Favourite Tennis Players

Connors '75-'79 (so: loved Borg) McEnroe '79-'85 (so: loved Borg, Lendl) Becker '85-'99 (so: practically anyone on the other side of the net, but particularly Edberg, Agassi & Leconte)

Love of Henri probably peaked around '87, but now something I'm slightly embarrassed about because he's such a shameless ham. Remembered more for goofing around and the *hilarious* fencing-with-the-racket routine than for his outrageously sidespun passes and exquisite touch (see: Wimbledon r4 v Lendl, '85; qf v Cash, '86'; US Open qf v Lendl, '87; run to French final, '88). Ludicrously talented.

Edberg was magnificent at his peak; tragic to see him suddenly shrink to also-ran status during '94/'95, as if his game had become somehow old-fashioned. Between Laver and Agassi, got closest to career Grand Slam - 2-1 up v Chang at Roland Garros, '89. Beautiful player to watch. Henman is like an animatronic version of same - technically similar but somehow graceless.

As guilty of warming to former 'bad boys' once they're past their best as anyone - hence rooting for Jimmy C in the late 80s (exception: his recovery from 1-6 1-6 1-4 v Pernfors at Wimbledon '87; Mikael was another favourite), and Johnny Mac post-comeback. JPMcE really did plumb the depths in his day though - seems faintly amusing to see re-runs of the 'catchphrases' at SW19, but folks forget his physical abuse of a courtside cameraman at US Open '87 (penalised point, then game v Zivojinovic; escaped ban by claiming 'temporary insanity'), telling Brad Gilbert he 'wasn't fit to be on the same court' as him at '85 Masters and so on. Yeah, yeah - genius all the same.

Hana Mandlikova and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch were favourite women.

Three best title-winning displays: Hana v Martina N, USO '85 Lendl v Mac, USO '85 Edberg v Becker, Wimb '88

Of the current crop, I'd like to see Federer and Henin blossom into title-winners.

John Lloyd made week two in 1985 - but that was thanks to the weather forcing his 3rd round match v Henri Leconte to be postponed from the Saturday evening. Mark Cox possibly in the late 70s. Chris Wilkinson in '95 or so? Much before that it's the Henman of his day, Roger Taylor...

My favourite tennis player is Boris Becker, partly because he is the subject of Serge Gainsbourg's "Initials BB" and partly because Mike doesn't like him.

Favourite tennis playa hata: DG.

>>> Love of Henri probably peaked around '87, but now something I'm slightly embarrassed about because he's such a shameless ham.

I agree. Same peak enthusiasm - probably liked him more than I've ever liked another tennis player - but he's a ham now even more than he was then. But hey - in the Veterans' tournament or whatever it's called, ham is the name of the game? I remember Leconte making an extraordinary comeback on W'don court #2 c.1988 or so... have I got that wrong?

>>> Edberg was magnificent at his peak; tragic to see him suddenly shrink to also-ran status during '94/'95, as if his game had become somehow old-fashioned.

Always found him hard to love... but I trust your better judgement. Certainly backed him vs Becker in W'don finals (did they play any semis?). But then, I backed everyone vs Becker.

>>> Henman is like an animatronic version of same - technically similar but somehow graceless.

!! ... yes, I do kind of see a resemblance.

>>> As guilty of warming to former 'bad boys' once they're past their best as anyone - hence rooting for Jimmy C in the late 80s (exception: his recovery from 1-6 1-6 1-4 v Pernfors at Wimbledon '87; Mikael was another favourite),

Oh, I backed Connors that day. Like you, I liked him in that period. But on balance I now think Connors was a nasty fellow. I shouldn't have bothered supporting him.

>>> and Johnny Mac post-comeback.

Yes, me too. I esp. remember his run in 1991 - to the QFs, or the SF, was it? Seems odd to think of him making a semi so late in the day. He had the odd flare-up even then, didn't he?

>>> Hana Mandlikova and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch were favourite women.

What a sentence. Somebody take its stark minimalism and exotic naming away and put it out of context.

Great title-winning display: um - Goran I, 2001?

We have managed not to mention Steffi Graf. Why?

I feel sorry for Martina Hingis. Everyone says she can never win anything again.

Er... think '88 was the year he played the adolescent Chang on (possibly) Centre, and found himself on the the brink of a 2-set deficit before Gallic good sense prevailed. Henri's W'don progress was usually fairly trouble-free, until he met a Becker, a Mayotte or a Lendl. In '91 he led Guy Unforgettable by two sets on court #2, before an injury let his compatriot back in and retirement followed in set five (is that the one that's ringing a distant bell?). Last flourish in '93 - stopped in last sixteen by Billy Bremner (again).

>>Certainly backed him [Edberg] vs Becker in W'don finals (did they play any semis?). But then, I backed everyone vs Becker.

