http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A29664507

Thats a very interesting Debate over at BBC.Something we seem to lack on our WTA forums these days.
Hope it makes for interesting reading!

:ok:

very interesting yeah but we do not need or want a debate like the Fed V Sampras debate ad nauseum;let's make the same point about 20 times everyday etc etc etc... :coffee: :bs: :2quiet: :yawn:

:cheers:

All your smilies Choko make for interesting discussions! :whistle:

Darky, I agree this is a good one.

:cheers:
Glad you agree... :D

I do think it's an intresting debate( even though i share choka's views on the Fed-Sampras debate roflmao )

Seles was the first woman to really usher in the aggressivbe style of tennis that has epitomised the women's game. We had Graf with the deadly forehand and Evert with the backhand, but here was a player who was so devastating on both sides( who also introduced the double-handed on both flanks and made it mainstream), and was so much more powerful than her peers. Her ballstriking was so early, especially compared to the Graf forehand which was hit so late. She was ahead of her time in some respects Seles, as her style was relatively unseen until her arrival on the tour. She really made the point that you could be aggressive on every point. She was insanely good to watch when on form :bow:

However, i feel Venus and Serena have taken this style of play to a new level in their career-span. They just upped the tempo in terms of serve, returning, movement and power. I mean before Venus came along, the general serve speeds of Sabatini, Graf, Vicario etc looked absolutely ordinary. Here was Venus hitting 120mph serves and it was apparent how much these two sisters were going to change tennis. The major area in which they've shaped the modern game to me, is the athleticsm. Apart from Graf, these two women were the best movers the WTA had ever seen, and Venus still is still IMO the best mover in the current game. They introduced the defense into attack play, which players have really had to try and implement in their game now. You can see it with every player now. They'll all trying to get fitter, stronger, better serves, better all-round mental qualities. I cant say it's all down to Seles and the William sisters, but they've been so infulential in this change in women's tennis, just like Navratilova was in the 80's or Margaret Court was in the mid 60's. It takes special players to shape a new generation, and i feel these players mentioned have.

It'll be intresting to see how women's tennis will have progressed in the next 10 years, with even more influences now with Henin and Mauresmo who are starting to bring more finesse and net-play backl into the game. I just think the variety of players that there is on the tour is great. Contary to public opinion, the WTA is not just full of aimless ball-bashers. Everyone's improving all the time, and i think the history of the WTA is going to record a lot of players from this era that will have conjured up an even better next generation.

Totally agree with you dl... :D

And glad we agree on the Fed v Sampras debate... :coffee:

roflmao

Well it's all about boosting the Fed ego mostly on that forum, so i just ignore it as best i can :rolleyes: :lol:

I think it's more about bossting the ego's of the Fed fans never mind Fed's... :rolleyes: :lol:

it's a tedious cycle roflmao

I was never a fan of Monica's. Her moaning and groaning made it hard to watch and appreciate her. I was happy to see her leave-just wish it could have been in a less destructive way :nope:

Do I gather English is not your native language either? You are right anyway English is my third language.

You are the one "boosting" about the Sampras Fed debate but if you had followed the thread instead of spoiling it with useless smilies, you may have realised it had not much to do with Fed and Sampras but about the difference of level between retired and active players. But this point is not raised for you, a wasted case, but for Dlo1 who I believe is a knowledgeable poster.

ok for a start you don't know what boasting means... :rolleyes:

and I'm sorry but your endless Fed v Sampras debates are dull, dull, dull so the sooner the rest of the Fed worshippers realise this the better for all concerned... :cheers:

and whatever that last line is about I'll never know... :shrug:

You blonde?

nope but that still doesn't take away from the fact that alot of your posts are incomprehensible... :shrug:

:) :( :angry: :blush: :whistle: :ban: :tsk: :cheers: :party: :coffee: :badpc: :P ;)

Is this any clearer for you?

I thought so, if all you can contribute to the debate is endless smilies it's perhaps time for you to run along to another Fed-Sampras thread. There must be one growing cold on here somewhere... :P

'Fed is better than Sampras yadda yadda yadda :blah: ' :yawn: :coffee: :2quiet:

Okay folks... I am aware that we all have different views on what makes tennis interesting... however, this thread was about an interesting topic for you WTA people - and you seemed to have made it into an excuse to have a go at what others find interesting in the ATP forum.

I am sure if you read something in there along the lines of 'god, dont they go on all the time about Henin v Williams - even those who dont support either of them apparently - its soooo boring' - you'd be in there like a shot to make your complaints known.

