The Lost Art of Men's Tennis

Something needs to be done about men’s tennis. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a mass of talent there that’s incredible to behold, but spending any amount of time watching matches has become rather dull.

Serve. Ace, or return. If return, then either a winner from the returning player, or a volley from the service for the win.

Whatever happened to the long rally? There’s so much power now that virtually every point takes only a few seconds. That’s just not fun to watch; it’s a battle of equipment and power over a battle of skill and endurance and intelligence.

The last time I saw really good tennis was back in the days of Jimmy Connors. He had little power, but could put the ball on a dime anywhere in the court and have you running back and forth until you fell over, desperately sucking air through clenched teeth. Just when you thought you had the perfect winner against him, there he was somehow getting to the ball which he then delicately placed so as to cause the most struggle for his opponent.

Sure, once in a while there’s some great back-and-forth play, but by and large it’s a serve and volley game. On the other hand, check out the women. Long rallies, intelligent play, some deft control of the ball – it’s everything that tennis should be.

There are some sports where technology has gone too far, and I wonder if men’s tennis is one of those places. The rackets are basically extensions of the arm these days as they’re so light and balanced. The balls are wonderfully springy and even the bulk of the courts are made for speed: hard courts are bad enough, but Wimbledon and other grass court venues are painful to watch.

Maybe men’s tennis should stick to clay so there’s at least some strategy to the game.

Personally, I’ve lost interest in watching the men’s version of this sport I used to enjoy so many years ago. I limit my watching to the women’s side so I can enjoy what I call real tennis.

Maybe it’s only me, but I miss the Jimmy Connors’s of yesteryear and wish we could find some of that in today’s game again.