Of course, that's only sensible. All Ed Berg v Brigitte Bardot matches in SW19 were finals. In fact, I suspect their only other meeting in a GS was the '89 French semi (Ed in 5). Can't be bothered to check that up - it would involve looking at a big list of BB victories (beat SE 20-odd times in 30-odd meetings).

>> Yes, me too. I esp. remember his [McEnroe] run in 1991 - to the QFs, or the SF, was it? Seems odd to think of him making a semi so late in the day. He had the odd flare-up even then, didn't he?

Oh yes - defaulted from Aussie Open in '90 v Pernfors (claimed not to know that ATP had reduced the number of code violations required for a disqualification from four to three - which suggests that, far from being 'out of control', he had, in the past, known *precisely* when to stop being obnoxious). His 'twilight years' GS near-misses were: Wimb '89 & '92 (semis; '89: all but out v Cahill in r1, did his mental act v Fitzgerald, r4, classic victory over Wilander* in qf, lost three tight sets v Edberg; '92: epic 5-setter v Cash, r2, erupted at vital stage in t/b v Forget, qf, ultimately brushed aside by Agassi), Aussie Open qf '92 (bt defending champ Becker in straight sets, r3; lost to Ferriera), USO sf '90 (19-y-o Sampras in four).

(* - even more of a forgotten man than Ivan Lendl; he won 3GS in one year, y'know. And what about Jim Courier?)

>>Great title-winning display: um - Goran I, 2001?

Yeah, stick that on the list.

>>We have managed not to mention Steffi Graf. Why?

Not sure - her dominance (a bit like Sampras at Wimb) was never that exciting to behold. Just when she appeared to have a genuine rival (Sanchez-Vicario and Sabatini not being quite up to the task, Martina N being too old) in '92/'93, a demented fan eliminated the competition with a big knife. Her resurgence in '99 was enjoyable. Very odd - she won all those titles and all I can remember people saying is (from about '94 onwards) - "ah, not the Steffi of old"... she had a Henin-style rolled backhand which she seemed to dispense with after a while, and her net play became less frequent. Almost as if her game shrank to accommodate the paucity of opposition she faced.

Been thinking more about my dislike of McEnroe in the early 80s (and Navratilova for that matter) - possibly more to do with their apparent invincibility (short-lived in Mac's case) not being an appealing quality to me in my mid-teens. See also: Steve Davis, Liverpool FC, Eric Bristow, Jahanghir Khan (that's a lie, I was never interested in squash).

I read a recent article that stated that his performance against Jim Courier in the 1993 Canadian Open was one of the best strategically of all time. Ranked outside 100 at the time, Pernfors gave Courier everything he didnt want in a tennis match - low chips with backspin and slow wide balls with no pace. Tactically he mastered the world number one and was rewarded with his first tour win in five years.

Pernfors now plays on the senior circuit and has once again utilised his tactical awareness to great effect when winning the season ending Masters event in New York beating Gomez, McEnroe and Leconte along the way.

Mikael Pernfors was and is the greatest tactical player I have ever had the pleasure to watch and remains one of tennis' greatest talents.

I think I would be content with most of the potential men's winners this year, now that Hewitt is out and Sampras not around.

Am I the only person who thinks they might like Andy Roddick?

I liked his Seve Ballesteros arm-pump after breaking Rusedski for the last time. The mouth waters at the prospect of a semi with Federer. But that's another thread...

Another huge favorite (literally!) of mine is Max Mirnyi. His match with Magnus Norman at the 2000 Open was one of the most thrilling I've ever seen, and made me a permanent convert. I've also grown fond of Agassi -- particularly since an impressive display of class on his part at the 2002 US Open, a set down against Mirnyi, when he refused a fault because a crowd member had cackled during Mirnyi's serve. I find it oddly touching when tennis players do things like that, or when they rush to the aid of an opponent who's fallen victim to cramps (I remember Korda doing that sometime in the mid-'90s, and someone else -- was it Rainer Schuettler? -- doing so recently.)

I've seen some brilliant and thrilling matches from Richard Krajicek, Martin Verkerk (against Coria at Roland Garros this year), and Paradorn Srichaphan, but haven't seen enough of their play to really call them favorites (and with Krajicek retired now...). I also quite enjoyed Barry Cowan's rally against Sampras at Wimbledon 2001 -- a shame he's disappeared, as I'd like to see him play brilliantly again. Oh, and there's something I'm drawn to about Albert Costa's play -- can't put my figure on it, but when he's at his best, he's a pleasure to watch. And I bet I could become fond of Federer and Escude if I got to see more of them than I have.

