[Johnny Groove]

Originally Posted by Matt01

Yeah, and that is medium paced hardcourt which most of the tournaments are played on these days.
And that doesn't mean that I'm not for more variety.

Most of today's tournaments are played on slow, medium speed at best hardcourts.

I say, have medium speed hardcourts from January through AO, through IW/Miami, slow clay season, fast, low bounce grass, and then faster outdoor hard in the summer and USO, and a very fast, low bounce indoor season in the fall.

[Shirogane]

^That would be so cool.

[Mjau!]

Originally Posted by Johnny Groove

Somewhere between 35 shot rallies and serve fests, there must be a happy medium.

But it's true! Borg and McEnroe didn't play Australian Open. Besides, the sport has changed so much it's pointless to cling to tradition. You can significantly alter the way the game is played by changing the equipment and surfaces, but you cannot get rid of a few stupid tournies that mess up the schedule???

In Mjau!'s improved ATP World Tour, the masters/major schedule would be something like this:

Mars

TMS Buenos Aires - Clay

April

TMS Rome - Clay
TMS Madrid - Clay

Maj

Roland Garros - Clay

Juni

TMS Hamburg - Grass

Juli

Wimbledon - Grass

Augusti

TMS Canada - Hard
TMS Cinnccinnatti - Hard

September

US Open - Hard (Now with a retractable roof)

October

TMS Tokyo - Carpet
TMS Shanghai - Carpet

November

WTF Melbourne - Carpet


It would make so much more sense!

[nobama]

Originally Posted by Sunset of Age

I agree that playing exho's isn't the main problem (especially not when those exhos are played for a humanitary beneficient cause). However, playing exho's while still whining about a 'too long season' still doesn't leave a good impression imho.

Sorry I don't agree. Playing one exho at the beginning of the year is no big deal and shouldn't be considered hypocritical when a player complains about the schedule. Just curious how many exhos Andy Murray played last year (besides Abu Dhabi)?

[nobama]

Originally Posted by Johnny Groove

Andy Murray, what an idiot

The solution is simple: Speed up the fucking courts, use quicker balls. Faster courts=shorter rallies. Shorter rallies= less strain. Less strain=longer career.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

[Pirata.]

Originally Posted by Johnny Groove

I say, have medium speed hardcourts from January through AO, through IW/Miami, slow clay season, fast, low bounce grass, and then faster outdoor hard in the summer and USO, and a very fast, low bounce indoor season in the fall.

[Sunset of Age]

Originally Posted by nobama

Just curious how many exhos Andy Murray played last year (besides Abu Dhabi)?

Murray playing exho's? Now who the hell would pay to see that?
(apart from Dani of course )

[nobama]

Originally Posted by Pirata.

After the top players complained long and hard about having to play on back to back days because of the rain, the U.S. Open men's final was moved to Monday. USTA board member Franklin Johnson told the newspaper that not having the men’s final on Sunday may have hurt the tournament financially.

Roger Federer suggested that the tournament due away with Super Saturday,* to which Johnson responded* "the TV revenue from playing the men’s semis on Saturday instead of Friday is materially better."

Ok, how come the other slams don't seem to have an issue playing the SF's on Friday (or Thursday and Friday)? Is this revenue substantial enough to outweigh the concerns of the players. This is BS. If AO, RG and Wimbledon can survive with SF matches not on the weekend, so can the US Open. Perhaps the USTA needs to revisit it's contract with CBS. Having men's SF on Friday, Women's F on Saturday night and Men's F on Sunday should work out for ESPN2. Unless ESPN2 is showing college football on Saturday night? Or are they showing NASCAR that couldn't be relegated to ESPN classic or something?

[Looner]

Originally Posted by nobama

Ok, how come the other slams don't seem to have an issue playing the SF's on Friday (or Thursday and Friday)? Is this revenue substantial enough to outweigh the concerns of the players. This is BS. If AO, RG and Wimbledon can survive with SF matches not on the weekend, so can the US Open. Perhaps the USTA needs to revisit it's contract with CBS. Having men's SF on Friday, Women's F on Saturday night and Men's F on Sunday should work out for ESPN2. Unless ESPN2 is showing college football on Saturday night? Or are they showing NASCAR that couldn't be relegated to ESPN classic or something?

I think the article maybe hinted at a possible solution. Play a 3-day first round BUT start on Sunday. This extra day (from a weekend, no less) should be plenty enough to compensate for the missed opportunity of a Super Saturday. It's not that difficult OR complicated.

[nobama]

Originally Posted by Mjau!

Maybe they should just scrap the january-mars hardcourt season??? The Australian Open is historically irrelevant anyway and 3 slams on 3 surfaces would be a more balanced schedule.

FAIL

[nobama]

Originally Posted by Mjau!

But it's true! Borg and McEnroe didn't play Australian Open. Besides, the sport has changed so much it's pointless to cling to tradition. You can significantly alter the way the game is played by changing the equipment and surfaces, but you cannot get rid of a few stupid tournies that mess up the schedule???

