Tennis is a beautiful sport, and to each it means something unique. To Andre Agassi, “Tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love -- the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature.” Agassi realized the complexity of tennis, and the challenges one must overcome to excel at it. Because of the great difficulty of the sport and the length of time tennis has existed, there is a great debate and fascination over the greatest to play the game. However, only one person can rightfully claim the title “The Greatest Tennis Player of the Open Era:” Roger Federer. The history of tennis is very intriguing topic. Historians say the first accounts of tennis being played …show more content…
He won 14 Grand Slam Titles, two Australian Opens, seven Wimbledon's and five US Opens, besting an Open Era record set previously by Borg. He dominated in his prime, being “number one in the ranking for six consecutive years” (De Guillo). He also finished the year ranked number one six times, which is a record that stands even today. When he retired in 2002, Sampras was considered The Greatest Tennis Player of the Open Era. As a result of his success, he was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. Despite his great achievements, he possessed flaws of his own. Compared to the other players being compared, his number of titles at 64 is sub par. Likewise, an immense blemish to his claim is that he only “won three of the four Grand Slam events over the course of his career” (De Guillo). Without even reaching a French Open Final, how can Sampras receive this prestigious title? The Greatest Tennis Player of the Open Era must show he can win on every surface, and Sampras does not meet this …show more content…
This is in large part due to his record number of 20 grand slam titles, including six Australian Opens, one French, five US Opens and eight Wimbledons. It should be noted that Federer completed a Career Grand Slam, meaning he has won all four major titles, something only eight men have done. In his prime he was almost unstoppable; from the years 2004 to 2008, Federer “went 237 consecutive weeks being ranked number one,” an over four and a half year feat that has and may never be done again (De Giullo). By winning the Australian Open and the Rotterdam Open in 2018, Federer became the oldest man to reach world number one at the age of 36. This feat is proof of his “consistently high level of play over his twenty year career” (De Giullo). Nevertheless, there are a few things he has yet to accomplish, including a Golden Slam, which means winning all four Grand Slams plus an Olympic gold medal in singles. However, he does have history at the Olympics, winning an Olympic gold medal in doubles, with fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka, at Beijing in 2008, and an Olympic silver medal in singles at London in 2012. Because of his remarkable achievements and unprecedented success even today, it’s “hard not to select Roger Federer as the greatest of all time” (De
In 1988, Graf became the only player, to win the "Golden Slam"- getting all four grand slam single titles and Olympic gold medal in the same year. She was the women’s tennis association’s No. 1 player for a record 377 weeks – the longest of any player, she is the only player who have won all four grand slams single tournaments.
The innovations in the material of the tennis racquet — the strings and the frame — have changed tennis throughout the years; thus, fundamentally changing the game by allowing players to hit with more power, spin, and racquet speed. Many star professional tennis players in the past and present use new technology to help take their game to new levels. The change from a wooden racquet to a carbon-fiber tennis racquet and the change from cow gut strings to non-gut synthetic strings have changed the way tennis is played.
A champion was born unknowingly on September 2, 1952. A child was born to rise above his comrades. He was born James Scott Connors after his father. From the time he was barely three years old, no one could tell that little Jimmy was going to be a champion. Destined for glory his mother and grandmother knew that for Jimmy to be great he would have to work extremely hard. So everyday until Jimmy was a teenager his mother and grandmother would drill him with tennis balls, seeing early that he had tremendous talent. Small for his age, Jimmy had to make up for it somehow. So while other children his age played with toys or watched T.V., Jimmy would be out on the tennis court working on his game. Jimmy wanted to be the best. He knew that his success depended on his speed and his technique.
United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young once said, “he took the burden of race and wore it as a cloak of dignity” (Bradley). A promising career as a tennis player, being the first African American tennis player to be ranked number one in the world, was paralleled with success in the battle for racial equality around the world (“Achievements”). People were touched and impacted, yet they only know him for his tennis accomplishments. He, Arthur Ashe, dedicated his life to helping others, as his life was goal was to help the poor, unfortunate, and misinformed (Carter). Arthur Ashe’s advanced coaching, competition, and acceptance into UCLA all led to his successful tennis career, including playing in the Davis Cup for the US and coaching the US Davis Cup after retirement, that enabled him to establish organizations, comfort minorities, and inspire others.
When Clark graduated high school, he had three times as many state championships as his father (McPhee, p. 17). This wasn’t by sheer coincidence, rather it was a result of an unbreakable bond between father and son that ended up creating a very gifted tennis player.
