Tennis machine question for the tennis freaks

[Kierland]

He's not risking anything other than the health and safety of the people he encounters.

Not true. Many healthy and younger than him athletes have been injured or killed by the vax.

Plus, if he were sick, he’d know to not be around people, whereas vaxxed persons routinely transmit the virus to others.

What a bunch of shit. You are contagious before you know you are you stupid fuck. Otherwise people would have just banished people back in the day and all sickness would have gone away.

[Go Coogs']

That was an insanely entertaining match between those two. I was rooting for the Serbian because I wanted him to match Federer’s 5 straight at Wimbledon. Alcarez played masterfully. Hats off to a 20 year old kid looking like a 17 year old Boris Becker in ‘85.

This kid is going to win lots of titles.

Still waiting on that second wave of the American golden years (Chang, Courier, Agassi, and Sampras) to come sweeping through the ATP. Hopefully we see it here in the next few years.


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[L45B]

Still waiting on that second wave of the American golden years (Chang, Courier, Agassi, and Sampras) to come sweeping through the ATP. Hopefully we see it here in the next few years.

Sorry but it ain’t coming from the current stock of Tiafoe, Fritz, Paul or Opelka. Just not enough game, particularly upstairs. Tiafoe and Fritz laid eggs at Wimbledon. No fight at all.

If Chris Eubanks can hit the weight room, he showed at Wimbledon what kind of stuff he can put together. Has a big serve and big ground strokes and a wonderful net game. And now has the confidence.

Jenson Brooksby was the other American who I thought has the most promise but he’s been dealing with injury and some other issues. He took a set off Djokovic at the ‘21 US Open with virtually no big serving threat. If he can find a first serve, he could be a top ten player and then who knows what.

Nonetheless it’s going to be the new “big 2” until Djoker descends or retires. Alcaraz is an unbelievable talent. Medvedev will challenge those two on hard courts. Beyond that, there’s a huge dropoff in talent. Can’t convince me Jannik Sinner is the next big thing, he’s a pretender as far as I’m concerned.

[Softball Bat]

Sinner's problem is that his game is somewhat similar to Alcaraz', but Alcaraz does everything better.
Over the next number of years, Sinner is going to get *thumped* a lot of times by Alcaraz.

The situation is similar for Sinner against Novax, except that at some point age will be a factor for Djoker, and at that time some up and coming players figure to pass him by, including perhaps Sinner.

I believer Sinner does his best on hard courts, so the upcoming U.S. Open would be a good time for him to make a breakthrough.
But with Alcaraz and Djokovic around, a breakthrough isn't very likely to happen.

[Softball Bat]

Tiafoe and Fritz laid eggs at Wimbledon. No fight at all.

Fritz' girlfriend is going to end up being a distraction for him, if she isn't already.

[Screw_Michigan]

Fritz' girlfriend is going to end up being a distraction for him, if she isn't already.

Oh god, she's a botoxed blonde social media influencer?

[Sudden Sam]

Rules.

[L45B]

Very good call. Plus don’t forget, he’s already divorced with a kid.

Lots of distractions.

[L45B]

Sinner's problem is that his game is somewhat similar to Alcaraz', but Alcaraz does everything better.

Somewhat similar at best Bat. Sinner is taller than Alcaraz yet way less athletic. If he came to the net and wasn’t scared to finish points at the net like Alcaraz is so good at at, it would be a step in the right direction. But I don’t think Sinner’s got it in him to play that way.

He’d rather stand back on the baseline and show everyone that he can crack the hardest forehands, even if a bunch of them are mis hits or unforced errors. Again, not a fan of his game. One dimensional.

[Softball Bat]

is looking the wrong direction.

[Screw_Michigan]

Somewhat similar at best Bat. Sinner is taller than Alcaraz yet way less athletic. If he came to the net and wasn’t scared to finish points at the net like Alcaraz is so good at at, it would be a step in the right direction. But I don’t think Sinner’s got it in him to play that way.

He’d rather stand back on the baseline and show everyone that he can crack the hardest forehands, even if a bunch of them are mis hits or unforced errors. Again, not a fan of his game. One dimensional.

Now that you guys mentioned the lack of serve and volley play, I have noticed that you see people finish at the net maybe 10% of the time. It's really low. Everyone just wants to blast blast blast.

[Softball Bat]

Now that you guys mentioned the lack of serve and volley play, I have noticed that you see people finish at the net maybe 10% of the time. It's really low. Everyone just wants to blast blast blast.

He’d (Sinner) rather stand back on the baseline and show everyone that he can crack the hardest forehands, even if a bunch of them are mis hits or unforced errors. Again, not a fan of his game. One dimensional.

Sinner is very representative of today's pro game.

Two-handed backhand, blast away from the baseline with a lot of topspin, power forehand, pretty good serve, but not much in the way of a net game.

It is actually pretty boring to watch.


That said, I think you might be selling Sinner a bit short.

He has good size and he is strong.
His balance is very good, and he covers the court very well for someone his size.

He is a better version of Andrey Rublev.

Sinner is #8 in the world and is just 21 years old.
That is impressive.

He is not going to be Carlos Alcaraz, but he is going to be a factor for a lot of years, barring injury.

[L45B]

I’m not denying his overall talent and youth, Bat. I’m just arguing he has no second or third dimension to his game, like Alcaraz does. When these ESPN guys start propping him up as Alcaraz’s rival, I roll my eyes. Guy hasn’t done squat.

