Thoughts about Tennis Tradition...

[don_budge]

John McEnroe...Ten Recommendations

From John McEnroe's most excellent autobiography..."Serious"...his top ten recommendations for improving tennis in the 21st Century:

"A return to wooden racquets would be a huge improvement for professional tennis. The biggest change in the game in the last twenty five years...the replacement of wood by graphite...has been a bad one. I happen to think that wooden racquets are beautiful aesthetically and purer for the game.

Look at baseball. Kids start with aluminum bats in little league, then move on to Kevlar or whatever in college and then...and only then...if they make it to the majors do they get to use those beautiful wooden bats that require greater expertise for success.

Why not do the same thing in tennis? I think that it looks great to have a little wand in your hand, instead of some ultra thick club big enough to kill somebody with. Wood...to me...has glamour. You need strategy and technique. Tennis, these days, is sadly lacking in all these things.

It's all (as David Bowie says) wham, bam, thank you ma'am." ...the great John McEnroe.

Seconded by the not so great...don_budge.

[gzhpcu]

A couple weeks later in England at the pre-Wimbledon Queen’s Club tournament, he won handily but made it a field day for the tabloids when during the final he called the chair umpire an “idiot” and yelled out, “Over 1,000 officials to choose from and I get a moron like you.” When Mac saw his opponent, the relatively unknown Leif Shiras looking amused during his outburst, he pointed his finger at him during the changeover and warned, “I’ve been around a long time and I don’t want to take that crap from you.”

Silence Him Now! screamed the Daily Mail. Even the staid Guardian opined, “No one should be permitted to voice such contempt for a fellow human being and get away with it.” Despite the furor, McEnroe managed to get through Wimbledon relatively unscathed and dusted Connors in that nearly flawless final. After winning the U.S. Open in what would turn out to be his last Grand Slam victory, he wrapped up his incredible 79-3 season at a tournament in Stockholm by memorably smashing a courtside tray of drinks with his racket during a match after not getting a response from the chair umpire when he screamed out, “Answer the question, jerk!” That incident put him over the $7,500-fine limit that had been instituted almost singularly because of him, and he was suspended from the tour for 21 days.

source: http://julianrubinstein.com/articles/mcenroe/

And much more on the "great John McEnroe"...

[gzhpcu]

After many years, I have gone back to wearing all white when I play tennis. Makes me feel more in a tennis mood, and I like it...

[don_budge]

bottle...

With every invention comes a curse.

[don_budge]

The Patriot...Mark Twain 1904

In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. ...Mark Twain

In a time of universal deceit...telling the truth is a revolutionary act. ...George Orwell

[don_budge]

Modern Love...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORzirnAoda4

From...
Modern Love...David Bowie (1983 what a coincidence)

To...
Love and Sex with Robots...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Sex_with_Robots

Is this better? Is it too big of a stretch for you...just calm down and think a bit. Try not to get so indignant...just think. Imagine. All that you know...all that you have seen. What does it all mean? What is the meaning of life? What does tennis have to do with it?

But in the end you are right...we have gone too far. There is no heading back. Unless we are forced to...to square one. It isn't quite living in the past as you would like to make it out to be...afterall I moved to the other side of the world at the age of 50 and started over from scratch...with worn out tools. Still going strong...knock on wood. Trust me...I am in the moment. I know the score.

[don_budge]

Tennis Etiquette...1982 Style

Here...take a look at this short clip. The great John McEnroe and his long time doubles partner Peter Fleming losing in the finals to an Australian pair Peter McNamara and Paul McNamee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oq47lcPh2I

Watch carefully as the four players approach the net after match point. Strange that the great volleyers McEnroe and Fleming were not able to put the ball away with a couple of chances. But look...both McNamara and McNamee are playing with Prince 110 model racquets while McEnroe and Fleming must be feeling somewhat foolish "bringing a knife to a gun fight" as they are holding on to their standard size wooden racquets.

The whole basis of tennis etiquette was actually violated by the "prim and proper" tennis establishment. I don't know if tennis etiquette was actually ever spelled out anywhere...maybe they don't even use this term anymore when discussing "modern tennis". But to me...tennis etiquette covered a whole range of issues. Basically it meant that "one should never seek unfair advantage against your opponent". Or something to that effect.

My question is...what did the majority of professional tennis players think about the change of equipment at the time it was happening.

Here is the men's single final too. It is none other than John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors who are unknowingly playing the last "all standard sized" Wimbledon final in history. Connors won in a five set epic...3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YjomkT5E4A

Jimmy Connors had a Prince Racquet encounter all of his own in this tournament. Gene Mayer as a tennis player who went from 140 something in the world and shot up to #4 very quickly when he changed early on in the equipment fiasco years. Connors took him out in the quarterfinals. No wonder Connors hates Andre Agassi.

I was trying to find out when Mayer first switched. Some of my college competition was switching in 1979 or so.

It's in Spanish...sorry about that Chief. But check out the wear pattern on the grass courts.

[gzhpcu]

John McEnroe took advantage of the timidity and infamous blindness of tennis umpires and line judges. He epitomized the tennis tantrum, rocking a sport known for its polite spectators. Umpires didn’t stand a chance against his scathing tongue. Neither did his first wife.

“It was on the line. Answer my question! The question, jerk!”

“I wasn’t talking to you, umpire. I was talking to myself. What did I say, umpire, tell me. Please tell me! You are pathetic, do you know that? You are the worst umpire that I’ve ever seen in my life. You’re never going to work another match.”

“You cannot be serious! Everyone in this whole stadium knows it was in, and you call it out. Explain this to me. You’re the pits of the world.”

from the article "John McEnroe made me quit tennis"...

http://www.flipcollective.com/2010/06/10/john-mcenroe-made-me-quit-tennis-by-tara-goedjen/

Is this tennis tradition?

Now, now, temper, temper OP...

[gzhpcu]

At least the net could be calibrated easily. I propose that effective immediately we do just as you have mentioned...return to the 36" standard for Davis Cup and Grand Slams. Just for funzies.

And you seriously think that if it does not apply to all other tournaments, serve and volley will reappear? Not likely. All or none.

[don_budge]

36 inches...

but just think if the ITF had made it the rule for just for Davis Cup and Grand Slams in the mid 70's that the width plus the length of a tennis racket had to equal 36"?? Serve and volley would still be viable today.

don

At least the net could be calibrated easily. I propose that effective immediately we do just as you have mentioned...return to the 36" standard for Davis Cup and Grand Slams. Just for funzies.

[klacr]

I find the old days had too much serve and volley. Nowadays we have too much baseline bashing.

I would like to see something in between, but it isn't easy to fine tune equipment, courts etc to achieve this.

Variety is the spice of life. I personally don't want to see everyone sere and volley, but I also can't stand the boring baseline game. It is the contrasts of the styles. The point and counterpoint. The dance between two players. I'm glad you posted the Agassi-Rafter video, that's a great example.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

I find the old days had too much serve and volley. Nowadays we have too much baseline bashing.

I would like to see something in between, but it isn't easy to fine tune equipment, courts etc to achieve this.

[tennis_chiro]

I didn't promise!

but just think if the ITF had made it the rule for just for Davis Cup and Grand Slams in the mid 70's that the width plus the length of a tennis racket had to equal 36"?? Serve and volley would still be viable today.

don

[lobndropshot]

http://youtu.be/TxefPeKn_Rs

Charles says it best at 1:15

This made my weekend.

[10splayer]

http://youtu.be/TxefPeKn_Rs

Charles says it best at 1:15