My favorite sport is tennis, and what a smorgasbord of talent and great matches was on display in the just completed French Open. To no surprise, Rafa Nadal, the number one player in the world (but just barely) maintained his number one ranking by beating Roger Federer in a suspensful match 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1. Every point was fought as two gladiators fought to the death for the first three sets before fatigue and Nadal's unrelenting pressure broke open the last set.
It is a real treat to have two players of the stature of Nadal and Federer---and now made a triumvirate by the fantastic streak of Novak Djokovic who won 43 straight matches from December of last year until beaten by Roger Federer in the French semi-finals two days ago. If Federer had beaten Nadal in the finals, Djokovic would have attained the number one ranking.
I have been a tennis buff since my early teens when tennis replaced baseball as my favorite playing sport. We have had a galaxy of stars over the years, but I think the present period, with these three collosi bestriding the tennis world has the greatest depth of talent I've ever seen. Of course, the game has radically changed since I was a boy. From the days of wooden racquets with Jack Kramer and Pancho Gonzalez or the Aussies Sedgman, Laver and Newcombe,or John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, to name a few, the game has morphed into a new dimension.It produced Sampras, Agassi and then the latest crew headed by the triumvirate.
Why and how? Several reasons: new equipment: major innovations in space-age materials to create new racquets with the velocity (it seems sometimes) of guns; new mixtures of nylon ang gut strings in new configurations; the incredible emphasis on top physical conditioning of today which has created a new breed of fit warriors;
the mechanics of the game where it has even changed the way the ball is struck. In the old days, flat line drives and "cuts" with emphasis on serve and charge the net to volley were the standard operating procedures. You hit the ball with a "shaking hands" eastern grip or a modified slight turn of the racquet to a Continental grip for serving or volleying or a more pronounced turn of the wrist for a backhand. Now they hit with Western grip where the racquet is turned over in the hand and the swing, instead of pointing to the net, ends up somewhere over your head, while the ball rockets into the opponent;s court and has a high kick when it lands. It is a totally different game. If I tried to play it, I'd get killed!
And then you reach 2011 with this dominant triumvirate, and,in the near background moving up fast, are a host of young giants ranging from 6'5' to 6'9" who are readying for a challenge. And they are all fast and fit!
Ah, it's fun to be alive and see this treasure trove of talent. It's going to get even better---you watch.
I'd like to see the current crop play McEnroe, Connors, Laver, etc. with the equipment of their day.
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