alfajeffster said:
I'd always read and heard that Ann Jones was pretty much a card-carrying baseliner with a loopy lefty forehand that she could put on a dime anywhere in her opponent's court. Did she have that same secret weapon that Rod Laver, Martina Navratilova, and John McEnroe could pull out of the bag on the big points with great effect- the sliced lefty hook out wide to the ad court?
In a word - no. Along with most players of the era her serve was not simply strong enough.
In watching matches from the 60s you're struck by how pedestrian the pace is compared to today. It seems almost painful. Put players including Margaret up against today's top stars and they would get blasted off court. This is why I think it is unfair and almost impossible to judge the greatest except by what they achieved in their own era. A Margaret born 40 years later with access to the fitness regimes and tecnology of the age or a Serena 40 years earlier with a wooden racquet and the conditions of the time is a whole different story, of course.
Even being pulled out wide there would still be time to recover and be in place for your opponent's reply, less chance of course against a net rusher. Apart from Court and King ,Ann along with the others did not have an anyway powerful serve having to rely more on spin and placement than power. It did improve later in her career when she started using a steel racquet but prior to this her second service was little better than a dolly-dropper.
Her topspin forehand was probably a better shot and more powerful than most gave her credit for. Her great strength was in her tactical nous. Once she was in a rally she could give as good as she got and she was reckoned to be one of the best at giving opponents the shots they least liked to play.
You will already have forgotten more than I know about the technical aspect of the game, Jeff, but apparently the lefties natural serve is to the (mostly right-hander's) backhand. Surprisingly, in the 69 Wimby semi Ann served mostly to Margaret's "stronger" backhand wing. She said she took a calculated risk in this, reasoning that it was her best serve and having decided to volley from the word go she could anticipate Margaret's return on this wing much better and felt it gave her her best chance of victory. Obviously this tactic seemed to have worked.
Jones was of course, recognised mainly as a card-carrying baseliner. Strangely after 1961 and until 1968, she only played Margaret once, losing to her in the Queen's final of 1964. It would have been interesting to see some match-ups on clay between them in the early-mid 60s. Margaret would have always been favourite but I doubt there would have been much in it. Until 1965 the only player whom Jones could just not beat on clay no matter how far she got ahead was Lesley Turner who always seemed to stand in her path at RG and Foro Italico.
It's all the very murky what if scenario again and this is just gleaned from reading but in 1960 Ann had decided she would try to play a volleyer's game and overall had a successful season with it being 3-3 with Bueno and 6-2 up on Hard the world's then top two. However her three worst losses were where it hurt most to players she should have beaten Puzujova at RG, Kormoczy at Rome and Floyd at Forest Hills although there were certain other factirs invloved in these defeats. However, this caused Ann to then abandon a serve-volley approach and revert to the baseline. So who knows, but then maybe the RG titles in 1961 and 66 wouldn't have come her way.
Like Virginia Wade, Ann lost more matches than she should to lower ranked opponents although unlike Ginny rarely to journey-women, it would be a top 20 player. A very good player, tough to beat but a step behind Margaret, BJ or Maria. Had she maintained a volley based stategy rather than reverting to it in 1968 ............... It's been mentioned before and it's not meant facetiously but Ann was rather top heavy which certainly was NOT an advantage in volleying!
Apologies, I know this is Margaret's thread but you did ask.............