NEWS AND COMMENTARY ON WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL TENNIS
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Quote of the week
"There was more variety, players with different games, stronger minds, more character. I played with three generations and they evolved. I had to adapt."
That's a pretty damning indictment on the modern game. Although I can barely remember what tennis was like in the 90s, it would be difficult to argue with any of that quote.
I am not sure how Arantxa would cope with the physical demands of year-long power-baseline tennis played on unforgiving hardcourts. Speed, power and athleticism have increased since the 90s. But those attributes, combined with irreversible advances in racquet and string technology, I believe have proved counterproductive. The game has stood still for 10 years. However much the WTA attempt to dress it up the quality at the top of the rankings has been painfully thin. They have seeked to address the injury issue by reducing the amount of tournaments. Top players are either retiring from the game too early (Hingis, Henin, Clijsters), permanently injured or needing a trainer in residence courtside. A priviledged few are able to carefully select the amount of tournaments they play.
Well, I still miss the tennis of the 80s! As much as I enjoy both tours, I did find the games more varied and fun to watch--as a whole--in the 80s and 90s. I would rather watch wooden racquet matches any day.
2 comments:
That's a pretty damning indictment on the modern game. Although I can barely remember what tennis was like in the 90s, it would be difficult to argue with any of that quote.
I am not sure how Arantxa would cope with the physical demands of year-long power-baseline tennis played on unforgiving hardcourts. Speed, power and athleticism have increased since the 90s. But those attributes, combined with irreversible advances in racquet and string technology, I believe have proved counterproductive. The game has stood still for 10 years. However much the WTA attempt to dress it up the quality at the top of the rankings has been painfully thin. They have seeked to address the injury issue by reducing the amount of tournaments. Top players are either retiring from the game too early (Hingis, Henin, Clijsters), permanently injured or needing a trainer in residence courtside. A priviledged few are able to carefully select the amount of tournaments they play.
Well, I still miss the tennis of the 80s! As much as I enjoy both tours, I did find the games more varied and fun to watch--as a whole--in the 80s and 90s. I would rather watch wooden racquet matches any day.
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