Billie Jean King never grunt/moaned when she played tennis.
Chris Evert never grunt/moaned when she played tennis.
Martina Navratilova never grunt/moaned when she played tennis.
Evonne Goolagong never grunt/moaned when she played tennis.
Margaret Court never grunt/moaned when she played tennis.
So why, dear God, why, do modern women tennis players feel the need to grunt/moan with every shot?
According to Wikipedia, this thing started with Jimmy Connors, but I gotta tell ya - I watched a ton of Jimmy Connors matches, and I sure don't remember him grunt/moaning the way that you hear it today.
And I don't mean to pick on the women, but facts are facts - most of them seem to do it, while very few (actually I can't think of one off the top of my head) men do it.
But just to be fair, man, woman, or child - STOP IT, ALREADY!
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Kudos to ESPN, John, Patrick, and Andre
ESPN gets a lot of heat (much of it deserved) for being into marketing more than it is into sports, but - and I think I've mentioned this before - they deserve major kudos for their coverage of the Grand Slam tennis events. For the U.S. Open they've added John McEnroe to the team, and partnered him with brother Patrick, and the two of them are doing a predictably great job covering the men's matches.
A couple of nights ago, Andre Agassi joined them in the booth for about an hour, after having been honored earlier in the evening for being an athlete who has given back to the community. Looking terrific in a sharp-looking suit, Andre was also great, projecting the aura of a man who is completely and entirely at peace with himself. I respect Agassi a great deal for being one of the few athletes who within the course of their careers has completely changed their public image. At one point, Agassi was no better than Terrell Owens, and was well on his way to leaving a legacy as someone who squandered more talent than anyone else playing tennis in the last 25 years. By the time he retired, there was no one who worked harder - no one who fought like he did for every single point. While he remained supremely confident, he gained a maturity that had seemed impossible just a few short years before.
There's nothing he can do about it now, but I'm sure every now and then he kicks himself for essentially farting away 4-5 years, during what should have been in his prime. What ended up being 8 Grand Slam wins very well could have been in the Federer/Sampras range: 14-15.
A couple of nights ago, Andre Agassi joined them in the booth for about an hour, after having been honored earlier in the evening for being an athlete who has given back to the community. Looking terrific in a sharp-looking suit, Andre was also great, projecting the aura of a man who is completely and entirely at peace with himself. I respect Agassi a great deal for being one of the few athletes who within the course of their careers has completely changed their public image. At one point, Agassi was no better than Terrell Owens, and was well on his way to leaving a legacy as someone who squandered more talent than anyone else playing tennis in the last 25 years. By the time he retired, there was no one who worked harder - no one who fought like he did for every single point. While he remained supremely confident, he gained a maturity that had seemed impossible just a few short years before.
There's nothing he can do about it now, but I'm sure every now and then he kicks himself for essentially farting away 4-5 years, during what should have been in his prime. What ended up being 8 Grand Slam wins very well could have been in the Federer/Sampras range: 14-15.
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