Has the advent of power tennis - brought in by graphite racquets & Williams sisters - robbed the game of its admirers?
Williams' sisters spoiling the game By Prasad Chamarty
The power tennis produced by the Graphite rackets did not make as much difference to the game of Tennis as the Williams sisters.
Power tennis which brought in phenoms like Boris Becker, Goran, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi etc actually took the game to the next level and over the years we were fortunate to have seen some memorable matches. How can one forget those matches between Boris and Stefan Edberg at the Wimbledon, the triumph of Andre Agassi at 1992 Wimbledon, Pete Sampras's hold over the Wimbledon and his great triumphs at the Australian open.
There were plenty of matches which showcased Power Tennis but people were still in love with the game.
But the Williams sisters brought brute power into the game. Serena's enormous physical strength more than anything is making a great difference to the game. Because of their stranglehold, the Women't tennis has become very boring and we no longer see any classics.
Though Steffi Graf dominated the tennis scene in the late 80s and early 90s, there were others who always had the chance to challenge her. Right now, the Williams sisters more or less decimated the opposition and their brute brand of Tennis has alienated many Tennis fans from the
game. Women's tennis is probably the least watched sport now.
Even now people are interested to watch the Men's matches than the Women's matches.
Previously women's matches used to be big crowd pullers as well. The classic Chris Evert - Martina, Steffi - Seles, Steffi - Sabatini, Hingis - Davenport clashes always drew lot of interest and people used to just love the game.
The Williams' clashes have been always very very predictable and boring. There is no charm left in watching those clashes. Nowadays people are more interested to watch Anna Kournikova's first round match than the Wimbledon Final between Serena and Venus.
Men's tennis still has stiff competition. No single individual can call himself the Top player in the world. Thought Lewton Hewitt is the No.1 right now, his performance in the Grand Slams has been not so impressive.
Any player can beat any other on a given day. The same thing cannot be said about Women's tennis.
There are only 5 or 6 top class players and the Williams sisters are having the edge over the others right now.
The only tournament where the Williams sisters' hegemony can be challenged is the French Open. All other Grand slams are played on faster surfaces and the Williams' superior server power has no answer.
Women's tennis needs a stronger version of Martina Hingis to challenge the Williams' domination.
Otherwise we need not watch Women's tennis for the next 5 years.
Williams' sisters spoiling the game By Prasad Chamarty
The power tennis produced by the Graphite rackets did not make as much difference to the game of Tennis as the Williams sisters.
Power tennis which brought in phenoms like Boris Becker, Goran, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi etc actually took the game to the next level and over the years we were fortunate to have seen some memorable matches. How can one forget those matches between Boris and Stefan Edberg at the Wimbledon, the triumph of Andre Agassi at 1992 Wimbledon, Pete Sampras's hold over the Wimbledon and his great triumphs at the Australian open.
There were plenty of matches which showcased Power Tennis but people were still in love with the game.
But the Williams sisters brought brute power into the game. Serena's enormous physical strength more than anything is making a great difference to the game. Because of their stranglehold, the Women't tennis has become very boring and we no longer see any classics.
Though Steffi Graf dominated the tennis scene in the late 80s and early 90s, there were others who always had the chance to challenge her. Right now, the Williams sisters more or less decimated the opposition and their brute brand of Tennis has alienated many Tennis fans from the
game. Women's tennis is probably the least watched sport now.
Even now people are interested to watch the Men's matches than the Women's matches.
Previously women's matches used to be big crowd pullers as well. The classic Chris Evert - Martina, Steffi - Seles, Steffi - Sabatini, Hingis - Davenport clashes always drew lot of interest and people used to just love the game.
The Williams' clashes have been always very very predictable and boring. There is no charm left in watching those clashes. Nowadays people are more interested to watch Anna Kournikova's first round match than the Wimbledon Final between Serena and Venus.
Men's tennis still has stiff competition. No single individual can call himself the Top player in the world. Thought Lewton Hewitt is the No.1 right now, his performance in the Grand Slams has been not so impressive.
Any player can beat any other on a given day. The same thing cannot be said about Women's tennis.
There are only 5 or 6 top class players and the Williams sisters are having the edge over the others right now.
The only tournament where the Williams sisters' hegemony can be challenged is the French Open. All other Grand slams are played on faster surfaces and the Williams' superior server power has no answer.
Women's tennis needs a stronger version of Martina Hingis to challenge the Williams' domination.
Otherwise we need not watch Women's tennis for the next 5 years.
