Post Big 3

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JazzNU United States of America
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Re: Post Big 3

#16

Post by JazzNU »

Suliso wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:29 pm
I'm too young to remember Evert, but I do know that Graf was a huge star in Germany. Together with Boris the real faces of tennis in that country. When they retired interest in tennis waned considerably and only very recently has been rekindled to a large extent.
It was all Monica Seles, all the time in the US. Steffi was respected and a tennis star. Monica was the one grabbing the headlines and was the superstar and it wasn't close.

I'm also too young for Evert's prime, but since she's American, I've heard plenty from a wide range of current TV personalities here and one of the best ways to illustrate her popularity is that the number of 50-60 ish year old men that had Chrissie Evert as a poster on their wall is astounding. She was the girl next door that the parents approved of having a crush on.
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Re: Post Big 3

#17

Post by Suliso »

Berrettini is a very good looking guy, but is he capable of winning anything big? I have my doubts and without winning he'll be no more than male Hantuchova. :)

As for why Anisimova didn't get far more attention than she did still mystifies me. I guess I just don't remember what the immature things she did were.
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Re: Post Big 3

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Post by JazzNU »

Suliso wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:50 pm Berrettini is a very good looking guy, but is he capable of winning anything big? I have my doubts and without winning he'll be no more than male Hantuchova. :)

As for why Anisimova didn't get far more attention than she did still mystifies me. I guess I just don't remember what the immature things she did were.
You are shortchanging Matteo if you think Hantuchova is the female comparison of him in the looks department. And Anna Kournikova didn't need to win anything big to garner attention and he wouldn't either. He's top 10, been to the semis of the US Open, has won titles, and unlike Musetti, didn't wilt in the match against Nole, and that is plenty.

Understand, I'm not saying he can replace the interest that the Big 3 garner. I'm saying that here is a player that is already successful, already has good results that you can put out there as another face of the tour, and one that can easily attract attention from non-tennis fans. You can make him into a superstar and the ATP is desperate for one that doesn't have any baggage.
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Re: Post Big 3

#19

Post by JazzNU »

Also, likely lost in my original comment is a point about Tsitsipas that I seriously have no idea about. Why do so many players hate him? Whatever the reason, it has the potential to be a problem down the line in a bigger way outside of the players. And to my mind, in terms of trying to move on from the Big 3 era, you need likable Roger & Rafa stars to carry you into the next phase, not a Novak leading the pack. You can easily find more guys willing to say something nice about Sascha before Stef, and right now, that's kind of shocking.
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Re: Post Big 3

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Post by Suliso »

I knew you'd bring up Kournikova! There was only ever one Kournikova and this kind of thing doesn't seem to work for men as well (unfair perhaps, but a fact). I'm just trying to think of a man who could sustain a huge popularity without winning big fairly soon. I'm coming up empty... Ivanisevic maybe before he won Wimbledon? Or perhaps James Blake? Can you think of a better example?

Mind you I have nothing against Berrettini at all. Maybe he'll be more successful than I imagine.
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Re: Post Big 3

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Post by Suliso »

JazzNU wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:21 pm Also, likely lost in my original comment is a point about Tsitsipas that I seriously have no idea about. Why do so many players hate him? Whatever the reason, it has the potential to be a problem down the line in a bigger way outside of the players. And to my mind, in terms of trying to move on from the Big 3 era, you need likable Roger & Rafa stars to carry you into the next phase, not a Novak leading the pack. You can easily find more guys willing to say something nice about Sascha before Stef, and right now, that's kind of shocking.
This I would also like to know...

We did have Sampras era and it wasn't all bad. Pete was not unlikeable, but kind of bland...
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Re: Post Big 3

#22

Post by JazzNU »

Suliso wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:28 pm I knew you'd bring up Kournikova! There was only ever one Kournikova and this kind of thing doesn't seem to work for men as well (unfair perhaps, but a fact). I'm just trying to think of a man who could sustain a huge popularity without winning big fairly soon. I'm coming up empty... Ivanisevic maybe before he won Wimbledon? Or perhaps James Blake? Can you think of a better example?

Mind you I have nothing against Berrettini at all. Maybe he'll be more successful than I imagine.

Gael Monfils. Grigor Dimitrov. Andy Roddick was very popular before he won his US Open title. People weren't at all saying "who?" when they were talking about who Mandy Moore was dating. He had already hit the mainstream before then. There's others too. In terms of an Anna K equivalent, I'm saying, you need a PR machine behind that person to create anything that is even a fraction of that. Her mother was a horrifying stage mother, but she knew what she was doing. I'm not suggesting that for Matteo, but are there ways to get some attention on him that he isn't getting right now? Yes, and it would help bring more attention to someone other than the Big 3 and some of the next gen that is getting a lot of attention, but aren't ready to take the reigns just yet from the Big 3.

Musetti's marketing team got him an Italian magazine cover before he made a splash in Rome last year. Matteo's team couldn't get that after he made the semis at the US Open. He needs new management to accomplish what I'm suggesting.

