Playing style, the caliber of opponents, longevity, titles, and points under hugely different
conditions.
How do modern-day tennis players measure up to legends of the 80s and 90s?
Let’s see.
Tennis History 101 For starters, here’s a quick account of
the game.
Tennis has a long history dating back to as early as the 12th century.
Rackets were introduced in the 16th century and kings and monarchs were attracted to the
sport.
Heard of the Royal Tennis Court?
Fast forward to the late 19th century when tennis tournaments began to be held with Wimbledon
being the oldest to be created in 1877.
But unlike other sports, tennis seemed to be reserved for only the elite in society,
and for a while, amateurs would compete separately from professionals.
However, in 1968, the Open Era began and would change the world of tennis forever.
For the first time ever, Grand Slam tournaments would be open to both professionals and amateurs,
which meant that both could compete for prize money.
This was how Modern Tennis came to be and for the next decade, Tennis would experience
a new dawn and a steep rise in popularity.
The 80sChris Everett Following the “Tennis Boom” in the 70s,
which saw players like Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and explode onto the scene,
the 80s would become arguably the Golden era of tennis.
Rackets were made of wood and had relatively smaller heads, which would require more precision
and technique because the rackets produced less power and spin.
This also meant that serves needed better placement rather than sheer power.
The 80s era had the greatest assortment of flair starting with Bjorn Borg who was already
the world’s number one for about six years entering into the 80s.
Ice-Borg complemented his powerful groundstrokes and unorthodox backhand with incredible foot
speed and endurance.
His topspin wore down opponents in an unprecedented way and contributed to his 11 grand slam wins.
Jimmy Connors would also battle with Bjorn during the early part of the decade by bashing
the ball dead flat across every inch of the court.
Ivan Lendl followed and was known for his hard, heavy topspin, and running forehand,
which saw him become the world number one for 270 weeks.
Meanwhile, McEnroe who had developed a 15-21 heated rivalry with Lendl often exhibited
ingenious shot-making with deft volleys in a fast, attacking playing style.
The stoic Mats Wilander wouldn’t be left out during the mid 80s period, grinding out
his baseline play to seven grand slam titles between ’82 and ’88.
The teenage sensation Boris Becker would emerge in 1985 with his serve-and-volley technique,
which tore opponents apart but Becker's reign didn't last for long.
Stefan Edberg came along during the later part of the decade and presented a difficult
challenge by having one of the sharpest volley skills alongside his swift movements leading
him to the top of the rankings by the turn of the decade.
For Female Tennis, the offensive serve and volley game of Martina Navratilova, Steffi
Graf, and Chris Evert, the latter who is often regarded as the best woman on Clay regularly
offered a truckload of offensive techniques on all surfaces.
The 80s era produced intense competitive fire among players as well as a variety of playing
styles and speeds.
Due to the limited function of the press in terms of technology at that time, tennis players
of the 80s may not have been given the full credit that they deserved.
They weren’t the biggest.
In fact, only a few of them were over 6 feet tall, yet they achieved remarkable feats,
some of which have not been replicated even until this day.
However, the coming decade would bring a different dimension to the sport.
The 90s Going into the 90s, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi,
Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Ivanisevic, and a few others ruled the game.
It was an era of fast grass, slow clay, indoor carpet, and medium-paced hardcourts.
The players in this era notably Sampras and Becker stood out for their ability to change
their game depending on the surface.
Partly due to the change from wooden rackets to graphite in 1986 and a change in the playing
surface, the 90s became known as the power-serving era thanks to Sampras, Michael Stitch, Philippoussis,
Krajicek, and Ivanisevic.
But it wasn’t just the serves.
Most of these players also had the sublime ability to combine slice and topspin at pace.
As a result, points were shorter and the length of rallies was reduced.
The competition that the 80s brought had become less intense as Pete Sampras staked his claim
to be considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
He was an all-court specialist with an offensive baseline strategy and net approach to finish
off points.
He had a powerful and accurate first serve considered one of the best of all time and
a second serve almost as powerful as the first.
But there was also the flashy Andre Agassi who not only brought back some drama and glamor
to the sport but also defined modern baseline shotmaking by controlling the action from
the center.
Another player, Jim Courier at the age of 22 had already made the finals of all four
majors with an aggressive inside out forehand.
But Pete and Agassi stood out from the rest.
Pete’s 34-game rivalry with the flashy Agassi became the rivalry of the decade.
In the women's game, Steffi Graf continued to dominate just like the 80s but Monica Seles
rivaled her for the first half of the decade before the versatile and opportunistic Martina
Hingis took over in the latter part of the decade with her finesse.
Apart from the advancement in string and racket technology in the 90s, the era is best remembered
for having the biggest and most devastating serves in history.
But even the biggest servers in the game slowly began to give in to the upcoming players at
the turn of the century.
The 21st Century The 00s
The 00s for a while seemed to be the sweet spot in technique as the serve and volley
tactic gave way to all-court players with clearly superior skills.
Grass courts and indoor surfaces had become slower.
New names began to emerge.
Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Roger Federer.
For a short time, it looked like the same level of competition seen in the 80s was back
until Roger Federer proved otherwise by winning his first of 20 Grand slams in 2003.