So now AO is a stupid tournament?

[fast_clay]

Originally Posted by Matt01

Faster courts = shorter rallies = less spectators = less money.

The solution is not that simple...

man... you gotta pull your head outta rafa's rectal cavity... and quick hey... your lack of comprehension is alarming... but, you get that with tard's so... meh...


in the 1996 edition of World Tour Finals pete sampras beat boris becker 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4) 6-7(11) 6-4 in what is roundly considered one of the 25 greatest matches of all time... i know it was, i watched... certainly not what you see today, but, therein lay most of the problem...

prior to producing this epic, sampras was on a season W/L of 64/11... and, no hint of complaint, except for the usual (for that time of year) sampras' shin splint complaint brought on by what...? summer hardcourt season of course... but, niggles you manage... all pros must manage... niggling injuries are part of the game...

his opponent on that day, AO champion becker was 39-12 going in to the contest... and still backed up 2 weeks after that on the 3rd of december to take the grand slam cup and finish 43-13... maybe not a huge workload, but it is long... and again, no one complains...

now, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that the big names of that age had a lot of success on faster surfaces, so, it's only natural that you want your big names reaching sunday... makes sense, sells tickets... and while the serve fests of the 90's was an alarming trend, the popularity of the game did not actually wane as much as people think.. in fact, it didnt really wane at all... the fear of it waning was the catalyst for change...

today, tournament directors lay slower courts for the same reasons, they want the big guns there on sunday...

however, for the last few years, the powers that be have been neglecting the most obvious move to counter a worrying trend... they havent bothered at all to look back, study the evolution of the pro game and strike a balance... and you do this how...? by manipulating the surfaces and the balls at various parts of the season...

and for sure, it wont be stylists that return and bring surfaces back... the balance has swung much too far in the other direction....

and the atp needs to be honest and proactive about moving forward... deeply historical tournaments like hamburg and monte carlo have been downgraded in favour of hollow non-events like shanghai and madrid (clay)... couple that with the fact that the introduction of byes and the total abandonment of 5 set finals across all non-itf events and you get the feeling that someone has been left short changed... you! the real tennis fan...

not only that.. whatever happened to the clash of styles that adorned the game for much of it's long history...? where are the surface specialist who adopt tactic and bend it accordingly mid match to disarm the big guns...?

tennis can either man up and move in a direction with the love of the game in mind... or trend towards the set-of-lungs-on-legs sport that, on evidence, may already be here... sure, you need to be physical, but tennis should not be dominated completely by it...

points system, length of season... they not broken... they can kill two birds with one stone with a simple decision: vote in favour of a balanced schedule...

at the end of the long season 1996 season an epic 5 setter was produced... now how can that be...?

[Johnny Groove]

Good points, fast clay.

Originally Posted by Mjau!

But it's true! Borg and McEnroe didn't play Australian Open. Besides, the sport has changed so much it's pointless to cling to tradition. You can significantly alter the way the game is played by changing the equipment and surfaces, but you cannot get rid of a few stupid tournies that mess up the schedule???

In Mjau!'s improved ATP World Tour, the masters/major schedule would be something like this:

Mars

TMS Buenos Aires - Clay

April

TMS Rome - Clay
TMS Madrid - Clay

Maj

Roland Garros - Clay

Juni

TMS Hamburg - Grass

Juli

Wimbledon - Grass

Augusti

TMS Canada - Hard
TMS Cinnccinnatti - Hard

September

US Open - Hard (Now with a retractable roof)

October

TMS Tokyo - Carpet
TMS Shanghai - Carpet

November

WTF Melbourne - Carpet


It would make so much more sense!

Oh wow! What an awesome schedule! Like! OMG! It makes perfect sense!

Are there ponies and flying unicorns too?

[Looner]

fast_clay's post needs to be framed and given to any person who thinks they know the game and 'like' tennis as it is now.

[Chase Visa]

Originally Posted by Mjau!

But it's true! Borg and McEnroe didn't play Australian Open. Besides, the sport has changed so much it's pointless to cling to tradition. You can significantly alter the way the game is played by changing the equipment and surfaces, but you cannot get rid of a few stupid tournies that mess up the schedule???

In Mjau!'s improved ATP World Tour, the masters/major schedule would be something like this:

Mars

TMS Buenos Aires - Clay

April

TMS Rome - Clay
TMS Madrid - Clay

Maj

Roland Garros - Clay

Juni

TMS Hamburg - Grass

Juli

Wimbledon - Grass

Augusti

TMS Canada - Hard
TMS Cinnccinnatti - Hard

September

US Open - Hard (Now with a retractable roof)

October

TMS Tokyo - Carpet
TMS Shanghai - Carpet

November

WTF Melbourne - Carpet


It would make so much more sense!

Why would you fuck off the Australian Open?

And why would the WTF Melbourne be on Carpet courts? It's nearing Summer there - the conditions are fine for an outdoor tournament.