Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
General Topics => Other Sports (Not Football) => Topic started by: Highlander on January 28, 2018, 21:23:03 PM
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His Australia Open win today surely confirms him as "the greatest tennis player ever to have walked on the planet". :)
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Greatest tennis player and, by all accounts, really nice guy. Well done Federer.
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Perhaps, John and Marina but there are other contenders (in men's tennis), I think.
The modern equipment has allowed him to continue to play top class tennis at 36 years of age.
That would be unthinkable with the old, wooden things that had a "sweet spot" the size of a penny. The shots played today were simply impossible with those racqets of old.
Borg's achievements were remarkable and he retired at 26. Another 10 years with today's equipment - who knows what he would have achieved.
McEnroe would have been a worthy adversary.
Jimmy Connors won more titles than Federer has currently.
Federer may well be the "greatest" male player - but was he the best?
In terms of "greatness" in tennis then Margaret Court will probably never be beaten.
24 Major singles titles, 64 altogether, more than 90% win rate.
What would these great players of old have achieved with modern equipment, dieticians, fitness gurus, psychologists, no money worries, first class everything.
That said, Federer's emotional response to winning today was a lump in the throat time for me as well (and I'm not ususally given to that sort of thing).
He is indeed a great player.......but the greatest?
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Fair points stuart T - it is of course folly to compare one era to another.
Borg was my hero - he was superb, as was McEnroe and Connors although not quite in the same class (in my opinion).
Margaret Court was awesome as was Annabel Croft and Gabriela Sabatini (not for their ability on the court of course)
And our point regarding dieticians, fitness gurus, psychologists is well made but when you step on the court it's one against one.
PS I used to have a Dunlop Maxply but God knows what happened to it.
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In women's tennis I cannot believe that any female could stand up to either Williams sister at their best.
N*****ilove, Hingis, Evert, Graf - wonderful players with exquisite touch but the power of (especially Serena) Williams is
way beyond the norm.
I liked your choice of Croft and Sabatini but for jaw drop gorgeousness - Anna Kournikova (now with Joe Church's son, Enrique Iglesias).
I have encountered features like hers only on trips to Iceland where, apart from Bjork, they all seem look like Anna K. A nation of stunning beauties.