Apparently Sampras said after this match that this was the fastest court he'd ever played on, even faster than 90s grass IIRC.
This is a thread for appreciating a great surface that was sadly banished, on the main tour at least. I've posted a few good matches, contributions of other good carpet matches from the past would be more than welcome.
Davydenko's real peak level on carpet
Second round vs Rochus 6-0 6-0
Third round vs Tursunov 6-2 6-2
Quarter vs Ancic 6-3 6-3
Semi vs Robredo 6-3 5-7 6-2
Final vs Hrbaty 6-1 6-2 6-2
People seemed to have forgotten why players wanted to get rid of carpet: players tended to get injured on it. The dominant baseline game (facilitated by more powerful racquets and strings) combined with carpet put undue stress on the knees. The players' feet, once planted, stayed where it was, so if their body kept moving, they twisted their knees or ankles. Notice on the videos that players didn't slide into the finish of their strokes the way they do now -- they either just stop or take a couple of little steps if they have a lot of momentum.
Again, the false impression of speed. A player can generate only so much speed with his shot. But, players were unable to run down the ball because of the inability to slide. Sliding is the fastest method of changing direction in a rally.
Actually it was like playing tennis with your legs tied, or you being tied to a fixed post with a bungee cord. You had limited ability to cover the court. No wonder serve-and-voley was predominant style of play.
How on earth can anyone admire carpet tennis? It's not the same sport, you can see kind of rallies on carpet these days still in some challenger tournaments. One-two shots are enough to win the tournament. Like copy-paste all the week.
These mugs should get a proper running technique or just accept the point loss and different specific. Actually during my short adventure of playing amateur tennis, carpet was my favourite and I've never got injured on it, quite the opposite.
They got rid of this so players would have to adapt different styles, just why clay was made more quick and all other surfaces slowed down, so there's just one predominant style of the game right now no matter which tournament you're watching.
Carpet is only dangerous for idiots who try to slide or turn while in the back foot. Grass is also dangerous and still people do that. Everyone makes his own luck. :shrug:
Seriously, I don't ask for faster surfaces. I ask for different surfaces.
Slow clay + fast grass + medium pace outdoor harcourts + carpet on indoor hardcours = perfect combination for the tour.
This is a thread for appreciating a great surface that was sadly banished, on the main tour at least. I've posted a few good matches, contributions of other good carpet matches from the past would be more than welcome.
Players themselves are the cause it is rightfully removed from the tour to NEVER come back.
They complained and lobbied hard for carpet removal and thankfully they managed to be successful.
We don't want carped on the tour and many of us do not miss carpet at all.
You keep me whining how dangerous carpet is. They haven't used carpet for seven years, but the tour has been filled with injuries, retirements and walkovers for the last few years. Because the players bodies are worn out thanks to those long shitfests on slow hard courts.
That incident during the Westphal-Smid match in the 1985 Davis Cup (which I saw on TV back then) was the first thing I was thinking of when reading the thread title.
I played on carpet quite I few times myself and personally I don't have a big problem with the footwork (I def. prefer clay in this regard but some variety is nice). Actually it's very similar to HC for me, since I don't slide on HC either. However, the surface is simply too fast and low bouncing for for my taste, the ball "skids through" a lot. That combination (can't slide + speedy court) makes it just too difficult to defend IMO.
^ Yeah my slice is pretty much non-existent. On clay I can defend quite well with the stretched BH (a la Djokovic :angel but that only really works when I can slide into the shot. Also I'm pretty heavy and not very "light-footed", so running into the corner full speed, stopping and running back is not easy for me.
I guess that explains your taste in players. I usually like the players with game styles I like playing myself. The best way to be successful on carpet is having a good serve and either a great slice (e.g. Lopez and Llodra), or having extreme firepower (e.g. Safin and Berdych).
Players like Nalbandian, Davydenko and Agassi didn't really have any of those things, but they had success on carpet as they were able to take the ball really early and hit through the court pretty easily.
Some of the best matches ever played were on carpet for example Becker vs Sampras on the previous page
But if you like monotone boring baseline rallies which last for hours and hours you won't like carpet...:wink2:
I'll never forget when El Tigre crushed Fraud, Roduck, Guga, Davy and then a mug called Pavel in Paris on 03, great times, never has a win tasted sweeter (aside from perhaps Murrays take down of Federer at the Olympics)
I'll never forget when El Tigre crushed Fraud, Roduck, Guga, Davy and then a mug called Pavel in Paris on 03, great times, never has a win tasted sweeter (aside from perhaps Murrays take down of Federer at the Olympics)
Did all you carpet lovers watch today's final between Mertl and Veger?
Next week you also got maybe the biggest event in professional tennis that will be going on at that time played on carpet. Apart form today's finalists, players like Hernych and Niels Desein are confirmed to play...
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