AMERICAN TENNIS LEGEND Pete Sampras Friday lamented the lost art of serve and volley tennis and the one dimensional nature of the modern game, which he likened to “throwing rocks” at each other.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion, who is in Melbourne to present the trophy to the men’s winner of Sunday’s Australian Open final, was the master of serve-volley, replete with a intuitive single-handed backhand.
Sampras said tennis has changed substantially since he retired after winning the 2002 US Open.
“The game certainly has changed in the last 10 years. The serve and volley tennis is a lost art. No one is really doing it,” he said. “Everyone is staying back and hitting the crap out of the ball, which is fun to watch.
“You look at Wimbledon these days. It is one-dimensional. It’s just the nature of technology, maybe the nature of how everyone is growing up with technology. They’re used to not having to volley, serve and volley. It takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Sampras said in his era Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic were great serve-vollyers along with him.
“Now everyone plays the same way; there’s just four or five guys that are a lot better than the rest,” he said. “Roger Federer has a little more variety, to come in, slice it, chip and charge occasionally, show a little bit of that.
“For the most part it’s just everyone staying back and throwing rocks.”
Asked if he was still playing would he be serving and volleying, he said: “Yeah, why wouldn’t I? Serve and volley on both serves. That’s the only way I know how to play.
“People say it’s harder to do it with the technology. But I think technology would have helped me out
“If I used these racquets that Rafa Nadal is using, it’s easier to serve, easier to volley. I could serve harder, longer. It would have been easier.
“It all evens out. But I think serve and volley tennis it would have been just fine today. I just think you need to know how to do it.”
I just don’t get this. All the South Africans were back playing for their clubs the week after playing for their country. Cian Prendergast, the Connacht captain mind, didn’t feature at all. Conor Murray the same in Munster. Just wondering if our Irish panel of 45 players are a bit precious ?
@Pat Cooney: Ireland played a 4 games. South Africa only had to play 3. So a lot of there players had all of last week off and they can also afford to do as they have a lot better strength in depth than us having used something like 52 players in total in the last couple of months. Where as Bealham and Hansen started in every game this Autumn Int.
@Harry O’ Callaghan: on the other hand though, South Africa were also coming off the Rugby Championship.
@teuO6nLS: No, they used a lot of new players throughout that tournament and it was spaced out. We haven’t used anywhere close to 52 players this year and last year. They have the luxury of resting their big game players like Etzebeth, Kolisi, Pollard, Kriel, Kolbe, Le Roux because they have tow or three players practically as good in that position. We don’t unfortunately. We rely on keeping momentum with a core player group of around 25. Prendergast should definitely play for Connacht as he’s only played 15th a of rugby in the last 4 weeks. Bealham, Aki and Hansen definitely deserve a rest especially Bealham as his mental fatigue was obviously showing when he knocked the ball on 3 times and gave away a penalty in the opening quarter against Australia.
@Pat Cooney: They weren’t released back to their clubs. At least they’ve got plenty of rugby under their belts. Izzy is about to turn 25, has the grand total of 11 starts for Ulster and was also sat on his hole.
Makes sense, i think the IRFU would probably want to rest other players like Doris, VDF and Porter
@Owen ODonoghue: it’ll be left up to the clubs. Play them now but rest them over Xmas or rest them now but play them over Xmas. It’s been like that the past two years that they have to get two consecutive weeks off