Women's tennis

Nick Bollettieri has pretty much ruined women's tennis.  It's all pound-it-from-the-baseline-until-someone-hits-it-out-or-into-the-net.  No one hits "winners", just losers and unforced errors. 

Boy, what a tough way to get a point.  Rallies sometimes last 20 or 30 shots.  Exhausting.  I miss Martina Navratilova and her magnificent serve-and-volley game.  That girl made winners.  She won the points, didn't flub them.  The last man who was beautiful to watch was Stephan Edberg -- another serve-and-volley guy who literally pranced up to the net and put it away.  Roger?  He's brilliant and does quite a bit of serve-and-volley, but only when he's down and has to pull out all the stops.  Just listened to him and his favourite player is Edberg, naturally.

Bjorn Borg was completely boring.  Loved Johnie Mac and sort of liked Connors.  Becker had the moves and a lot of courage, so did Agassi.  But no one compared with Ilie Nastase for breathtaking and irresistible outrageousness.  Another?  Google Whitney Reed and you will find a guy who loved the game and played hard on and off the court -- booze and women his forte -- oh, and along with brilliant tennis. 

Today the giants treading the courts are boring.  They don't even look as if they are having any fun, never crack a smile or play to the crowd.  It's all about money.  I remember a great book we had, 'Tennis for the Bloody Fun of It', by Rod Laver and Roy Emerson, two Aussi's.  Guess today's circuit players haven't read it.      

Men's tennis is pretty much "pound it" too.  Not that I have any business commenting (since when did that stop me) because I no longer play, my bursitis-ridden hips preventing it, but I still love to watch.  Problem is I just wait for the unforced error to end the point.  Heck, Venus Williams had 44 in her last match yesterday at the US Open!  Out in the first round.

Just have to throw in here that I find it unfair that the women now get the same prize money as the men -- even though they play two fewer sets.  Once again, women want equality......but not really. 

B still has every sh-t shot in the book.  Having played junior Exhibition Davis Cup as a teen, he's got 'em all, which is why I hated playing him when we were younger.  "Hit it to me," I used to instruct him.  "What!?  Are you crazy?" he would reply, dropping one just over the net with so much juice on it it bounced back the other way as I stumbled to reach the ball -- never succeeding.  I don't think in all the years I played him I even got a game, let alone a set!  Maybe a few points here and there, but as soon as I would get a point, he would wake up from his bored torpor and hammer me.

Our kids grew up at tennis clubs -- particularly The Rideau in Ottawa, where I was reared.  My mother's photo box has shots of me in a baby carriage outside a court they were playing on.  B and I followed their lead, taking all four kids to that club as toddlers and kids for lessons and lazy days by the pool.  Great, great memories.

There's something about a tennis club.......................