And thus, when he faces Djoker or Alcaraz at a grand slam, he is going to get pounced. I see no change to that trend, at least until Djoker starts his farewell dive, and he probably has 2-3 good years left.

At least Rublev has some personality out there. And I think he is less prone to unforced errors in the marquee matches. But not a bad comparison, Rublev isn’t going to clip the “New Big 2” either in a GS.

Sinner might end up winning a grand slam at some point, but I predict it will be after Djokovic is done and he’ll probably need Alcaraz to get upset.

I’m still waiting for another one or two young players to reveal themselves as the next gen. Alcaraz is already there. I’m not so sure his true next rival is even in the current top 20 today.

I always remember Lleyton Hewitt squeezing out 2 grand slams in between the end of one generation and the dawn of the next. Sinner, to me, would be a guy like that.

[Screw_Michigan]

What's your concerns with Tiafoe? As you know, he's from metro DC and he's real popular here. I've been playing at the club he came up at.

[smackaholic]

He's not risking anything other than the health and safety of the people he encounters.

Why do you pretend it prevents transmission?

That lie was dispensed with long ago, even by the vax fanboys.

It does not stop transmission. Period.

It offers some level of assistance in dealing with CV. That’s about it.

Novak is not only young and healthy, he is in the top hundredth of a percent of human beings, fitness wise. He’s arguably the best player ever in a sport that requires extreme fitness, just to be pretty good.


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[L45B]

What's your concerns with Tiafoe? As you know, he's from metro DC and he's real popular here. I've been playing at the club he came up at.

I love Tiafoe, wish he could create his own energy like what he pulled out of the US Open crowd last year making the semis.

I just don’t see him as a stone cold killer out there. I think he has about the same talent level as Fritz, with far less distractions as noted.

A top 10-15 player who will occasionally make some noise, but won’t consistently challenge the top guys.

Again, when he gets going, he has the ability to create an incredible energy on the court but it’s not consistent. Wimbledon this year was extremely disappointing. But hard courts are his best surface so let’s see what the summer has in store for him.

I still like Chris Eubanks’ overall game better. But I think Tiafoe could mix in a lot of the same elements (slice backhand, more charging the net) more often.

[Softball Bat]

What's your concerns with Tiafoe?

His stroke production is pretty awful.

A big credit to him that he can be #10 in the world with strokes like that.

[L45B]

What's your concerns with Tiafoe?

His stroke production is pretty awful.

A big credit to him that he can be #10 in the world with strokes like that.

I assume you are referring to his motion, particularly his loopy/wristy forehand motion?!

[Softball Bat]

Yes.
His forehand comes from his forearm and wrist, as opposed to the shoulder.

And on his two-handed backhand, he doesn't get his right hand over close to a backhand grip.

He is an athlete.
Good court coverage.
He has pretty decent pop on his serve.
And he is able to play the whole court -- does reasonably well at the net.

Strokes that have poor fundamentals, as both his forehand and backhand do, break down under pressure.
I would be very surprised to see him ever win a major.

[L45B]

Strokes that have poor fundamentals, as both his forehand and backhand do, break down under pressure.
I would be very surprised to see him ever win a major.

Solid take, Bat. Unfortunately, I think you’re correct. The current batch of top 10-20 American players are more likely to be the next versions of Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey than they are Jim Courier and Michael Chang.

Tiafoe’s forehand reminds me a little bit of Stefan Edberg’s forehand back in the day. Really stiff and unnatural looking (and Edberg had a near continental grip on his forehand which was extremely limiting). In Edberg’s case, it didn’t matter all that much as the majority of forehands he hit were forehand volleys (at the net), which he did with far more elegance.

[Softball Bat]

Yeah, Edberg's forehand groundstroke was an eye sore.

But he knew where his bread was buttered.

As you noted, he was AT THE NET at the first opportunity.
He very rarely hit more than a few forehands in a baseline rally.

Btw, Edberg's backhand was terrific!


Stefan Edberg was one of the greatest serve-and-volley players ever.

[Screw_Michigan]

Hey fellas, wondered if you had any advice on buying a second racquet? I'd like to get one for obvious purposes, especially a used one. I'd like to get another Volkl V Cell 8 300g, but I am not seeing any available used. I don't want to shell out $200+ for a backup racquet.

I was comparing the specs for the V Cell 8 and the Babolat Pure Drive, and they look pretty similar. Though the Pure Drive is stiffer, thinner and has an extra string. They have the same head size and the Pure Drive is slightly heavier.

The guys at the local tennis store told me today that the Pure Drive would provide more power. I don't know if I want that as I am improving my touch, as in not cranking the ball every time I hit a forehand. And I can't do good topspin yet.

Wondering what you guys think. Should I hold out and wait to get another V Cell 8 300g? Or would this Babolat be OK? I would really like consistency between my two racquets. But I could get a Pure Drive 300 g for about $140 compared to not being able to buy a used V Cell 8.

[L45B]

If you are serious about playing and improving your game, your second (and third and fourth, etc) racquet should be the same make and model as your first.

The main reason to have a backup is if you break your strings, you pick up right where you left off with little adjustment.

If your second racquet is different from your first, it should always be a demo

[Screw_Michigan]

If you are serious about playing and improving your game, your second (and third and fourth, etc) racquet should be the same make and model as your first.

The main reason to have a backup is if you break your strings, you pick up right where you left off with little adjustment.

If your second racquet is different from your first, it should always be a demo

Good suggestion, that is why I asked.