.

[gzhpcu]

Dominic Thiem has an enjoyable game. He seems like a nice, hardworking kid.

Absolutely. His game is getting better and better all the time. As Kyle mentioned, he has won tournaments on hard courts, clay courts and grass courts this year. Hope he has a good run at Wimbledon. Change of the guard is long overdue...