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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: ELA on May 10, 2021, 09:10:49 PM

Title: OT- Tennis
Post by: ELA on May 10, 2021, 09:10:49 PM
Seeing that for the first time in the history of the world rankings, which date back 50 years, no American is in the top 30 on the men's side.

Is tennis a dead sport here?

I played in HS, and used to follow a decent amount, but that ended years ago.  It seems like it's been Federer-Nadal-Djokovich for two decades now.  The later rounds of the Grand Slam events, at least, used to be a big deal, but I feel like that's not even the case anymore.

Does anyone here follow anymore?  Are there any posters, who used to, but found their interest dwindle, as I have?  Growing up, I felt like tennis was equal to golf, that you knew the top guys, and the Grand Slams, like the majors in golf, were must-see tv, but aside from that, they were filler.  Golf has Tiger, but it seems like they did a much better job at sustaining that moementum than tennis did with Sampras-Agassi in the 90s.
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on May 10, 2021, 10:14:37 PM

There were a few blonde Russians that I liked back in the day, but once they aged out I never bothered to familiarize myself with their replacements. 

(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f4bf20d3b9939853259b775790625f360f8a290b/469_329_2642_1585/master/2642.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=21c47ec9e93e1f3e428b2f029f58ac2f)
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: MarqHusker on May 10, 2021, 10:55:26 PM
It is interesting how the US men have vanished, for now.   Is tennis less interesting to watch?   I still watch the GS events, love watching these 3 guys.

Wonder is it just the US talent that has receded at least at the elite level or is the game also seeing dwindling fan interest?   I don't know this, I'm sure ratings have trended downward like all sports including NFL, some more than others. 

Golf seems to have a wonderful bench of deep, elite US talent right now, is it more compelling than a Tiger vs phil and or anyone else era?    Debatable to me.   The top 20 now seems a lot more interesting in golf than it was during Tiger reign,  he sucked oxygen from everything.  Though  Not for cliff's note fans as Tiger was the needle. 

Keeping it on tennis here, it would no doubt help a lot to see somebody from US get in the mix.   Very curious void though. 
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: utee94 on May 11, 2021, 08:36:02 AM
I liked watching tennis back in the Agassi/Sampras days.  I haven't watched much since then, other than the aforementioned blonde Russian women's tennis players...
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on May 11, 2021, 10:21:09 AM
There were a few blonde Russians that I liked back in the day, but once they aged out I never bothered to familiarize myself with their replacements.

(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f4bf20d3b9939853259b775790625f360f8a290b/469_329_2642_1585/master/2642.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=21c47ec9e93e1f3e428b2f029f58ac2f)
Aged out of the sport or your perv-view?   
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on May 11, 2021, 10:26:05 AM
I was into it for awhile, but tennis now is what baseball was in the 50s:  the same guys always winning.
I looked up Wimbledon and the Aussie Open......guess how manay non-trio champs there have been?
1 in Wimbledon, since 2003.  2003!  Andy Murray twice.
1 in the Australian Open since 2006.  
.
The total and utter dominance makes it not fun.  Nadal wins on clay.  Federer wins on grass.  Djokovic wins everywhere else.  It's boring.
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on May 11, 2021, 11:12:56 AM
Does the Pickleball explosion help or hinder Tennis? 

On one hand it gets people into the game, but if they are playing that instead then what difference does it make? 

Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on May 11, 2021, 11:28:28 AM


Here's a 2021 ranking of the WTA hotties.  

https://www.perfect-tennis.com/hottest-female-tennis-players/

The first few couldn't carry Kournikova's sports bra, but there are some decent ones towards the bottom. 

