Blake manhandles Janowicz

Hello

 

I am the emancipator.

LOL. Blake, the 33yr old golden oldie beat JJ, the leading light of the Lost generation 6-1, 7-5.

What's more he did it on the fast courts of Cincinnati where one would think JJ's big serve would give him a significant advantage.

What a tragic state of affairs.

I guess we'll have to wait another five years or so at least before we see the emergence of a truly great youngster.

Blake played smart all court tennis and quite frankly made JJ look like a bit of a 1-D plodder.

I'm seeing a despairing trend in men's tennis that mirrors the course of events over the last ten years in women's tennis.

An endless stream of baseline bashers who are basically allergic to playing any other style of tennis, and who, when they attempt to mix things up by going to the net, fail miserably (Djokovic - who's attempts at net play and not-so-subtle drop shots in the W final were some of the most pathetic I've ever seen from a top player).

It seems all the variety on tour is represented by the (very) older generation and sadly at the top of the game we have four metronomic ball drillers who rely more on outlasting than outwitting.

 

emancipator - universal tennis correspondent reporting from the empty centre court stadium, Cincinnati

Points

1) Good article title - like a Sun headline it drew me in
2) Agree with your weariness over the young baseline bashers, but then again people on these boards seem to think that it's the only form of Tennis
3) Novak had an off day. Unfair to use that, not certain (despite 2011) that grass isn't his worst surface
4) We have a player who is still amongst the youngest half of the Top 100, who plays with variety, i.e. we don't have to rely on "the (very) old generation". His name is Andy Murray

Please don't mention Novak's Wimbledon net-play. I've spent the last month trying to forget it.

Sadly, when I do manage to forget it, it vacates a space in my memory which is then filled by the memory of his net play at RG.

And just to put the cherry on the depressing cake, I then remember that Raonic is now a top ten player.

Maybe I should start watching football again.

banbrotam wrote:Points

1) Good article title - like a Sun headline it drew me in
2) Agree with your weariness over the young baseline bashers, but then again people on these boards seem to think that it's the only form of Tennis
3) Novak had an off day. Unfair to use that, not certain (despite 2011) that grass isn't his worst surface
4) We have a player who is still amongst the youngest half of the Top 100, who plays with variety, i.e. we don't have to rely on "the (very) old generation". His name is Andy Murray

I'd be inclined to agree if he showed that much vaulted variety more than once in a blue moon.

What I see 90% of the time is a guy who stays behind the baseline and counter-punches, who's prevalent modus operandi is to outlast his opponent. In any case the point stands. Most of the variety on tour is produced by the older generation (29+).

As for Novak and his net play - really, he should just quit with that. It brings nothing to his game except embarassment. He's an exceptional baseliner and a poor net player. The Wimbledon catastrophe is the latest example. It's certainly not just one match.

Otherwise a decent response.

Murdoch - a truly unbiased poster.  

 

emancipator

When you say variety, I assume you specifically mean net play.

Because in terms of slice, drop shots, lobs, passing shots... The under 30's aren't lacking. Also, Rafa and Andy are very good at the net. They just don't go there that often because on these slower courts its less effective. And to be fair to Novak, he's desperately trying to improve his net game, and he has done so over the last year or so.

Take the top 3 back to Wimbledon in the 90's they'd be all over the net. And if course the over 30's are going to be at the net more, they are more keen than anyone to shorten the points. They aren't doing it selflessly, purely for aesthetics... It's a tactic to negate their age related decreasing mobility.

Did you know in Federer's second Wimbledin title he didn't approach the net once in the final? I really like your articles emancipator, and I respect your opinions... I just feel this is romanticising the past a little bit. Good read though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23ipUpHFr00

W final 2004 (Fed's second W final)

You can see from just the first 5 mins of the video, both players approaching the net on multiple occasions inc. S&V.

There's an irony that a very decent net player like Andy has cut back on his net approaches and had the year of his life.

Novak, who is a rather poor net player, has tried approaching the net more and is struggling to win big matches!

emancipator wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23ipUpHFr00

W final 2004 (Fed's second W final)

You can see from just the first 5 mins of the video, both players approaching the net on multiple occasions inc. S&V.

I haven't seen that in ages! Nice reminder of how good Roddick's serve was and how well Federer returned it.

Emancipator - perhaps I'm mixing it up, maybe it was the first.

It was one of his prime Wimbledon finals anyway. It was on ESPN classic a couple of months ago and I remember Andrew Castle sounding smug as he informed us of the disparity between this match and Federer's win over Sampras in terms of net play.

Ok wasn't his first, he was at the net loads v Philipousis.

Look, it happened... Ok?!  

Perhaps the W final of 2002, Hewitt vs Nalby - no net approaches, or maybe no serve and volley points, in that one iirc.

Maybe I was thinking of me vs my mate Steve at the courts behind the community centre last Saturday...

I'm often amused at the articles dedicated to the new generation with things like who's the most talented etc They all suck. We shouldn't have to be looking out for them and trying to learn their names, they should be making them. The new generation isn't supposed to just do things better than the previous, they're supposed to take the game in a new direction and innovate. As it is even Murray has a chance of catching Fed's slam record... Well I've always said he was supposed to be the best of the top 4 and noticed his GOAT potential back in 2008. Maybe he deserves his chance.

HM Murdoch wrote:Please don't mention Novak's Wimbledon net-play. I've spent the last month trying to forget it.

Sadly, when I do manage to forget it, it vacates a space in my memory which is then filled by the memory of his net play at RG.

And just to put the cherry on the depressing cake, I then remember that Raonic is now a top ten player.

Maybe I should start watching football again.

I am from same place of Raonic but I have to say after his match against Rafa in the Montreal finals I gave up on Tennis, Raonic made Rafa look like an ultra aggressive and heavenly skilled player, the difference ins skill level was just way too much, if this is what next generation gonna offer me then I am done with Tennis, these days my interest for tennis is completely gone.

The only skilled player I see in the so called youngsters is David Goffin, and he doesn't have the physicality to stand todays tennis, Dimitrov's such in consistent and error rich game is more boring than Raonic's game.

Grisha could win here beating - in succession - Rafa, Roger, Andy and Nole.

Any takers?

@SB... stranger things have happened.

summerblues wrote:Grisha could win here beating - in succession - Rafa, Roger, Andy and Nole.

Any takers?

What Grisha could do at his best is to win a set from Rafa which he did, I guess he would go home happy.