Okay, I'm really starting to worry about the state
of the men's game. No, I'm not talking about the top 4 and the great
matches we've been getting lately, but something more.
Back many years ago, the tour started slowing down court surfaces (especially Wimbledon) to allow for more baseline rallies, which in turn, would make for more aesthetically pleasing viewing for the casual tennis fan. Come to the present, and the courts are as slow as they have EVER been, and because of that we get to see the greatest athletes in the world push their bodies to new extremes for the greatest prizes. The physicality of the Nadal/Djokovic match would never have been possible at the turn of the century, but it is made to be possible now by the slowed-down courts and the higher degree in difficulty of hitting winners past two guys who have phenomenal defense like Djokovic and Nadal. Now, we may have reached the peak of the vision the ATP had all those years ago after a nearly six-hour long match featuring the two greatest warriors of our time, and maybe of any time. But what is the price to be paid in the future from such extraordinarily physical matches?
Six years ago, after a 5-hour match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Rome, both men withdrew from the next week's tournament due to fatigue and to recover from the incredible physical torment they put their bodies through. This prompted the ATP to change to 3-set Masters Series finals the next year. Skip ahead six years to the present, and we just witnessed the longest and most physical tennis match ever played between Nadal and Djokovic. It was so exhausting that both men could not stand afterwards for the trophy presentation. Now let me go back a few months to the US Open final. At the time, that was the most physical match ever played, and it impacted the duo's ability to play the rest of the season. So what happens now, as the matches get longer and longer and more and more physical? Are players ever going to remain fit and healthy for a full season ever again? Needless to say, if the tour continues on this path, then their players' careers will inevitably be shortened and the game will lose all the variety that makes tennis so special to watch.
Is it in the ATP's best interest to keep the courts slow and let these superhuman athletes run their bodies into the ground? Rafael Nadal has said that he wants to be able to live a normal life after he retires, and he has every right to want that. But the length of the season is not the problem, but how physical the game has become. Shortening the length of the season will not be a benefit to anyone if the matches continue to get more and more physical, up to the point where the players cannot stand afterwards. This is a time for the ATP to tread the waters with extreme caution. They are walking on VERY thin ice. On the surface, it appears that the men's game is better than ever, but if they cannot preserve the health of the top names, then tennis will die.
Wake up and smell the roses ATP. Find a balance between the wonderful 90s era and the baseline era we see today. In other words, go back to 2002-2005 when there was a perfect balance. When the courts were not homogenized and there was a difference in court speeds throughout the season. In that way, players will be able to preserve their bodies and have long and healthy careers. In the same fashion that they wanted to slow down the courts because the game was becoming too serve-dominated, they have come to the other end of the spectrum. The game has become too physical, too demanding, and I really fear the future of the game if it comes to the point where the players cannot even play a full season healthy because they have been forced to exert their physical abilities to the point that their health becomes a serious issue.
Back many years ago, the tour started slowing down court surfaces (especially Wimbledon) to allow for more baseline rallies, which in turn, would make for more aesthetically pleasing viewing for the casual tennis fan. Come to the present, and the courts are as slow as they have EVER been, and because of that we get to see the greatest athletes in the world push their bodies to new extremes for the greatest prizes. The physicality of the Nadal/Djokovic match would never have been possible at the turn of the century, but it is made to be possible now by the slowed-down courts and the higher degree in difficulty of hitting winners past two guys who have phenomenal defense like Djokovic and Nadal. Now, we may have reached the peak of the vision the ATP had all those years ago after a nearly six-hour long match featuring the two greatest warriors of our time, and maybe of any time. But what is the price to be paid in the future from such extraordinarily physical matches?
Six years ago, after a 5-hour match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Rome, both men withdrew from the next week's tournament due to fatigue and to recover from the incredible physical torment they put their bodies through. This prompted the ATP to change to 3-set Masters Series finals the next year. Skip ahead six years to the present, and we just witnessed the longest and most physical tennis match ever played between Nadal and Djokovic. It was so exhausting that both men could not stand afterwards for the trophy presentation. Now let me go back a few months to the US Open final. At the time, that was the most physical match ever played, and it impacted the duo's ability to play the rest of the season. So what happens now, as the matches get longer and longer and more and more physical? Are players ever going to remain fit and healthy for a full season ever again? Needless to say, if the tour continues on this path, then their players' careers will inevitably be shortened and the game will lose all the variety that makes tennis so special to watch.
Is it in the ATP's best interest to keep the courts slow and let these superhuman athletes run their bodies into the ground? Rafael Nadal has said that he wants to be able to live a normal life after he retires, and he has every right to want that. But the length of the season is not the problem, but how physical the game has become. Shortening the length of the season will not be a benefit to anyone if the matches continue to get more and more physical, up to the point where the players cannot stand afterwards. This is a time for the ATP to tread the waters with extreme caution. They are walking on VERY thin ice. On the surface, it appears that the men's game is better than ever, but if they cannot preserve the health of the top names, then tennis will die.
