The "yawn factor"

It looks like, according to some, we are living through such an exciting period tennis wise! With several up and running "GOATS" in the making, who already seems to have gained the upper hand on a nearly 31 years old Federer, what more can anyone reasonably wish for?

Yes someone has pointed out how the matches nowadays are often monotonous marathons with less variety and technical skills on display and how the top players don't seem to have that "champion personality" or wow factor they used to have in the past.

But who is right? Discuss.

Got to go for the vow factor, although - hedging my bets - I can understand those concerned at six-hour slugfests. As long as Fed is playing you've got to be happy with the way things are. Also the rivalry between Rafa and Djoko is mesmerising and there are still a number of exciting players out there, such as Tsonga.
Also, some may look back on the old serve and volley days with rose-tinted spectacles. With Goran, for example, it tended to be just the serve, as the volley was hardly needed. Some may recall a 15-13 final set semi at Wimbledon he was in that looks amazing on paper but was as boring as hell.

I like the yawn factor. But then, I like the wow factor as well. But which is better? There's only one way to find out....FIGHT! Er, I mean, POLL!

I don't quite understand what the poll is about. Surely not another GOAT debate in a different package

I voted for the wow factor simply because what those guys can do physically is amazing. I know that they were not as gifted as they look and that most of it is hard work and "technology" but you have to appreciate what it is for teh talented players to overcome that physical barrier.

I was not a big fan of the Agassi/Sampras/Courier Era. They again were too much from teh bolitieri school and the skill consisted at smashing a ball BH, FH, right and left. On clay they had to be a bit more creative and this is why the clip you posted was a good one.

From that period I prefered Rios (much more creative than Agassi imo), Korda, Goran, Kraji, and Medvedev....and of course Edberg. Lendl, and Becker prior to them.

To me one the best (richest) era in tennis was actually what some here call the weakest - 2001 - 2007. There you had Hewitt who had put an amazing physical bar which noone one from teh previous era could overcome...until guys like Safin, Nalbandian, Coria, Ljubijic, Gonzales, Federer, Haas could actually shake him off with great shots. Those players had incredible shot making ability, complete games for most and were athletically amazing for the time and it was simply the last period when a good shot was duly rewarded.

The Federer v Safin or Federer v Nalbandian are probably the best matches were the physique did not play as big a role as teh tennis skills.

I am not a nostaligic and I believe that some guys might be as good in shot making ability if not better than the 2001-2007 players (in short Federer's generation) but they simply do not go deep in tournaments cause the physical game is dominating thanks to conds and strings.

Currently the problem is the fact that a sliced BH, a moonball or a pushed FH can actually beat very talented players who dare playing a risky game. And those poor shots can actually beat the most talented players cause they are simply more secure. The Tomic v Dolgo match at teh AO summarises our era:
"wow" physically (tomic) and technically (Dolgo) but "Yawn" cause the outcome is physique always winning the slams, despite average shot making.

A colleague of mine said to me that watching tennis nowadays (e.g. a final or semi-final at a Grand Slam) was like waiting for the missus to have a baby. Lot's of nervous tension and waiting, with intermittent bouts of screaming, moaning and deep breathing. I really didn't understand the point he was trying to make.

Nore Staat wrote:A colleague of mine said to me that watching tennis nowadays (e.g. a final or semi-final at a Grand Slam) was like waiting for the missus to have a baby. Lot's of nervous tension and waiting, with intermittent bouts of screaming, moaning and deep breathing. I really didn't understand the point he was trying to make.

I don't know either, but it does look like a vote for the "yawn option" to me

Tenez wrote:I voted for the wow factor simply because what those guys can do physically is amazing. I know that they were not as gifted as they look and that most of it is hard work and "technology" but you have to appreciate what it is for teh talented players to overcome that physical barrier.

I was not a big fan of the Agassi/Sampras/Courier Era. They again were too much from teh bolitieri school and the skill consisted at smashing a ball BH, FH, right and left. On clay they had to be a bit more creative and this is why the clip you posted was a good one.

From that period I prefered Rios (much more creative than Agassi imo), Korda, Goran, Kraji, and Medvedev....and of course Edberg. Lendl, and Becker prior to them.

I think under the light you judge players Leconte would be the GOAT! Yes Rios, Medvedev and Korda were really good shotmakers but how about Goran and Krajicek? I still think that Agassi, Lendl, Edberg, Becker and Sampras are of a totally different category: you could see in them the traits of the true champions, which is not always the case for the others......

Yes they were true champions cause they stuck to basics. This is the Bolitieri school.

As much as it can produce champions, I was not particularly impressed by their tennis. Rios was a better player, more erratic certainly, but able to play to higher spheres. He was unlucky with his health....and Iagree mentally not the strongest, or shoudl I say not as committed.

Goran was much more talented than people give him credit for. He had a poor mid-court game but again, on teh day he was better than anyone. He won his first encounter v Sampras at Wimbledon despite being younger and almost beat peak Becker at 18 in the semi (a dead easy volley missed woudl have given him a 2 sets lead).

I agree that talent is not enough and players shoudl be able to pull that talent when it matters but this is exactly why I like the 2001-2006 period. For probably teh first time we have an extremely talented player with a champion's mind. Only higher physical prowess from the oppostion got the better of him at teh end....and again, court conds did not work in his advantage.