Tennis Mega Trends

[ClayDeath]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

I have to side with general huntingyou.

doping in our sport is a not an issue.


only at the lowest levels but who gives a damn about that. they are not driving the sport.

so it is hardly a trend.


the real trends--in my estimation at least-- are:

1. the runaway speed and the power in the game
2. convergence of court speeds as perceived by the masses but not necessarily the players. only a few players and the press cry about the convergence of courts speeds.

3. technology

4. the advent of a 2 handed forehand. it is coming. the day will come when both strokes will have to executed double handed.

5. ultra supreme fitness

6. dramatic increase of injuries in our sport



can we add a few more to these? what do you think?

Clay, I was thinking about #4, the double handed forehand...and I thought it might be , but it is also possible that we might see the demise of backhand all together and see forehand on both sides. I can see players practicing lefty forehands more...what do you think?

I cant see that happening but the age of double fisted strokes off both wings is coming.


about the reach issue: well it does limit reach but you don't see the players backing away from a double handed backhand.


the future is power and unlimited power. double hander gives you that.


they are just faster now. nothing is out of reach for the fastest players.


borg hit a double hander and they all told him that he was losing reach with it.

has anybody ever seen borg out of position in his prime?

 

[Kieran]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

Borg lost reach on the ad-court swingers that lefties like Mac and Connors hit to him. Nowadays, they get more control on two hands on the backhand, just like Borg did, although you see them drop the second hand when driven out wide. They also get more power, because the second hand lets them push as well as pull, if you get my drift..

Off the forehand, this isn't really necessary. In fact, the second hand would be more a physical hindrance, imo...

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

^^ Can't see it, Murat. It wouldn't be practical as the game grows faster, to limit your reach.

I am not sure I understand brother. Having two forehands would give you the most reach on both sides, no?:huh: You never have to cross over your body and play open stance all day long.

Stretch your arms out on both sides, brother. Then join the other hand. You lose reach...

But there IS no other hand to join...two single handed forehands.

 

[Kieran]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

But there IS no other hand to join...two single handed forehands.

Sorry Murat, I misunderstood! You're talking two single handers and I'm thinking of two double-handers.

It would take a superman to make it work, but it'll come. Rafa would be the template, to a large extent, and then this would be the next step...

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

But there IS no other hand to join...two single handed forehands.

Sorry Murat, I misunderstood! You're talking two single handers and I'm thinking of two double-handers.

It would take a superman to make it work, but it'll come. Rafa would be the template, to a large extent, and then this would be the next step...

I actually had Rafa in mind, and also have seen a player or two in pretty high levels utilizing it. If someone can pull this off at a high level, it would be a nightmare to attack against...

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

who says that you would have to abandon the slice and the single hander anyway?

you would just use the double handed forehand more.

I see zero loss in reach actually.

and a tremendous gain in power and the stability of the stroke itself.

 

[Kieran]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

Clay Death!

There'd have to be a loss in reach if you try keep both hands on the racket all the time. The body has to close in, rather than open out, which it organically does on the forehand.

Murat!

I was thinking of your two-forehand solution. The only problem I see with it is that it's unnatural to continually switch the racket from one hand to another. Serves, volleys, smashes etc, wouldn't be a problem. For quick-thinking at the net, he'd just knock off a backhand volley, right? But if a guy was ambidextrous and capable of swinging from both sides, maybe he'd have little difficulty with the mechanics of changing hands, but I still think there might too swift a time-lapse for him to be able to manage this effectively at the top level...

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Are You Happy With the Direction the Sport is Going

Why would you keep both hands on the racquet anyway?

And they would not be abandoning the slice and even single handler.

It is simply the natural progression of the sport.

You need power and unlimited power. And you need a more stable stroke. Double fisted stroke provides that.

You will simply need it at your disposal. Many of you may have seen tsonga hit both a double fisted backhand as well as a single handed topspin backhand.

And he also retains the slice.

I will be going over the advantages of a double handed forehand later this evening.

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

as promised I will now go over the advantages of a 2 handed forehand:





Jack Kramer labeled the two-handed backhand in the early 1950’s as a shot that “Limits your power and gives your opponent a psychological advantage.” how wrong was Kramer? he was not even close to being right.


