Talk About Tennis 2.0

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 3:32 pm

mmmm8 wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 3:21 pm It's not a mystery or a secret. The court is publicly available and can be booked - it's ~$40-60 per 1/2 hour (not much off the average for NYC), with prices varying by time of day

https://vanderbilttennisclub.com/promos/

So not members only?

Nope, and they have two "sister" clubs that I've taken lessons at, all very democratic.

https://vanderbilttennisclub.com/about/

I don't believe in comparing era's of tennis. Now if you assume that Borg would play modern day clay tennis...I'll go with Rafa.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat May 22, 2021 12:41 am

Borg WAS using a modern racquet - for the time...
His Donnay Borg Pro was known to be stiffer than most wood racquets at the time - it was reinforced with graphite. It had a long grip to accommodate the 2 handed backhand... Even the cosmetics were more modern than any other wood frame of the time (with the possible exception of the overwhelmingly ugly Snauwaert Gerulaitis).
(It looks like he's using the Donnay Allwood in the photo, though - the predecessor to the Borg Pro.)

I, too, see absolutely no point in the 'who would win' nonsense between players of different eras. These are the kind of questions that are absolutely impossible for anyone to answer, or to even have an educated opinion on.

But they are fun questions . No harm in talking about it.
Rafa would not be able to hit his forehand with Borg's racquet. That racquet's weight was 16 ounces, because, as Deuce says, it was specially made for him. Because Borg strung his racquet at 80Lbs, he needed three extra laminations on each side or the racquet's head would crack under the pressure. So, try to imagine Rafa hitting that forehand with that much weight. I say his elbow would break soon after the first set.
Borg and all those greats were also smaller than the current crop. They were around the 5'10" mark. Lendl immediately made the push to larger champions as he was about 6'2". But what Borg had that separated him was his speed and stamina. Remember, Borg resting heartbeat was 36; basically half of a normal human being (Miguel Indurrain, the spanish cyclist, was 30).
And, apart than motor sports, no sport has changed equipment as much as tennis. I believe I have played with all kinds of racquets, and the technology today is insane. I played with the Dunlop Maxply, hit with the Jack Kramer, played with the T-2000 (actually, the T'3000), the Yonex R-22, the Maxply 200G and the family of Wilson's Pro Staff and the racquets make a lot of difference.
So, I say: wood racquets: Borg beats Rafa at RG. Modern racquets? Rafa, 8-6 in the fifth.
Borg was special too.
(Slick, 1985 grass? McEnroe beats Roger at Wimby. 2005 grass? Roger turns it around).

Remember our discussion about Shapo and his need to change his game? Here's an interesting discussion about it.

Good for him and his team. Went down to a challenger, won it, got more practice. Kind of shows they know there is still a lot to work on.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat May 22, 2021 5:16 pm Remember our discussion about Shapo and his need to change his game? Here's an interesting discussion about it.

I don't find him anywhere near as entertaining or dynamic as Gael.

Name to remember, possibly - Peyton Stearns, a freshman player at Texas. She played #1 this season. and just made an incredible comeback in the National team championship match for a W they had to have, against a senior. (It’s still not over - coming down to the deciding 7th court on ESPN something or Tennis Channel right now, 8:45 pm Eastern on Sat).

Stearns is from Mason, Ohio, where the Cincinnati Masters is held.

The men’s and women’s NCAA individual championships starts tomorrow, I think. Encourage you to check it out. Emma Navarro is playing.


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NCAA individual championships are on Tennis One right now, and through the week. Right now (Tuesday, 2 pm ET), Estela Perez-Somarriba from U of Miami/Spain is playing. Defending national champion.

Tennis.com launched a redesign, and maybe I never noticed it before, but there's a prominent section called Betting Central, with articles such as tips and a glossary for new gamblers and also analyzing a match pick of the day. It's sponsored by Fan Duel but presented as editorial, not advertorial. I was stunned. If tennis is going to continue embracing betting, they have to let players be sponsored by betting companies, in my opinion. They can't keep letting everyone else (particularly tournaments) cash in and not players.