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Fading Stars and Stripes at Wimbledon
As Wimbledon gets under way this week in London, the TImes has released its list of the greatest 100 Wimbledon players in history.
Here are the top 10: 1) Martina Navratilova 2) Billie Jean King 3) Chris Evert 4) Steffi Graf 5) Helen Wills 6) Pete Sampras 7) Louise Brough 8) Jimmy Connors 9) Boris Becker 10) John McEnroe
Incidentally, the defending champion Roger Federer of Switzerland is No. 17 while Serena Williams is No. 34.
Over all, the United States is the best-represented country. But it’s a different story this year. The British media has made a point of hammering away at the fact that there hasn’t been an American male winner of a grand slam title in five years. According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, the causes are manifold — the number of sports tennis must contend with, poor coaching, and the fact that, despite the success of the Williams sisters, most American kids still view tennis as a “country club” sport. And if there are no Americans at the very top of a sport, the country just stops caring.
According to the newspaper, the British would never do that.
Comments
By Mike
June 24, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this
Tennis is not much of a factor on US television, which is a shame. Overseas, a Grand Slam gets the same press as soccer. Golf, which occupies to lowest form of athletisism and laborious slow play, still seems to hang in there. I’m lucky enough to have ALTA (the largest, locally run tennis league in the world) and USTA. We regularly have French Open, Wimbledon and US Open parties. I’ll be disappointed when tennis gets reduced to be given the same coverage in the US media as bowling or lacrosse, but I’m afraid that’s where we are heading. I love the sport and it’s something I can play with people of my age group well into my eighties.
By Bill
June 24, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
I agree with Mike. Tennis (if you can actually play it) keeps you in shape, requires regular practice and you can be as good as you want to, by yourself. You don’t need any team mates and tennis courts are really everywhere. I laugh when golfers diss tennis, yet call theirs a “sport”. Both tennis and golf require equal amounts of regular practice, but golf pales in the athletic requirements. You don’t need foot speed, agility or quick reflexes. If you don’t understand what’s going on, it can seem very boring, but that’s also true with golf. I play both golf and tennis, but golf is more of a relaxing walk with friends. Tennis is an athletic event where fitness, mental toughness, athletic gifts, shot making while on the run and a true “1 on 1” mentality can make all the difference between winning and losing. Golf requires regular practice and mental toughness, as well, but no fitness and no athletic prowess. While similar on the surface, the two sports can’t compare when the athletic aspect is inserted.