On the women's side, I've been quite taken with Patty Schnyder after seeing play some of the best tennis I've ever seen from anyone against Capriati at (I think) the Family Circle Cup. She's disappointingly inconsistent, but when she's on, she's unbelievable. Oddly enough, I also like Capriati -- she can be very one-dimensional, but for some reason her power game appeals to me more than that of the Williams sisters et al., and I loved seeing her play smart against Serena Williams earlier this year, taking the pace off everything to elicit errors: maybe she learned something from Schnyder? (Too bad she lost the match.) I could grow to like Henin and Mauresmo, particularly if they start coming to the friggin' net more often -- wasn't Mauresmo about to turn into a serve-and-volley player or something? And I never used to like her, but I've become fond of Seles, in part because I've grown better able to see what made her so great in her prime -- there's something about the depth and angle of her shots that's really quite awe-inspiring and seems fundamentally different from most every other player I've seen.

Best matches I've seen: Borg v McEnroe in 80 and 81.

Fave woman player: Chris Evert (class, grace and the fact that I had a girlfriend who was a fair tennis player herself, who was her dead spitting image), Evonne Cawley (see above), both Martinas for completely different reasons, the second Mrs Agassi, Seles for fighting back (definitely NOT for her dress sense or her on-court vocals), personal favorite: the mainly forgotten Andrea Jaegar (for firmly shutting up an obnoxious, condescending Newk before a TV audience of millions at Kooyong around 82).

1) Prince Spectrum Comp -- I had this with Nylon Prism (rainbow-clored) strings in the 8th grade. Looked cool with the white frame
2) Wilson Pro Staff (original) -- because this is what all the rich and talented country club kids used when I was a kid, but I couldn't get my parents to pony up
3) Price Graphite (original) -- larger head and slightly more flexible than the Wilson, but never had the following
4) Prince CTS Lightning 90 -- the best of the CTS series, gimmicky-looking bridge dampening device, but it worked
5) Prince Boron -- because it was, like, $400
6) Prince Magnesium Pro -- Metal frame looked cool, Pat Cash used it, everyone seemed to hate it
7) Yamaha Secret 04 -- the 'cool' racquet to have when I was in the 9th grade. too heavy, though.

for sheer work-rate and all-round good bloke inclinations, pat rafter is hard to beat.

women
Chris Evert->
Gabriela Sabatini->
(hiatus)->
Chanda Rubin?/Amelie Mauresmo?

Another huge favorite (literally!) of mine is Max Mirnyi. His match with Magnus Norman at the 2000 Open was one of the most thrilling I've ever seen, and made me a permanent convert

that's how i feel about Mirnyi-Guga at the 2001 US Open.

Mecir an absolute original whose game was so fragile that, if his timing was off by a millisecond, could lose horribly and embarassingly to almost anyone. At his fluid, weightless best he could dismantle the greats of the day and make them look like unsubtle one-dimensional oafs. His destruction of Lendl in the '87 Lipton final, humbling Wilander 6-3 6-1 6-3 in the '88 Wimb qf (the only GS the Swede failed to win that year) and bamboozling Becker in the '86 US Open semi were peaks. Oh, and he won the Olympic title in Seoul. I'd love to see him at his best take on a Roddick or a Dent and make them look blustery and ridiculous.

Date I remember for her extraordinary second set vs Graf in the Wimb sf in '96. If the weather hadn't forced such a late start, they'd have been able to finish that night, and Date would surely have completed the job. As it was, Graf was fresher the next day, Date had left the zone, and Steffi was on her way to Wimbledon number seven.

First favourite: Borg
All-time fave: Goran
Current hope: Federer

I liked Ivan Lendl, if only because he wrote off his Ferrari swerving to avoid a fox. "I can buy a new car, but I can never replace the fox".

And yes, Mecir.

I think I might like Roddick too, but the jury's still out.

Hate hate destroy award goes to Mr Andre Agassi.

Ladeez: I confess a crush on Tracy Austin when I was 12. I am not proud of this.

Anke Huber: forever in Steffi's wake and my impure thoughts.

Jana Navotna always had a smile and a kindly word and broke my heart when she blew it against Steffi and cried for what seemed like a month.

As for fancying the ladeez, it was all Andrea Temesvari, Lisa Bonder and Carling Bassett when I was growing up. Hana M had that fringe thing going on and the haughty Slav demeanour. Rowr!

Recently rescreened footage of Wimbledon 1977 confirms Tim H's shock suggestion: Wade far more attractive than Barker.

Favourite male players, hmm. Anders Jarryd - a supreme doubles player and not half bad at singles. Mats Wilander - how did he manage it in 1988? Peter Doohan, for beating Boris when everyone thought he was invincible.

Recent years is even trickier. Perhaps I should wait till they're all retired before I answer this one.

*big sigh* I need to start up on tennis again. :)

rosie casals, 5'2", #3 women's singles in 1970, 56 doubles titles with billie jean, won wimbledon mixed with nastase in 70 and 72, v sharp dresser, poss first crush?