Today, it is not uncommon to hear some pros, the press, and the masses label the two-handed forehand in the very same way and the very same light:


so with that being said, here are the advantages of a double handed forehand:


1. power and unlimited power
2. stability: stable swing pattern
3. repeatable and more reliable swing path
4. disguise
5. you can hit it late if you absolutely have to
6. far fewer variables than a single hander so a lot less can go wrong
7. encourages and promotes better footwork
8. encourages and promotes better preparation




and as I said, you do not have to abandon your single handed forehand.


just as in the double handed backhand, wilander was one of the first to show that you can do both: you can hit an effective slice as well as hit a double handed topspin forehand.

now most of the players employing a double fisted backhand have a viable sliced backhand as well. so you are not giving up anything. some are even able to retain the ability to hit a single handed topspin backhand. so they get to keep all 3.


in my estimation this is coming in about 25 years. players will be forced to hit double fisted forehands and double fisted backhands.

basically you need supreme consistency and you need deadly finishing power off both wings. that is the future.




.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

Back in the day, there were limitations with the two-handed backhand due to the equipment! Wooden rackets were the only tool at the time until the 70's! You started seeing some aluminum and fiberglass composites, but during Kramers era, there were few you could consider as good enough to use a 2 handed backhand as a weapon! It wasn't until players like Borg and Connors came along to make it en vogue to use a 2-handed backhand as their major weapon that it became common place! It was a new thing around that time! Most players served with 2 balls; even Evert started her service motion with both balls in her hand and if the 1st serve went in, threw it behind her to the backstop! Check classic matches from the era and it'll amaze you to see something like that happen!

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

these days a lot of players are serving at speeds exceeding 130 mph with seemingly far less effort. a day is coming when the players will be routinely serve at speeds well in excess of 150 mph. some will be able to hit in excess of 160 mph.

players are able to blast drives into the corners at near 100 mph today. these speeds off the strokes will exceed 120 mph in the future.


no way to deal with balls traveling at those speeds with a single hander off either wing.

in fact you will break your wrist instantly trying to return a serve struck at 160+ mph with a single hander. not to mention that there would be no way to control it.


so like it or not, double fisted strokes off both wings are coming in the future.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

Ryan Harrison clocked a 1st serve at 142 mph today in Atlanta a little while ago! You don't have to worry about a broken wrist; like the song from the 90's by Hammer, "you can't touch this!" lol!

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

impressive.


now explain to me how somebody can return a serve hit at 160-170 mph with a single hander off either wing?

if caught late and it will be caught late, it wont just break the wrist. it would shatter the wrist.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

players are able to blast drives into the corners at near 100 mph today. these speeds off the strokes will exceed 120 mph in the fututure.

I believe Del Potro clocked 120 couple of times in Wimbledon
SF on running forehand strokes.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

players are able to blast drives into the corners at near 100 mph today. these speeds off the strokes will exceed 120 mph in the fututure.

I believe Del Potro clocked 120 couple of times in Wimbledon
SF on running forehand strokes.

That's why tennis is almost unwatchable! These people are so busy just trying to blast the ball and take the cover off of it, it's just not worth it at times! It's so boring! I'll take Hingis and Radwanska with strategy and guile anytime over the over-bearing Amazons of Sharapova, Azarenka, and of course Serena Williams! All that noise; screeching and groaning! It's just too much!

 

[Kieran]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

I dunno, del Potro was fairly watchable in that semi against Novak. The power the guy has is almost hypnotic. Of course, if everyone played the same, it would be boring, but it's near that now, with them all playing from the back. Once Murray put his hat on in the Wimbledon final, I couldn't tell him apart from Novak, who also wore a hat. Now that was a boring match, great stakes apart...

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

players are able to blast drives into the corners at near 100 mph today. these speeds off the strokes will exceed 120 mph in the fututure.

I believe Del Potro clocked 120 couple of times in Wimbledon
SF on running forehand strokes.

wow. it is closer than we think then.



we might as well make those strokes exceeding speeds of 130 MPH in 30 years or less.

 

[ClayDeath]

I have changed the title to "tennis mega trends".

it sounds more sophisticated.

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Dynamic Trends In Tennis

players are able to blast drives into the corners at near 100 mph today. these speeds off the strokes will exceed 120 mph in the fututure.

I believe Del Potro clocked 120 couple of times in Wimbledon
SF on running forehand strokes.

That's why tennis is almost unwatchable! These people are so busy just trying to blast the ball and take the cover off of it, it's just not worth it at times! It's so boring! I'll take Hingis and Radwanska with strategy and guile anytime over the over-bearing Amazons of Sharapova, Azarenka, and of course Serena Williams! All that noise; screeching and groaning! It's just too much!

but that is the future of the sport mate.

there is no other way to wage war on the tennis court.


6 foot 10 isner just played a 3 hour final in Atlanta against 6 foot 8 Anderson.

3 bloody hours. on relatively fast hard courts.