Navratilova was the last

After her brilliance, it's been all downhill for the women's game.  No more serve and volley, no more out and out winners, just unforced errors, as they call them.  Frankly, there's no such thing as an "unforced" error in my view because your opponent forces you to make one.  (Remind me to tell you about the time I was dinked to death by an inferior player, who annoyed me so much I kept pounding it out.)

But I digress.

It all began with Chris Evert when she started that relentless baseline pounding in the seventies.  She also introduced the two-fisted backhand -- something hitherto illegal.  At least she didn't start the grunting and screaming, now seemingly a must in the women's game.  That special honour goes to Monica Selles.  (Is that the reason someone stabbed her?  Sorry, cruel even for me.)  Steffi Graf brought some class and skill back to the game a few years later, but now it's all pound, pound, pound and scream, scream, scream until someone hits it out, or into the net.  A number of years ago, Wimbledon attempted unsuccessfully to ban screaming, but that valiant effort to bring back a little politesse to the game was blocked by money.  At least you still have to wear white. 

I miss the old game of skill and finesse the way Stephan Edberg, Pat Cash and even John McEnroe played it.  Raonic used to be a serve-and-pounder, but many of his winners in the last game I saw were won with angle shots and tap-in's at the net.  Too bad he's so boring and dull, an attitude Bjorn Borg perfected.  Where are the Connors and McEnroe's of this sport when we need them?  And the player who perfected 'rude' was Pete Sampras, a guy who blamed a tummy ache or the weather whenever he lost.  Never gave any credit to the poor slob across the net who had just beaten him.

Don't assume I play well, because I no longer play at all -- my hips having decided against it a number of years ago.  But I still love it.  The best tennis moment for me?  2004, centre court, Wimbledon, watching Federer beat Roddick for the title.  Doesn't get any better than that.