I also have a long-standing admiration for the man Agassi too.

Best females, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Jennifer Capriati, Jana Novotna.

I also have an unfaltering love for the Woodies.

People... posted to this thread.

As for the women: i got nothing but love for the Williams sisters. Though I prefer Venus

I thought of other answers to this thread the other day but am maybe now forgetting them.

But I like both Henin-H and Clijijijsters a lot.

i like clijsters and feel bad that she can't seem to win a final. justine h-h is okay, but mcenroe's worship of her is annoying. i liked hingis; is she done for good? i don't understand why venus isn't better than she is. sharapova is pretty. navratilova is just remarkable.

I still like H-Henin-H, and C-c-clijsters. I, too, want to see her win.

Women - Huber (rowr), Arantxa, Sharapova, Kournikova (sorry), Sugiyama, Hantuchova, Serena when on form and not being a dick.

Women - my first favourite players were Jana Novotna and Natasha Zvereva (emotional headcase and lazy party girl)... then I loved Iva Majoli and Irina Spirlea in the late 90s (lazy party girl and grumpy bitch who threw tantrums)... now, I am in love with most of the Russian revolution currently sweeping the game, led by the wondrous Anastasia Myskina. I like Justine Henin-Hardenne too.

I don't dislike many players, but Roddick is a dickhead, Capriati is a cheat, Clijsters makes me go to sleep and Philippoussis's game is horrific to watch. Serena can be very very annoying too.

Patty Schnyder is probably the closest thing to a new Natasha/Irina, she's as bonkers as Natasha and as grumpy/bitchy as Irina.

And Clijsters, of course. I was thinking today how it would be funny if the Belgians turned out to pronounce her name the way it 'looks'.

Very brief highlights last night of Lopez's 'thrashing' (Inverdale) of Ancic were thrilling.

The fact that I don't ike Hewitt helps, a little. JtN, surely you do not prefer Hewitt to Dent?

Inverdale last night called Dent 'linebacker-looking'.

WAHT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_sp_te_ne/ten_henin_quits

Oh no!

Oh noes :( :(

I guess the lack of a Wimbledon will be less glaring given that she's retiring way early. Oh, Justine, you and your amazingly buff legs...

Good riddance.

Despite her amazing ability and talent she has always been the sorest of sore losers. The sit that she pulled when playing Mauresmo in a Grand Slam final a while back made me lose all respect for her.

Of the current crop, I'd like to see Federer and Henin blossom into title-winners.
-- Michael Jones, Tuesday, 10 July 2001

Buff legs? ... I think I always preferred the chunkily wholesome Clijsters (let alone the other Venuses of the rainy summer courts).

25 seems awfully young for someone so successful to retire.

I was kind of WAHT about that, too. She had many more titles left in her!

i am not surprised at all, actually. i will miss her tho.

Go out on top. Really, its the way every athlete should retire.

Here's to the rest of her tennis-funded life. Have a good one, JH.

i know, it is very strange. i'll be glad to have some other players get further tho, not having to contend with her...

can't believe she is only 25

her coach crying at the press conference :-(((

I don't know what to think - I understand the "stopping while on top" argument, but doesn't this mean she never really liked the game, only the winning? :-/

I don't know what to think - I understand the "stopping while on top" argument, but doesn't this mean she never really liked the game, only the winning? :-/

That's what I feel. I can assure you the same thing would not be said of Serena Williams had she been in the same position - the press would have called her a coward and sore loser.

I don't understand when Henin became associated with sportmanship - this is the same woman who retired in the middle of the Australian Open final after trailing 6-1, 2-0 to Mauresmo because she was so afraid of losing. Henin has had a bad season, any way you look at it, and is facing potentially doing very badly at the French Open, her specialty, so this move does not surprise me. Let's not all pat her on the back for "going out on top," I think she was more motivated by fear of losing the top spot than anything else. Again, good riddance. She was an amazing player but I was not so keen on some of her antics.

I am charmed:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/may/20/tennis2

Yeah, she's very charming. Also I suspect she's a little bit crazy.

Yeah, she's very charming. Also I suspect she's a little bit crazy.

A good combination.

^Wasn't there a poll about that?

i love her

❤️ pic.twitter.com/YxtVWrlXIF

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022

:(

I had my money on Basel 2023 for a final bow.

has to be bitter his last competitive set was getting bageled by hurkacz but this was absolutely the right decision

Most relief I ever felt watching tennis.

very few sporting moments come close to Roger Federer completing the career grand slam 🥹🥹 the celebration was iconicpic.twitter.com/fJKGH90w6v

— Ryan (@Some1NamedRyan) September 15, 2022

will be interesting if he tries to give a singles match a go (& who world would put up against him) or just stick to dubs at laver cup