Federer displayed total mastery and elegance in the game.
You could trust him to come up with different winning styles from any position on the court.
Big serves, net approach, solid groundstrokes, an unpredictable one-hand backhand, and just
about every trick in the book.
As the decade wore on, a new topspin expert, Rafael Nadal would rival Federer and wear
down opponents with a technique reminiscent of Bjorn Borg.
For women’s tennis, it became a matter of who had more power with Serena Williams coming
up with the best serves, great movements, and dominance on all surfaces.
Just behind her was Venus Williams who displayed exceptional athleticism, Davenport, Clijsters,
both of whom had great ball striking abilities, as well as Sharapova, the signature one-hand
backhand star Henin, and a few others who had equally made huge impressions with big
title wins.
During the 00s, the game would see another different dimension altogether.
This group of players had adapted to the new technology and also had a different mentality
than their predecessors.
Players in the 80s looked like they lived in the Wild West and it wasn’t uncommon
to see some of them party before games without considering the impact on their performances
or losing motivation after winning a few titles.
As a result, the 00s generation would set the pace for longer careers, better professionalism,
and unmatched consistency which continued into the next decade
10s Heading into the second decade of the century,
Women’s tennis had become plagued with injuries and there was less versatility.
Still, Serena Williams continued winning multiple single majors overcoming all the off-court
challenges she faced.
But Victoria Azarenka had begun to match her power.
Also, Simona Halep showed why she was one of the best in the decade with her aggressive
counterpunching, using her movement and rackets to turn the tide in her favor during rallies.
Not far behind was the out-and-out defender Angelique Kerber who used her speed, footwork,
and anticipation to defeat Serena Williams in two of her three major championship victories,
thereby setting the standard for athletic counter punchers.
Wozniacki remained consistent throughout the decade with a game built around speed and
deep, looping shots before Naomi Osaka would wrap up the decade with her aggressive baseline
play.
For Men’s tennis, it would be Novak Djokovic who would turn from nuisance to rival and
then nemesis for the aging “Fedal'' duo with aggressive shot-making and an unprecedented
return game.
Andy Murray, Wawrinka, , and a few others would also have enviable success with some
variation in style.
Still, baseline play and aggressive shot-making would remain the order of the day even with
a new crop of players such as Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Thiem, and others.
Players now need to become fit as a fiddle with more emphasis on recovery.
Also, the average tennis player today now has increased muscle mass and physical height.
Again, due to more solid rackets, the serve has become the biggest offensive weapon in
the game, which means that players with wider wingspans and increased power get the advantage.
Players nowadays often stay at the baseline to prevent their opponents from firing shots
past them.
But these are just a few differences.
Let's find out more.
Key Differences across Generations Tennis as a game has evolved in virtually
every decade and comparing different eras is extremely difficult.
It would also be difficult to make an objective assessment of head-to-head performances of
modern day players in their prime versus the 80s and 90s players in their prime.
But here is what is true.
In terms of stats and the weight of achievement, the best modern tennis players have the edge
with more majors, more titles, and records.
But one could also argue that point value systems have changed and increased prize money
over time could be a factor.
Modern-day players are also bigger, faster, and more athletic, which could be partly due
to improved nutrition and better fitness and coaching programs.
Nowadays, seeing players spend countless hours on strength and agility training is a norm
unlike in the 80s and 90s when most of their drills were precision-based.
Still, players from the 80s and 90s seemed to face more adversity and had shorter careers
and more eccentric personalities and there is the issue of failed drug tests with Agassi
and Wilander.
Also, past greats had more variety and contrast because they didn’t have the same technological
sophistication of today.
Today, styles have become more similar with many players seemingly now allergic to the
net rather preferring to stick to what some may call a one-dimensional baseline game.
Even a one-handed backhand has become a novelty nowadays.
Comparing techniques is perhaps the most difficult argument here.
For instance, who is better in baseline shotmaking?
Agassi or Djokovic?
Who is a better physical topspinner?
Nadal or Bjorg?
The comparisons could go on and on.
Novak can’t volley or make overhead shots to save his life but does he really need to
if he has found a way to put away approach shots and become the best without those skills?
He already has the best return of serve ever and an impeccable defense.
So, here's what I think about the whole comparison.
Opinion Tennis has changed.
Is the game more fun to watch?
Well, I think it is a matter of personal taste.
The debate on which generation is better might never be conclusive.
Not sure if my judgment is accurate but I think players of today are on a completely
different level.
There just seems to be a big difference between the top players of today and those of the
90s and 80s.
I would say modern-day players are better.
They have whole teams behind them dedicated to bringing the best out of their games.
Besides, it only seems like the law of nature for players to become better over time.
Even Andre Agassi, one of the best in his time in the 90s admitted that “These guys
over the last 10, 12 years have redefined the rules of engagement on a tennis court.”
Still, we can only respect and appreciate past greats for their immense contribution
to the sport.
It will be interesting to see what the current decade brings.
** Who do you think is better?
Modern-day players or past greats?
Comment below!
Meanwhile, let’s see how Rafael Nadal became one of the best in the game and how he earned
much praise from the older legends in this next video.