As most children did, I had the choice to play whatever sport I wanted. Considering my height, 5’10, most would assume that I played either basketball or volleyball. No one expected me to play tennis, and was surprised when I said that I did. During my elementary years, I played softball for seven years, and when I hit eighth grade, I decided to play tennis. My decision came about because of my sister. I had always followed closely in her footsteps because I looked up to her a lot, so when I saw she was playing; I wanted to try it out too. I had never really thought about what it would be like to play tennis. I didn’t hate it, or really know what it would be like to play it. And little did I know that playing would demand so much time, energy, and effort.
A young African-American boy walks onto some rundown tennis courts at a local park with his father in Richmond, VA. Armed with an old wooden racket and a can of white tennis balls, his father begins to feed him some different shots and tells his son everything he knows about tennis. Being an African-American, this young boy did not have many friends that were as interested in tennis as he was. Since tennis is a predominantly white sport, Arthur Ashe’s desire to play was not encouraged by either race, but instead of giving up on the sport he loved, he continued playing to the dismay of many. Little did Ashe know, however, that his persistence would change the game forever. His efforts opened doors for many of the popular African-American tennis players, such as Serena and Venus Williams, MaliVai Washington, and Bryan Shelton. The class that he brought to the game of tennis and the bravery he showed by changing a sport dominated by whites made Arthur Ashe a legend in his own time.
Billie Jean King, knew at an early age she wanted to be the very best in something. She wanted to be the best tennis player in the world, and made that decision by age 12. Growing up in the 1950’s did not stop her from believing that she will be the best in the world someday. Billie Jean King had the natural drive to win, and her character was so strong that older children were looking up to her. Her dynamic path started on achieving the best accomplishment in tennis, then she adapted to fighting for equal rights for females in sports and in society. Her win over Bobby Riggs in the “battle
Jack welch has once quoted “If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete”, the statement holds true in relation to the rivalry between Novak Djovak and Roger Federer for if one player isn’t able to create or press his competitive advantage then, the player risks losing his grasp over his or her current position, for other players will overtake him or her. Roger Federer and Novak Djovak are contrastingly different from each other in terms of upbringing, personal life and playstyle. They however share similarities in terms of level of income, media attention, fan base, performance and philanthropic activities.
Tennis is a sport that many people love to play. It is not the hardest sport in the world to learn. When playing against someone, it is called a match. Tennis can be played one on one or a doubles match. The main object of the game is to hit the ball over the net, inside of the lines so that the opponent can't get to it. There are two lines about two feet parallel to each other that outline the court. In a singles match, the inner line is the out of bound line, while the outer line is out of bounds in a doubles match. If you want to play, take a look at my two favorite tennis players because they are masters at serving and scoring, a few key aspects of the game.
On September 10th, 1962 Rod Laver legend tennis player wins all four majors tournaments for the career grand slam. Winning the career grand slam consists of winning all four major tennis championships in one year. These tennis championships are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. Laver became professional the next year, meaning that he could not compete in the Open championships, which at that time amateur-only. In 1968 the four grand slam tournaments stopped their amateur-only rule and let professionals compete, this would mark the beginning of the “Open Era” of tennis.
Tennis is played by many professionals all around the world. For professionals, such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and many others, there are four grand
My love for tennis blossomed at the young age of eleven. During middle school my peers knew me as the boy who was remarkably talented at tennis and I savored that title. Butterflies floated throughout my youthful body whenever someone complimented me. As the years passed, my dad nurtured me into a top player. Before I knew it high school arrived and it was time to compete at a higher level. My excitement was out of this world, but I knew my dad could no longer push me forward and my future was up to me. However, the ego I developed over the years blocked what lie in front of me. I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture; the hard work demanded of me, teamwork, and the motivation to reach an ultimate goal. Throughout my four years of participating
Hearing the loud “thump” as the ball hits the racket is extremely satisfying, especially if your life now revolves around this fast-paced and exhilarating sport. Tennis is an outdoor game played by two individuals or pairs of players on a clay or grass court that’s divided by a low net. Each game is played with tennis rackets and small, yellow elastic balls. Tennis was first introduced in Wales and the United Kingdom in 1873 by “Major Walter Wingfield” (tennistheme.com). While most sports are easy to pick up, tennis takes extreme dedication to learn how to play the game, to perfect the amount of technique it takes, as well as its great impact on one’s personal life.
I 'm going to compare tennis to golf to reveal the similarities and differences between the two sports. I think you will be surprised how similar they are. They both depend on the swing of your body; grips of your hands, the strike zone of the ball and both are a mental game. Tennis and golf are also very different in many ways. The types of balls used to play the game, materials used to make the balls and equipment used to hit the balls. Tennis is a team sport and an individual sport. But golf is primarily a single player against the golf course. The exertion level differs by sport. Both sports are challenged by weather and attire. I 'm writing this essay because I had played golf for many years before I switched