Ping Pong: Jan-Ove Waldner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgj_TpQkUCc

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

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Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Had no idea this bored was full of tennis fans.

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They've definitely started using lighter balls at Roland Garros, which increases the amount of aces you see and also contributes to surface homogenization.

I'm someone who's always defended Sampras a lot more in these discussions since the 90s were probably the last era with a really great deal of surface variety and also legitimate surface specialists who were threats throughout a bracket at a major. At this point though I find it difficult to make any sort of case against Federer. He's been a greater beneficiary of the surface changes than is often let on, but he had enough of an all-court game to succeed in any era and his longevity is ridiculous. I can still see the case for Laver if someone wants to stretch that far back but I think it's much more difficult to make one for Sampras or Borg over him.

I feel like a woman hearing guys talk about sports when I read these two posts. Just no fucking clue what you guys are saying.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I think he just took off one of his shoes.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

In the 80's it was impossible to not follow tennis. It was huge with all the personalities. It would liken it to the interest in golf with Tiger but I don't think it was to that extent. Hard to know as I was just a youth. Parents were big fans and had my brother and I playing at a young age and the French and Wimbledon were must TV in the Squirrel household.

Laver is before my time and my memory of Borg is vague at best. I do wonder how the power players of today would adjust to the small headed wood rackets of the 70's with all the crazy surfaces. I wonder how the Ivan Lendl's of the world would have done on modern grass vs the old skipping grass. Doubt it would have helped him enough to deal with Beckers of the world but still it would be interesting. Some of the craziest matches back in the day were the ones with a serving specialist like goran ivanišević vs a return guy like Agassi on grass.

The impressive thing about Federer is he has stayed relatively dominant to an older age than many. At least as memory serves me some of the "greats" were basically done by 33 years old.

I can mansplain it if you'd like.

I hated Borg, but only because I was such a Johnny Mac fan. I do recognize Borg's greatness and how much of a better player he was.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

I loved McEnroe too, and like I said, I can't honestly say he was better than Borg, but it's certainly not like Borg was greatly superior. There are arguments to be made for McEnroe. And I believe they are close to even head-to-head.

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Freedom is our Strength.

The rivalries were great then also in tennis, not so much today.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

What a racket this thread has turned in to.

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Mods please ban

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

The thing with Borg is he left so close to the top that I think he sometimes gets inflated credit. He's only remembered for his peak because he didn't really play outside of his peak and struggle the way pretty much everyone else in the discussion did after their own respective peaks. You never saw him losing to less than great players because he didn't stick around long enough for those less than great players to catch up to him.

McEnroe not winning the French is the big mark against him relative to Borg. The meltdown in 1984 is one of the biggest collapses I've seen in any sport, especially since he was en route to one of the greatest years in the open era.

Tennis and golf are great cures for insomnia.

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You spelled "soccer" wrong.

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Can't understand a word.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way