Sharapova and Woznick are the most recent players that I could name, and they both got honorable mention as retired players that are still bringing the goods. Kournikova didn't even make THAT part of the list. 
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: bamajoe on May 11, 2021, 11:31:39 AM
The lack of men tennis players in the US is baffling. The Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association has 80,000 members offering competition levels from beginners to pro levels. The USTA leagues in Atlanta are also quite popular. If you come down and need a game, call me
.
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on May 11, 2021, 11:33:51 AM

Here's a 2021 ranking of the WTA hotties. 

https://www.perfect-tennis.com/hottest-female-tennis-players/

The first few couldn't carry Kournikova's sports bra, but there are some decent ones towards the bottom.

Sharapova and Woznick are the most recent players that I could name, and they both got honorable mention as retired players that are still bringing the goods. Kournikova didn't even make THAT part of the list.
Kournikova is a Mt Rushmore of 1.  
Sharapova is okay, but she's like 6'1".
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on May 11, 2021, 11:47:48 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjJxD1j0P1I
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: MaximumSam on May 11, 2021, 12:39:36 PM
I can't remember ever really following tennis, but my college girlfriend liked it and we went to the event they did in Cincinnati. I tried to keep a tennis ball that got knocked into the stands and got yelled at by ref or linesman or whatever they call them.
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: FearlessF on May 11, 2021, 01:19:11 PM
I watched way back in the day when Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe kicked Jimmy Conner's arse

with only 3 TV channels, tennis was the only sport on in that time slot.
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: betarhoalphadelta on May 11, 2021, 01:51:20 PM
The lack of men tennis players in the US is baffling. The Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association has 80,000 members offering competition levels from beginners to pro levels. The USTA leagues in Atlanta are also quite popular. If you come down and need a game, call me
It is, to be honest. Tennis is quite literally the type of sport that nearly anyone can play as long as they have a racket and a tennis ball, both of which are cheap relative to other sports equipment. It's not like hockey where you need tons of equipment that you grow out of yearly as a child, or like golf where the equipment AND the greens fees are expensive. 

The barrier to entry to play tennis is quite low; not much more than basketball. And all you need is two players--or one player and a brick wall.

That said, the sport just isn't popular here. I suspect it doesn't attract youth because it's just not "cool".

Sharapova is okay, but she's like 6'1".
I fail to see the problem there?
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on July 02, 2021, 02:31:10 PM
(https://klekt.s3.amazonaws.com/690838.jpg)
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: FearlessF on July 02, 2021, 02:32:00 PM
for sale on FB Marketplace???
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: ELA on July 02, 2021, 04:08:05 PM
Back to the original point of the thread.  They kicked Wimbledon coverage to ESPNews, so ESPN could show their Euro PREGAME coverage.  Yikes
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: Kris60 on July 04, 2021, 10:30:06 AM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=om6iH-AiMr4

I have to include one of my favorite bits from one of my favorite comedians in this thread.
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: EastAthens on July 05, 2021, 02:13:49 AM
The lack of men tennis players in the US is baffling. The Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association has 80,000 members offering competition levels from beginners to pro levels. The USTA leagues in Atlanta are also quite popular. If you come down and need a game, call me
.
I played ALTA for 20 years. I won 7 bag tags and got as high as A-7 then got sick and never went back. I think Atlanta may be the tennis capital at this point, nobody else seems to be playing like this.  I  remember Martina Navratilova playing an exhibition at Bitsy Grant and being annoyed because the ALTA match on a lower court kept playing
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: EastAthens on July 05, 2021, 02:15:39 AM
http://bitsytennis.com
Title: Re: OT- Tennis
Post by: bamajoe on July 05, 2021, 08:55:33 AM
I played ALTA for 20 years. I won 7 bag tags and got as high as A-7 then got sick and never went back. I think Atlanta may be the tennis capital at this point, nobody else seems to be playing like this.  I  remember Martina Navratilova playing an exhibition at Bitsy Grant and being annoyed because the ALTA match on a lower court kept playing
About 20 years ago I was ushering a World Team Tennis match somewhere in Cobb County that Martina was playing. You got a tee shirt, free admission and got to see some great players like Martina, Borg and the Jenson Brothers for being an usher. Martina did not like where I was standing and yelled at me. My call to fame.