Wake up and smell the roses ATP. Find a balance between the wonderful 90s era and the baseline era we see today. In other words, go back to 2002-2005 when there was a perfect balance. When the courts were not homogenized and there was a difference in court speeds throughout the season. In that way, players will be able to preserve their bodies and have long and healthy careers. In the same fashion that they wanted to slow down the courts because the game was becoming too serve-dominated, they have come to the other end of the spectrum. The game has become too physical, too demanding, and I really fear the future of the game if it comes to the point where the players cannot even play a full season healthy because they have been forced to exert their physical abilities to the point that their health becomes a serious issue.
Kyle.
I think your call may fall on deaf ears. The giddiness with which sports writers have been writing about the long men's matches of late says that they see nothing wrong with the state of the game. They want even more of these gladiator/warrior battles. One or two now and then I can understand but we seem to get them every slam or masters tournament (particularly clay).
ReplyDeleteGood post Kyle. I think the surfaces have become so uniform that we're seeing the same 4 players make the semis of almost every single major. You can't even serve and volley at Wimbledon anymore! I miss the variety of playing styles from the previous generations!
ReplyDeleteKyle,
ReplyDeleteEloquently stated. A pitch-perfect critique of the present situation and its manifest inadequacies. Great work!
Well said man. It won't be long before the French is the fastest surface. Madrid already plays faster than some hard courts these days.
ReplyDeleteIt's not only the physical aspect of it, how many genuine tennis fans wanna see boring grinding style matches? The only ones I know that enjoy that type of tennis are the ones who take a gasp of air at every shot and clap at the most stupid points like it's the shot of the year!
I totally agree with your post but I'm concerned that the powers that be will be dazzled by the short term attention these matches are getting and not have a care for the future. Plus, it's the ITF that governs the slams and the players have no voice in how they are run. Each slam cares only for their own bottom line.
ReplyDeletewell said Kyle, I've been yipping essentially the same thing all year. The slowness of hard courts is allowing these long rallies to be the norm. Its hurting the variety of the sport in not allowing differing styles.
ReplyDeleteA quick attacking game isn't rewarded on hard courts, or even grass any more. We see essentially the same match over and over again. Its tedious, to say the least.
2011, Bercy had a very fast indoor court, and we had Soderling, Monfils, Llodra and Federer in the semis. There was great hard court tennis being played, and it was actually nice to NOT see the top 4 hogging all the glory!
On the long term, slowing the courts down to encourage the same 4 finalists will hurt the sport. Fans can't get to see other players, become familiar with their games. When Fed, Rafa, Nole begin to leave the game, the less, shall we say, fanatic tennis fans will also leave, as they haven't had the opportunity to attach to other players.
And face it, the top four will STILL reach the ending of many tourneys, there just may be some surprises along the way. And the top 4 won't have ground themselves into a pulp.
As for the oooh and ahhhh over the length of the final? I think Amer Delic tweeted when the most striking thing you write about in match is the length of it, there's a problem. OK, so I paraphrased that, but the meaning is there! Length does not equal quality.
But like others here, am afraid this may fall on deaf ears.
oops - sorry, that was Bercy 2010 - am idiot!
ReplyDeleteNice but you forgot the white elephant.......
ReplyDeleteAnd PS I dont give a rats *** about the physical state of RHUFFAH and Joke and Murray for that matter.
ReplyDeleteNice post Kyle. Quite frankly it's becoming boring watching the same two players slugging it out over and over again in GS finals. You just know when the tournament starts that it's going to be Nadal and Djokovic in the final (despite Nadal's efforts at convincing us that he's injured and this time he's not making it to the 2nd week). But I guess that's what they said about Federer. The powers that be found it boring that he was winning everything in sight so I guess they slowed down the courts and balls? Now it's a different kind of boring. I can't stand this new brand of tennis. If something isn't done about it soon, not only will there be more and more injuries (wasn't last year a record year for withdrawals and retirements?) but fans like me will stop watching because it is almost becoming unwatchable IMV.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post Kyle, but I'd agree with the other posters here that it's probably all for nought. The ATP has showed time and again that it is more than willing to kill the geese that lay the golden eggs for them - the players.
ReplyDeleteThe homogenization of tennis surfaces has taken away the variety from the sport. All you really need to win these days is to bash the ball 20+ times every point, from over 10 feet behind the baseline, for five+ hours! This leaves no room whatsoever for other players to showcase their wares. Serve and volley? Transition game? Approach shot? Fuhgeddaboudit!
For years Ivan Lendl tried to win Wimbledon with a serve and volley game that didn't come naturally to him, but in vain. The point here is that he realized he had no choice but to learn new tricks if he were to win on this surface.
Today's players really don't have to worry about adding variety to their games. How many of the top players can really volley well at the net? How many can really execute a good slice? Not only does this produce players that are less skilled, but it ruins it for the fans who watch this same drab over and over and over again!
Anyone wonder why Roger's game appeals to more people? Despite everything that the ATP has done to ruin the game, there he is right there, bringing out every trick in his bag to keep this sport entertaining. What happens when he's gone? What then? As you so rightly said Klye, it's time for the ATP to wake up and smell the roses before it's too late!
Yeah, I do know that the ATP is likely not to do anything
ReplyDelete