noBerdych vs. Federer tonight. Can the Berd man make it 3 on the trot?
thanksAwesome post Anil
that berdych is competitive against federer is a testament to how much federer has declined...if federer plays just about adequately, he will always beat the berdychs of this world...Awesome post Anil
He does!!!!Come on Rafa, break back!
I don't think that's fair to either Federer or Berdych. Federer is still playing at a relatively high level and Berdych is a top 10 player in the world right now. Your comments don't seem reflective of 2010 at all.that berdych is competitive against federer is a testament to how much federer has declined...if federer plays just about adequately, he will always beat the berdychs of this world...
Standard of men's tennis has been very good with excellent depth for at least 15-20 years with the possible exception of clay where Rafa is a standout todayJono - received your message.
About your question, it's hard to compare, isn't it? I don't think the average quality of tennis varies much between eras (actually holds for pretty much any sport) but the athleticism levels go up, advances in technology and surfaces have changed the game and tilted it in favour of baseliners IMO.
No, there are no events on carpet these days (used to be a very quick, low bouncing surface favourable for serve & volley), more slowish, top-spinny HCs, slower balls (I suspect). The strings make it possible to hit freakish passing shots from defensive positions. The technology has made it possible for defensive players to thrive and there doesn't seem to be too many young players aiming to play a classical single-handed BH/serve and volley type game.Standard of men's tennis has been very good with excellent depth for at least 15-20 years with the possible exception of clay where Rafa is a standout today
Simply talking about Wimbledon, the surface was slower this year and the quality of serve/volleying is pretty poor these days
Reckon Sampras/Rafter/Ivanesivic would've beaten all this year's Wimbledon semi-finalists easily if the matches had been played circa 1998-2000
As for the other tourneys, conditions/technology/athleticism is not really any different so it's all a matter of opinion