As for his success, I think it's easy to forget many of us barely knew who he was before 2019. He's had a remarkable rise in a short amount of time, so I wouldn't put a cap on his future right now.
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Re: Post Big 3

#23

Post by dmforever »

Maybe Matteo is happy with the way things are now and doesn't want any more publicity than his matches bring him. Just a thought. :)

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Re: Post Big 3

#24

Post by Deuce »

I don't really understand the comparisons between Musetti and Berrettini, as the former is 6 years younger than the latter. You can't compare the two in terms of on-court maturity and experience. And, as for potential, of course the media view Musetti as having more, because he's younger. Berrettini is 25 years old, and he has a career that is more than respectable. But I don't think anyone realistically sees him as a potential #1.
But with Musetti, because he's only 19 years old, people see more potential - including potential #1. Simply because he hasn't been around long enough to show that he is or is not #1 material.
So I really don't see any point in comparing the two.

As for tennis in the 'post big 3 era'... I think it will be just as interesting and as exciting as the 'big 3 era' has been - but for very different reasons. There will be much more parity. I don't see there being a heavy favourite for any Major on any surface for a long while.
And that's a good thing, in my view.

The 'big 3 era' has been interesting mainly because of the rivalries between those 3 players. One need only look at the number of Majors each has won. When someone other than one of those 3 won a Major, it was always considered a big surprise - even including Murray's wins, I would say.
Post 'big 3', the rivalries will be more numerous, and matches will be less predictable. I'm looking forward to it.
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Re: Post Big 3

#25

Post by ponchi101 »

The Big Three era can be extended to 1990 and make the big four, because that was when Sampras broke through. That the four winningest players of all time are compressed in three decades is an amazing fact.
For me, I will of course continue to watch the sport. But I think that the best tennis of my life will be behind. I like Stefanos' game, Medvedev's attitude, and Sinner as a person. But they have yet to produce edge-of-your-seat tennis, at least to me. Of course they have produced great points, majestic strokes and good matches, but I just can't recall anything by them that even remotely comes close to Wimbledon 2008, Australia 2011, or even Rome 2006 (Roger/Rafa). In the end, I am sure that it will not be because of them that the sport will decline; to me, simply, tennis is not a sport for the new generations. It takes too long, it is complex, it has too many subtleties. Tennis is Symphonic Music at a time of reggaetón and twerking. It is just for a few of us.
Tennis is Mozart, Miles, Pink Floyd, Carmina Burana when those things are slowly fading away.

The days of an entire nation watching a combination of Roger/Rafa/Nole, or Sampras/Agassi at the USO may be over soon. This will be for us, the Cognoscenti.
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Re: Post Big 3

#26

Post by Suliso »

I still like tennis and do watch it regularly, but I'm not into it as strongly as I was in my twenties and early thirties. Not watching any sport as much as I used to to be fair.
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Re: Post Big 3

#27

Post by mick1303 »

I think TS asked a question about popularity contest rather than tennis qualities and accomplishments. If we forget about popularity, then next "Big 3" already separated themselves from the rest. They are of course Zverev, Medvedev and Tsitsipas. Each of them has masters titles, Grand Slam final appearances and YEC title. Nobody of other "Next Gen" has a list of accomplishments comparable to these three. Thiem is an interesting case. He could've lead this group, but unfortunately he became disinterested and permanently injured. Probably mentally burned from being so many times "oh so close". And then he finally got his slam, it killed all the motivation.
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Re: Post Big 3

#28

Post by ponchi101 »

Pros and cons of the next gen, to become a fave (my list, of course):
Medvedev: PROS. He seems to be a fun guy, he seems smart, has a good sense of humor. CONS. I really have a hard time thinking of a player that I consider has an uglier game than Medvedev. And I mean EVER. There have been ugly strokes in the game, but to me, Daniil's strokes are Dantesque.
Tsisipas: PROS. Gorgeous game, with a great forehand and a one handed backhand. The overall strokes are a beauty. CONS. Hard to find another player as silly as Stefanos. A mask of you wearing a mask, wearing a mask, ad infinitum? And the daddy relationship is a real turn off.
Zverev: PROS. Perhaps the sole two handed backhand that I consider beautiful. The power is great, and if you take away the frequent double faults, the serve is a great stroke. When he gets it in. CONS: The DB's are troublesome, too frequently involved in controversy, whines a bit too much a bit too frequently.
Sinner: PROS. Great personality, for those that like the quiet type. Great back court strokes, and still very young so who knows how much he can improve. CONS. Very uni-dimensional. Flat strokes from both sides all the time, reminding me of Cilic, Delpo and Berdych too much.
Muzetti. PROS. Another one handed BH, which is a beauty. But not much else. CONS. Man, that quitting at RG in the fifth is going to take a long time to be erased. You just never quit, Lorenzo.
Shapo. PROS. A good looking game, a one handed BH. CONS. When you whine about 6 figures paydays, it shows how entitled you are and how out of touch. And the rapping...
Felix: PROS. If you like power, he can be one of the guys. Seems honest and hard working. CONS. I really can't think of anything. Maybe his lack of variety?
Berrettini: PROS. Seems reasonable, he could bring more people as fans due to his good looks, is improving in everything. CONS. It is just me, but I don't like the strokes. Too much of a slapper, using just force and strength to get the job done. But, again, just me. If somebody were to say his strokes are beautiful, all I could say would be TOMATO-TOMATOE.
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Re: Post Big 3

#29

Post by atlpam »

What's your take on Rublev? Seems he's worth a mention in this list. His attitude/reactions at the Olympics made me a fan.
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Re: Post Big 3

#30

Post by ponchi101 »

True. I forgot about him. If I am putting all these, Andrei should make the list.
But, the answer is there. If I can't even remember to put him in a list of POTENTIAL faves, that seems pretty bad, no?
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