Tennis- The Changing Game!

It is said that change is the only constant part of our existence. As a corollary, nothing exists around us that doesn't change. When we get into the arena of sports,
again the way they are payed, the equipment, the training schedules etc have changed, only corroborates the saying. The game of tennis, or lawn tennis as it came to
be known, has epitomized this theory.
I have to admit that I have not always followed the sport and neither am I an ardent tennis game watcher, to have seen how the game was played in times when Jimmy
Connors or John McEnroe played. My interest in the sport began during the 90s, the era of American dominance with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang holding
the fort. Sampras was cynosure of most eyes then, and his game of serve and volley was a sure shot recipe of success, with only few exceptions with Agassi showing
exemplary base line game. The number of titles won by Sampras as compared to Agassi then shows as to which was the more successful style then. As changes came in with
players'being fitter, surfaces and balls getting faster, rackets becoming stronger, the way the game was played had to change. One thing though remained constant, the
game always respected players with big, booming service. Sampras always had a large number of aces and a big first serve percentage. Then came the players like Mark
Philopossis (the scud), Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, Pat Rafter, Goran Ivanosevic, all had one thing in common. They all had excellent service and huge first serve
percentages.
I believe it was Marat Safin who brought in the era of long games, longer matches with base line play. Though he himself struggled with injuries throughout his career,
but his style of game caught on. Then came the era of Roger Federer, who took the stylish form of the sport to another level. He was of the Sampras league with
excellent serve and volley game. The new generation then with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro caught on and with Rafa taking control
of more matches against Fedex through his unflinching baseline game and unbelievable levels of fitness, the game changed for good. Today, the power players, with
extreme fitness levels and unprecedented baseline play are dominating. No wonder the length of games, sets and matches has now got longer, but for an interested watcher
the finesse still remains. It has in fact now become a game of making a momentary mistake or a fraction of a second towards loss of concentration, that you can lose a
point, game, set or match. One thing though that has again stood out is people with booming serves still springing upsets and surprises. Milas Raonic, Jancowicz etc
fall in that league. But the conservative style of baseline play, with ever new innovations is here to stay.
The WTA (Women's Tennis) has also seen its eras changing. From the deft touches of Steffi Graff, to serve and volley of Martina Hingis to then power play of Ameli
Mauresmo, the Williams sisters etc. It is though always good to see players like Agnieska Radwanska, Kvitova who still hold that deft touches and smart play can still
take over powerplay.
The game will keep changing and it would be interesting to see what new comes up in the next few years.