You must not have played tennis competitively.
You must not have played any other sport competitively, specifically the one I know best and like the most (basketball). A college/pro basketball court is 94 feet by 50 feet. A pro tennis court is 78 by 27 feet. Not only is the basketball court bigger but the players have to RUN up and down it constantly after every change of possession. Imagine if, in tennis, the players had to hit 6 shots and then run all the way to the opposite side of the court. That is more like the physical strain we are talking about with basketball.
I have played with 5.0 players who are very skilled and athletic by tennis standards (not so much by basketball and football standards). Hitting the ball with them and engaging in rallies felt like fairly strenuous half-court basketball where you move side-to-side and then get to pause. It was nowhere near as challenging physically as being in a fast-paced full-court basketball game.
When two good baselines are going at it, it is brutal...
By your low standards, yes. But as you admit, you're a pretty average player so higher-level players look amazing to you compared to what you can do personally. As a result, you put them on a pedestal, especially since you love tennis.
Also, you talk like every single tennis match entails the same strain as a Djokovic-Nadal marathon. That is completely disingenuous on your part. You know that most matches are not that long and that strenuous.
It requires explosive movements and oftentimes you have to stop yourself, change directions and yes, you get a few secs of break after each point but you have to go at the next point before you catch your breath!
Wohhhhh!!!!! Explosive movements and changing direction?!?!?!?!?! That's amazing.
Tennis must be the only sport where you have to do that.
Maybe if you had ever played basketball you wouldn't make a big deal out of someone moving side-to-side and changing direction because not only do basketball players have to do that, they also have to withstand physical contact and then run the whole way up a court that is longer than a pro tennis court. If Djokovic or Nadal run 25 feet to chase a drop shot down you think that's amazing, but when NBA players run 70 feet after moving side-to-side and withstanding contact, you seriously think it's no more difficult than what tennis players have to do.
Another thing you overlook is how tennis players can pace themselves. Not every point is played at max-level intensity.
Tennis is physically demanding, wonder why so many injuries in tennis? The worst part about tennis is the changing of directions in explosive ways, this puts a lot of strain on your knees and hips.
Lol.....this is your dumbest argument yet, which is really saying something. Every sport entails injuries. "Changing directions in explosive ways" is part and parcel of virtually every sport, including basketball, football, and soccer. Tennis is not unique in that regard.
The other thing about tennis that wreaks havoc are the repetitive unnatural movements, to hit serves and fh's and bh's for hours is not natural for the body, it breaks down wrists, shoulders, elbows. Look at the back injuries for Fed, knee for Nadal, wrists for Del Po, hip for Andy, elbow and shoulder for Nole.
Again, every sport entails injuries and certain unnatural movements. Baseball pitchers often have to get Tommy John surgery. So what makes tennis unique?
I never said that tennis wasn't physically demanding, just that you vastly overstate how demanding it is at times to inflate your own ego about yourself and your favorite game.
Monfils is an athletic freak, i would compare him to any 6'4 basketball player you can name.
Because you don't know basketball. But I will grant that Monfils is a great athlete.
Even so, he doesn't have much of an advantage physically vs Djokovic or Nadal on a tennis court. You seriously underestimate Djokovic and Nadal's athleticism, they are freaks.
I never said that Djokovic and Nadal are not very athletic.
Again, your issue is that you don't play tennis competitively.
Lol.....I have played tennis with 5.0 USTA players, sat courtside at ATP events, and also been on the same court as major Division 1 basketball and football players. For you to put the tennis guys in the same class is ridiculous.
As a guy that has played tennis competitively, i will tell you that athleticism is extremely important in tennis.
It's important in every sport, lol.
I would say i'm average, with good strokes and a good serve.
Not surprised to hear that you're average. Keep working buddy.
When i have played opponents that hit the ball less cleanly than me but are more athletic, it's a f challenge. They are able to run down more balls than me, they are able to use explosive movements to get to a ball and position themselves well, this is as important as actually having good technique and hitting ball cleanly.
No one ever said that athleticism is not helpful or important in tennis so what exactly are you arguing against? The original topic of this discussion is whether certain rallies are as strenuous as you say they are.
Maybe they are for you, as a self-admitted average player. But you shouldn't assume that's the case for everybody, including those with more talent than you.
You seriously think Stephen Curry is more athletic than Djokovic or Nadal?
No, but that isn't the issue. We were talking about strain. If Stephen Curry walked on a tennis court and only had to move side-to-side and take some swings, I assure you he would find it easier than getting bumped and hit and then having to run 70 feet up and down the court.
Also, Curry is a rare case because he is an exceptional shooter who overcomes a lack of athleticism (relative to other NBA greats) with a special skill.
What about Clay Thompson? these guys are some of the best basketball players around. Larry Bird was super athletic?
I never said athleticism was everything in basketball or in any sport. What I said is that you overstate the strain of certain long rallies, and I stand by that.
I'm NOT arguing tennis players are more athletic, just that you underestimate the athleticism of some of the top tennis players and how tough tennis is to play, physically, at top level.
I am not underestimating how athletic the top tennis players are. Rather, you are overestimating it compared to what players in other sports have to do. But perhaps that is because you are a self-admitted average player and the game has been more difficult for you than other more talented players. I think you are making a mistake in assuming that everyone shares in your own personal struggles.
that was brutal, for someone who actually plays tennis and knows tennis.
That was brutal to you. But someone who has played basketball competitively would tell you that the average tennis rally is akin to a defensive possession in basketball (without having to run back up the court) - not necessarily easy but also not as demanding as MikeOne would have you believe.
And someone who knows tennis would obviously appreciate the talent of Nalbandian.
Someone who knows tennis also would have said that Nadal could win Slams off of clay - which I did on the ESPN boards back in 2006 and 2007 back when everyone there called me crazy.
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