Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Hoophound, post: 2266587, member: 271"] Equipment plays a massive role in the skill set of the players. It is much easier to have a consistent backhand now than it was in Edberg's day. The racket is doing so much of the work. I played college tennis and had a big serve. I then proceeded to barely touch a tennis racket for 15 years. Within 20 minutes of getting back on the court my serve was more powerful than ever and very controlled. I was able to convert from a lifelong two handed backhand to a solid one hander over the course of a week. It was immediately obvious to me that the rackets were incomparable and that I would be a better player today, literally by leaps and bounds, just because of the rackets. You can block the ball back with these rackets and hit winners. It isn't fair to compare players from different eras so critically. The bottom line is that the best few players of each generation would be top players if born 20 years later and given proper training and equipment. Talent is innate and with practice, fitness and equipment being equal, these greats would be great in any generation. [/QUOTE]