I am disappointed to find that when we are trying to ensure a good community spirit, and building this board up, you find it necessary to slam others for their interests.

I hope this thread continues down the route it was meant by Dark and that everyone stays out of threads they dont like - or find tedious - without the need to berate others for having them.

Fair enough Pebs but I think the plea from the WTA fans on here was we didn't get a WTA equivalent of the Fed v Sampras GOAT debate which by recent evidence has descended into attacks on other posters... :shrug:

:bow: :bow: :bow:

I am not sure I follow - what do you mean you didnt get an equivalent?

as for the recent descent into personal name calling - well, one poster has resorted to that from what I have seen - and another admin has posted on there asking for it to stop - same as in this thread.

well the original point was made regarding a debate about Monica bringing a power game into tennis, from previous experience on the BBC boards this usually results in a women's GOAT debate.

I'm not really sure many of us fans of the WTA want a female equivalent of the Fed v Sampras which is rumbling on in CC by the day and as I have mentioned doesn't seem to be going anywhere... :shrug:

ah, okay, the way that read it sounded like we hadnt let you have one!

if you dont want one, then dont have one - simple as. Whether you find them mind numbing or not, if other people enjoy having them, then they should be allowed to do so without finding it slagged off elsewhere.

Just because you havent had a GOAT debate, doesnt mean that the stuff you do discuss is of interest to others - but I would hope they refrain from :blah: it all over the place.

Im not sure praising Monica would ensure a GOAT debate. I think its widely accepted that she cant be considered GOAT because of her slam count and not winning wimbledon. Her legacy though it that people are always going to discuss whether she would have become GOAT had she not been stabbed. I find Monica to be the greatest player because she stopped Steffis dominance and as most of you are aware i am a big fan of the power game she introduced. However if GOATs are mentioned it surely has to be a discussion about Steffi and Martina, and im not about to start a thread on them two :D :wacko:

I dare ya ;) :P

dont tempt me i never back down from a dare :flash:

:ok:

Agreed here Pebs.It was a debate about Monica and what she did for the game which turned into a Steffi versus Monica debate which always generates interest.I dont know why must every post on this WTA forum turn into fight with name calling.Its really not pleasant being on the WTA forum anymore!

I can't agree. DN, you post some decent stuff about tennis but here you have created a thread pointing towards a discussion on another board, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But then, in your initial post, you took a swipe at the WTA Forum suggesting no-one debates seriously on here anymore.

I am not sure what reaction you were expecting by provoking members who post regularly in the WTA Section. They have a right to defend themselves.

The initial post my friend was for a good read as stated.Whether the people decided to debate on it or not is another thing.I posted it here for people to read as there are some really interesting points being made there.And as tennis fans why shouldnt we see how someone else views a different scenario :shrug:

You know just as much as I do that every post here turns into "that" debate about you know what so there really wasnt a swipe at anyone but rather a fact.Yes they have the right to defend themselves but lets face it,that what this forum has become.One poster defending himself against another rather than healthy debating.The provocation was an attempt to get people interested like they were in the WTA forum.I cant see how you would think it was meant to do anything else!

PS. You and I disagree about a lot of things but we never have resorted to a position where Im name calling you or vice versa or where I have to take a stance to defend myself from you ;) Think about it!

Ok, I think what Pebs was trying to say is that we need a bit of a "live and let live" approach to the forums. Just as some of the WTA posters do not enjoy the way the ATP discussions go, some of the ATP posters may not enjoy the WTA forums. However, that is not a reason to slam the forums or those who post in them - on either side!

If there is name-calling or personal attacks then please report the posts and the mods will deal with it. Otherwise, the messageboard is really what the posters decide to make of it - so if you don't enjoy a forum then by all means start some different discussions, but don't use those discussions to criticise other posters, because otherwise the threads will become about posters defending themselves rather than about tennis - which is, of course, the whole point of the exercise!

:admin:

Thats the thing Dinky_Jo, I am not solely an ATP poster but have become one because of the way discussions go in here.I am a tennis fan not an ATP or WTA fan,huge difference.So as a tennis fan its also unfair on us who when we post have everything twisted against us because that defeats what you are saying there as the tennis discussion is immediately lost. :shrug:

But yes I agree with you as well with what you are saying! :ok:

:D :clap: :clap:

Thank you Jo, that is exactly what I meant - my post was more about the attacks on other posters and was in no way meant to suggest that it was okay to provoke people.

I am sorry Gav, that you thought so.

Have had a look through this thread but can't find any name calling?! :wacko: :shrug: