Ranking validity and etiquette
In the past two years, names appear with sterling performances in an event and very soon fizzle out. Some, little too soon, even to remember. Players, even with Top 10 world rankings, do not perform consistently. Wimbledon, the ballpark that made Tennis to be what it is today, is the place to perform and show for recognition, and for performances registered more prominently
The performances from the Top 10 in Women, with skill level high, should be consistent, especially at Wimbledon. This is not the case now. Questions loom, What?, Why? and How? is ranking? In the semifinal lineup, 33-year-old, Strykova has a ranking as low as 54. The Top 6 in global ranking were missing.
No.1 Ashleigh Barty went down to 55th ranked Annalisa Riske, not having any innovation to counter her opponent’s game.
Ladies Singles
Women’s events at Wimbledon are termed ‘Ladies’. They were always an attraction, in white attire, with soothing long rallied games. In Tennis, whatever the formula stated on paper as effective, is soon repeatedly proven wrong. This is the nature of all ‘Open’ sports, and that makes competition free from foregone conclusions. On the Wimbledon grass, any player without an effective Net game is vulnerable. Tennis players should have a 2nd game. The least, with 50% efficiency to play at the Net. On grass, this is where most of the matches are won.
The four semi-finalists, Halep, Strykova, Svitolina and Serena Williams did really well to survive the 128 field challenge. Their all-court ability got them through.
While it is not very difficult for a good player to hit a thousand ground-strokes, when the opponent is at the baseline, it is very difficult for them to hit 20 Passing shots when the opponent is at the Net. On an aggregate, Net game ability wins more. Net game is not difficult, but made difficult by the present development training, which almost, only focuses on ground-strokes, ignoring the volley as a stroke. On the coaches part, it is a crime not giving a student an effective 2nd game.
Most of the inconsistencies that come from top ranked players is due to the absence of an effective 2nd game.
Twenty-eight-year-old Briton Johanna Konta, with Hungarian origin, born in Australia, and now British, was the 1st to reach the quarterfinals, after 40 years. The last Brit to do this and win the title was Virginia Wade. In the Round of last 16, she produced a power packed game to beat Petra Kvitova. She went down tamely to 33-year-old Czech Strykova ranked 54, badly missing the vital Net game.
Gentlemen Singles
This is how Wimbledon refers to Men’s singles. The lasting power of Federer, Djokovich and Nadal, all in their 30s, is commendable. The Men do play at the Net, with a formula completely different from the ‘approach Shot and Volley’. These three veterans are very good at it. The new-formula Net run of the player begins the moment the opponent is time squeezed to reach the ball at the baseline, with wide a ground-stroke. The traditional Serve & Volley went out with development, by emphasising the use of extreme western forehand grips and double handed backhand in development. Serve & Volley need ‘eastern grips’
The Men used the 5-tier game of engaging the opponent, forcing him to play another shot, heavy ball to reduce opponent shot selection options to the minimum, placing the ground-strokes to open the court, hitting winners and surprise of drop and lob. Modern equipment, which is supposed to provide greater comfort, is still leaving many players with very serious injuries and damage to the body. The wrist, elbow, rotator cuff and hip injuries in players have increased.
The Ballpark Rules
The ‘Ballpark’ was the recreational place of the industrial revolution in Europe and the Americas of the 19th century. Most of the modern sports consolidated during this period, in these ballparks. For the gentle, it was the well-maintained, Blue grass lawn, to play Croquet, Lawn bowling and eventually, Tennis. The social activities surrounding sport took firm footin these places. Today, a good 150 years later, Tennis is a mainstream money-making professional activity.
Etiquette of behaviour was the unwritten disciplinary code of Tennis in its origin. Given the freedom, it has evolved to be wild and even gone to cheat by doping, in recent times. So bad that, rules and their governance now, are by professional bodies and the unbiased global forum the United-Nations. They have stepped into maintaining the ‘codes’ of sport. These even have legal validity. Unacceptability of behaviour must have been the reason for this to happen.
The war cry after winning a point, distorting the facial features to intimidate opponents, will soon need official attention. It is an ‘ugly sight’. Simply, it is not making Tennis skill based. Remember that, in a Tennis match, players are not at war. Facial mask appeared during barbaric wars in a barbaric era. Tennis, on the whole, will have to be a skill-based activity. Many starting Tennis unnoticed, must walk away due to this ugly facet. Even Wimbledon, the ballpark which started the game to be what it is now, did not escape this, even after maintaining the names of events to be that of ‘Ladies’ and ‘Gentlemen’.
George Paldano, Int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach– contact 94 77 544 8880 geodano2015@gmail.com –